Tim and the Boys have been playing their brand of agitated punk around Sydney for about a year. Featuring Tim Collier, Daniel Gross (Dead Farmers) and Will Harley (Housewives), the three move within a dark synth based abjectness. This is a Sydney that you don’t see covered in in-flight magazines. There's no harbor view al fresco dining here. Sorry but you are going to have to wait for your souvalki at the counter next to cab drivers and people swearing loudly.The band recorded their six-track demo on a Tuesday in June then released and sold out of the tape on the following Sunday. There’s no time for fucking around with these guys.Tim and the Boys are playing our upcoming Sydney Noisey party where we have teamed up with the good people at OXJAM, to present a lineup that also includes Point Being and Orion. Entry is free but you need to RSVP here.We sent Tim some questions to find out more about him and the boys.Noisey: What was the impetus in starting the band?
Tim Collier: I'd been going to shows for ages, but never been involved with music really. Dan and I talked about how Sydney audiences react to bands and how I felt like it was really disappointing and sort of rude. I wanted to start a fast, balls-to-the-wall hardcore band to see if people would react, or at least to try and illicit a response. Dan was really interested in starting a band with a drum machine.We had a practice with some people and then that kind of didn't work out, but I realised you can't do a hardcore band with a drum machine really.
So I coerced Will one night when he was drunk to practice with us sometime. We practiced a couple times and it worked, so we stuck at it.I can hear a Chrome influence especially on the first track "Learn". I take it you guys have listened to Alien Soundtracks a bit?
I am listening to it now at work and it's a trip, but I have never heard it before. Their guitar reminds me a lot of the synth sound we have, except I can't play so this is way more interesting. This record is really jammy and weird. I like it. Dan is super keen on making songs longer and jamming them out, so maybe that plays into it where you are hearing the reference, but I had definitely never heard this before.Sydney has a bunch of rad newish bands like Orion and Sex Tourists/Aloha Units at the moment. Can you put this down to anything?
I don't know. In terms of if there is any driving force I would just say a need for change. The thing that these bands have in common is just a fresh perspective. Whether that is coming from bands with different sounds mixing members, from new faces, fresh energy. I think Sydney needs it at the moment too. I think we were all a bit over that jangle pop wave of bands riding the grunge aesthetic and decided to finally do something about it.I like that you have a theme song and the first two lines are "We are the hopeless/we are the useless".
I'm really proud that we have a theme song. I think it's a real mark of distinction to be a band that knows what it's about and can summarise it in one song.
It's one of our earlier songs that came from me messing about with the sequencer on my synth. I just wrote the synth line and played a bunch of drum beats until something locked with the other guys. I opened my mouth and out came some bile about us boys and the rest is history.
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Tim Collier: I'd been going to shows for ages, but never been involved with music really. Dan and I talked about how Sydney audiences react to bands and how I felt like it was really disappointing and sort of rude. I wanted to start a fast, balls-to-the-wall hardcore band to see if people would react, or at least to try and illicit a response. Dan was really interested in starting a band with a drum machine.We had a practice with some people and then that kind of didn't work out, but I realised you can't do a hardcore band with a drum machine really.
So I coerced Will one night when he was drunk to practice with us sometime. We practiced a couple times and it worked, so we stuck at it.I can hear a Chrome influence especially on the first track "Learn". I take it you guys have listened to Alien Soundtracks a bit?
I am listening to it now at work and it's a trip, but I have never heard it before. Their guitar reminds me a lot of the synth sound we have, except I can't play so this is way more interesting. This record is really jammy and weird. I like it. Dan is super keen on making songs longer and jamming them out, so maybe that plays into it where you are hearing the reference, but I had definitely never heard this before.Sydney has a bunch of rad newish bands like Orion and Sex Tourists/Aloha Units at the moment. Can you put this down to anything?
I don't know. In terms of if there is any driving force I would just say a need for change. The thing that these bands have in common is just a fresh perspective. Whether that is coming from bands with different sounds mixing members, from new faces, fresh energy. I think Sydney needs it at the moment too. I think we were all a bit over that jangle pop wave of bands riding the grunge aesthetic and decided to finally do something about it.I like that you have a theme song and the first two lines are "We are the hopeless/we are the useless".
I'm really proud that we have a theme song. I think it's a real mark of distinction to be a band that knows what it's about and can summarise it in one song.
It's one of our earlier songs that came from me messing about with the sequencer on my synth. I just wrote the synth line and played a bunch of drum beats until something locked with the other guys. I opened my mouth and out came some bile about us boys and the rest is history.
Catch Tim and the Boys with Orion and Point Being at our Sydney Noisey party on Thursday Aug 6. Entry is free but [you need to RSVP here.](http://Catch Grotto with Tyrannamen and Pronto at our Melbourne Noisey party on Thursday Aug 6. Entry is free but you need to RSVP here.)