Hot and Powerful

Quoted from Facebook:

‘Hi everyone, Chris here.

In recent years, people have realised that the community-minded, strongly independent, inter-disciplinary, terminally overcommitted, fun-having life-loving and vaguely eastern-European inner-north living divorced-parent having artist Nick Delatovic and I seem to have a bit in common. This growing chorus of as many as six people recently culminated in Little Dove Director Chenoeh Miller approaching us both with the idea of creating a band to play at the Hurly Burley Winter Fair.

A calmly panicked feed of texts kicked around some names and earnestly-held opinions that lay the groundwork for what could be the first ‘one-show only’ Canberra band to actually retire after one show*

The name HOT & POWERFUL made us both feel sick and is as such is the perfect home for a musical exchange of niche opinions that are earned only through a trail of errors and some combination of unease, abdication, ownership and ignorance of the very specific spaces we both inhabit.

All celebrated and explored through the only means we both know: brash showmanship and upbeat original pop music, played inexpertly.

8.45, CMC Stages.

xx

*Also might not be who knows.’

I know what you’re saying, ‘Nick, six weeks to create a band and set of songs from scratch, my only shock is that this wasn’t your idea’ and yeah you’re right but I was still daunted and stressed by the undertaking. Chris (Of Paint On Paint, Withdrawl Method, In Canberra Tonight, Fun Machine and more recently CanbEurovision fame) and I had had a wonderful time working on Superior Man together but I was concerned that the almost self-defeatingly high-concept way I approach bands might clash with what I perceived to be his more present and emotionally direct style.

In the end it was so nice to spend time with him on this that I have little critical distance on the final result, but I genuinely love the songs we wrote together (hyper-minimalist drone pop opinion-core) and the show we put together (see above). I feel like the shared trait which defined our work together is our speed to wholly commit to a foolhardy premise and our disinterest in defining something as either a joke or as serious. He and I are agreed that it’s the perfect band to play a few gigs with and then record the set.