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Album, Interview, Music, SA, Tour 0

In the Chair – He likes making Decisions, Commitments & Plans, he’s Connor Brooker (Bugs)

By Tony Polese · On March 31, 2022

In the Chair is a regular feature on Eventalaide, highlighting artists from across Australia and occasionally overseas. Everyone gets the same questions. It is just meant to be a bit of fun so please treat it as such.

Questions by Geoff Jenke

Bugs, formed in 2014 in Brisbane, Queensland are a self-professed noisy three-piece guitar pop band. They have just released their highly anticipated third studio album, Cooties, ahead of their 17 date Australian tour which kicks off in Newcastle on April 22. It’s been one wild ride for the trio so far, having already toured with the likes of Grinspoon, Mallrat, WAXX, TOWNS, Sweater Curse and The Hard Aches as well as appearing on festival line ups including Falls Festival, Yours & Owls and The Hills Are Alive.

They play Adelaide on Friday 27 May at The Fat Controller.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Name: Connor Brooker

Band: BUGS
We’re a Pop/Rock band from Meanjin (Brisbane). We’ve been growing into our brand of fun, infectious sing-alongs for over 7 years in the gorgeous QLD sunshine. Our 3rd album ‘Cooties’ is out March 25 2022 and it’s our most polished, accomplished, mature & catchy release to date.

_________________________________________________________________________________

What was the first record you bought with your own money and where from?
In terms of vinyl, I bought my first LP from a fried chicken truck outside a venue in Fortitude Valley at 11am. Jake, the drummer for a Brisbane staple Major Leagues was the owner-operator of ‘Lucky Egg’ at the time and I’d just been gifted a REGA RP1 turntable, so needed some wax to test it out. They’d just put out their debut album so I messaged Jake and we organised the rendezvous. It still gets a solid flogging.

60’s or 70’s Music:
Tough call, 60’s for me – Sgt Peppers (Beatles) + Pet Sounds (Beach Boys) can’t really be beaten in my eyes – plus the formative bands of that era shifted the direction of popular music so drastically that all those after generally benefited from the growth in the industry. Plus, the songs connect more with me on a personal level generally. 

What music are currently listening to?
A lot of punk and classic Australian rock, the wave of artists like Amyl + Chats has been so cool to watch evolve over the last few years. So, trying to kind of learn where they got their inspiration from as I feel like I have a solid blind spot in terms of that genre, hahaha.

The Best live artist/band you’ve seen:
PUP – hands down. How they can execute such complicated music in a chaotic environment is beyond me. Their songs have huge dynamics, precise tempo changes and mood shifts – but they just pull it off and then some, it’s a raucous good time and I couldn’t recommend seeing it for yourself more.

Your “In the mood for love” song:
Thundercat – Them Changes. The texture of the bass and the mood the weird harmonics add just make me move my snake hips. It’s an empowering song, it makes you feel cool / want to strut into a nightclub in a fur coat.

Your favourite Saturday night party record?
North East Party House – DARE – an Australian dance act that are high energy, this album is bangers from front to back. For a dance release, it shifts gears really naturally and there is so much in the songs for different tastes to get around it. Great band.

Your favourite Sunday morning chill out record?
Ooof tough call – Barnyard by Good Morning. All the tones are dull and gentle (I mean that in the most complimentary way possible) – the warmth of the production and genuinity of the songs are like a big cuddle from a friend you haven’t seen in years.

Which song do you wish you had written?
Blood by the Middle East – think that’s probably the most solid track that has EVER been written in AU.

Roger Daltry once said “Rock N Roll has no future”. Do you agree with him?
Roger Daltry sounds like an idiot. People like to make outlandish generalised statements all the time (like I just did) – his opinion of modern music seems aligned with the old ‘things were better in my day’ rhetoric, but yeah poor guy just sounds like an outdated, dinosaur trying to stay relevant. The Who weren’t that good in my opinion.

Vinyl, CD or Streaming?
Vinyl – something tangible you can feel, large enough that you dedicate space for, important enough you sacrifice time for. One of the last ways an artists can assure listeners digest the intended chronology of their track listing. And also, one of the few music mediums that almost by nature of design force you to pay attention.

If you could record or play live with any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
I wouldn’t want to play with any dead ones because the smell would be too hard to ignore, wouldn’t get anything done + they’d be getting credit for doing no work hehehe. But seriously, probably Paul Kelly – his poetry is just timeless and so visceral, I have such a deep, enormous respect for him.

What is the most useless talent you have?
I can burp really loud full sentences; I can also make a baby crying noise by compressing air in my cheek – it annoys everyone else in the band SO MUCH.

Your finest recorded moment?
Probably doing Like a Version together with our friends RAAVE TAPES at the triple j studios in Sydney. Sharing experiences and success are much better when it involves mates.

If you could open a show for any artist/band, who would it be?
Already have – Cloud Nothings. Honestly, my favourite band in the world and we opened for them last year in Brisbane so the ultimate bucket list thing has kinda happened haha.

Stuck on a desert island for a year and can only take three albums. What would they be?
I’d just take a couple of King Gizzard records for pure style variance, length and creativity. I feel like that way I’d not go entirely crazy exploring their whacky cosmos of sound.

Favourite all time movie:
I watched Titanic like 4 times on Christmas Day when I was 6 years old so probably have to stick with that one out of it sheerly being burned into my memory. I really love Ten Things I Hate About You as well – best soundtrack EVER.

Who would you rather be for a day, Mariah Carey or Taylor Swift?
Mariah Carey because she’s not in the peak of her career so I’d probably just get to chill the f out on some really nice yacht / beach. Couldn’t handle the pressure of being Tay Tay, don’t wanna know what her schedule looks like – that being said playing arenas would be COOL.

Best show you have ever played in your career:
Personally, our Tivoli headline last year – biggest hometown show we’ve ever played, sold out a venue I had personally always dreamed of playing. And I mean that in the truest sense – never thought we’d get there and now we get to do it AGAIN!!!

Paul McCartney or Neil Young?
Neil Young, because I already praised the Beatles earlier and in the same vein of my admiration for PK, Neil Young is just such a remarkable craftsman when it comes to his songs. Everything is so intentional and, in its place, like he’s building a table.

Who is the nicest person in Rock n Roll at the moment?
Probably our manager Ruby. She’s always got our back, working herself into the ground to ensure we keep the wheels on this big, beautiful thing. We’re so proud of our team, we are REALLY lucky.

What do you hope the next 12 months holds for you?
A successful album release, a sold-out tour, some unforgettable memories and a bunch of new friends. If I can write some more songs in between all of that, bonus. I just can’t wait to get back out on the road, engaging with all these beautiful smiling faces (screaming words I wrote in my phone notes) right back at me. It’s an irreplaceable buzz.

Bugs have a new album out entitled Cooties. Cooties was recorded and produced by drummer Brock Weston at his home studio in Brisbane. They started by refining a batch of 30 songs during the middle of 2020, and through the continuous lockdowns they managed to record most of the final tracks.

Connor Brooker – “I wrote most of the songs between 2019-2020 and as the obvious gems worked their way onto the final track listing the theme of the album came together. It’s all about coexisting realities, relationships in your twenties, finding your place in the world. I’ve gone through pretty drastic and destabilising change at times and I guess it’s representative of a lot of personal experiences over the last few years. Some of the songs are pretty sad, some are full of angst, others unbridled joy. It’s a polarising mix of music because life isn’t as linear as we’d often like it to be.” explains Brooker.

Bugs are heading out on an Australian tour in April.

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Tony Polese

Writer & Editor

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