DAPHNE SHUM and MATT KULESZA from Rat vs Possum, discuss feijoas, pets and gear with Bachelorette’s ANNABEL ALPERS. Both bands are on the bill for next month's Melbourne Festival.

I'm always envious of performers like yourself who have enough stage presence and mastery over their instruments to carry a solo show. Have you played shows before with really stark and minimal instrumentation, or do you prefer to surround yourself with lots of instruments?
I'm actually really not technically that great at playing one instrument, so it's easier for me to play around with stuff on the computer and layer sounds. And I guess it also really just comes down to taste. I like thick musical textures and patterns. I mean, sometimes I'll break up the set with a very sparse interpretation of a song, but the only time I've done a full set of really basic one-instrument versions of my songs was at Camp A Low Hum in 2009.

Do you mind gear-geeking out with me for a second and telling me about your current live set-up?
I use Ableton Live for sampling and looping stuff, with midi pads, a pedal and a midi keyboard connected to it for triggering and structuring everything. I sing through the computer and through a separate microphone that goes through my Eventide Pitchfactor pedal. My guitar also goes through the computer. I send eight separate channels of sounds from the computer to my sound engineer who mixes it all out front.

You've been on some great tours, what's your highlight been and why? Oh, and are the Animal Collective guys cool dudes?
Yeah, the Animal Collective guys were nice. I really enjoyed being able to see their show lots of times. I never got sick of seeing/hearing it. I never got sick of seeing Will Oldham play when I toured with him also. The show was different every time. I think I learnt a lot from watching those acts, just seeing how much they are dedicated to and believe in what they do. Beach House, too.

I read in your bio that you did postgrad studies in computer-based composition. Did you meet any musical soulmates while you were studying?
I met one of my best friends at music school, though if anything, my studies pushed me further into wanting to do everything myself, rather than collaborating (musically, I mean).

Who are your favourite female artists?
I kind of have an issue with music being classified by gender. It really only comes down to the voice being higher or lower. I don't base my taste in music on the gender of the artist, so I feel weird having to pick out music based on that. If it comes down to female singers, I like Tina Turner's voice when she was touring with Ike Turner in the late ’60s, Nico's voice, [Beach House’s] Victoria Legrand's ... I'm sure there are loads more but I just can't think of them right now.

What are the best/worst things you've eaten on the road?
I had the best Mexican food of my life at a family-owned restaurant in Visalia, California, and the best paella in Spain. I had gluten free fish and chips in Portland, which was a big deal for me, even if they weren't that tasty. Every now and then I'll come across a surprise meal that blows me away on tour, in random places (mostly around Europe). I think maybe I just block the bad stuff out of my memory?

What are you reading at the moment?
I'm revisiting Carl Jung's "Man And His Symbols'. It's maybe the fourth time I've read it in the last decade or so. It's always so interesting but I seem to forget it as quickly as I read it.

Any memorable stage injuries? I once got accidentally kneed in the groin onstage by a bandmate. Ever thrown your laptop at the monitors guy in a fit of rage?
Once I had a coughing fit on stage half way through a song. I had the flu. It was embarrassing. I've also accidentally drunk too much Jagermeister on stage and got a bit sloppy – that's happened a couple of times. Every now and then I'll accidentally headbut the microphone. Nothing very rock’n’roll to report though. I tend to wear my anger on the inside.

Do you own any pets?
I wish. Touring does not allow for pet ownership. My cat had to move in with my dad. I lived with a lovely dog called Dude when I was recording in Virginia and now I really want a dog. Sigh.

When we played shows in New Zealand we were seriously elated to discover there is feijoa-flavoured everything over there. Like feijoa cider and feijoa lollies. What kind of genius invented that? Tell us you love feijoas too!
I love feijoas. They are in my top three fruits of all time. I love feijoa season. Thinking of them is making me homesick.

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‘Bachelorette’ is out now on Mistletone Records/Inertia.

TOUR DATES:

Wednesday, October 19
The Toff In Town, Melbourne, VIC
w/Rat Vs Possum

Friday, October 21
The Forum, Melbourne, NSW
w/Konono No.1

Saturday, October 22
Goodgod Small Club, Sydney, NSW
w/Donny Benet + Jasmina Maschina

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