Cult gig of the month: Second Idol at The Peer Hat, Manchester.

For decades we've seen wave after wave of Australian bands come all the way from Down Under to take on the British music scene - from AC/DC, through to Nick Cave to the modern attitude of DMA’s and Amyl and The Sniffers. But who will be on the frontline for the next sonic assault on the UK? Cult Manchester’s Jools Taylor (editor of @the_setlist24) talks to Second Idol singer and guitarist Kate Farquharson, to discuss all things cult and their upcoming gig at Manchester's Peer Hat at the end of the month.

Cult Manchester: I noticed on Instagram that you have some famous fans, one of them being DMA'S who also come from Australia and have taken the UK by storm in recent years - have you got similar plans?

Kate Farquharson: I think it’s every Australian band’s dream to make an impact in the UK! We have some really excellent bands coming out of Australia, including our hometown of Sydney - many of them attempt to beat the dreaded ‘cultural cringe’ by touring in the UK and Europe. We’re most definitely following suit here. We’re certainly hoping that this tour will not be our last. I’m a big believer in longevity and am really keen to see how we connect with audiences in the UK. On the DMA’s, I think they’ve been following us for years. Matt Mason [guitarist] caught us playing a long time ago at a bit of a legendary venue in Sydney called The Lansdowne. I remember he was keen to buy a t-shirt, but for that show, I stupidly decided to leave all my merch at home.

CM: You’re playing shows in the UK and Ireland - which gig of the tour are you looking forward to the most? And why is it Manchester?

Manchester will absolutely be a highlight of our tour! I’ve travelled to the UK in the past, although I’ve never had the chance to properly visit north west England. Our show at The Peer Hat is going to be pretty special as it’s the one show on our tour that we are 100% organising. The DIY gigging culture is a bit different in Australia and bands at our level tend to be their own promoters, booking directly with venues and organising their own shows, so organising this show feels a little similar.  Plus, I always love scouting out artists for line-ups. For this show we’ve got locals BLONDINE and Banquet joining us. We’re really looking forward to visiting Manchester, particularly given the city’s rich music heritage and our particular love of Mancunian bands. As a band with strong post-punk influence, of course it’s bands like Joy Division that obviously come to the fore. I’m also a big fan of Elbow and The Chameleons. Funnily enough, before this tour became a reality, I was reading Dave Haslam’s memoir Sonic Youth Slept on My Floor, so my brain is currently very full and inspired by a plethora of stories and anecdotes. I can’t wait to set foot in your city.

CM: You're the first band I've seen that announced a ‘send-off’ gig before going international - is this now going to be a tradition?

KF: Who knows, maybe it will be! We’ve noticed a couple of Australian bands having send-off shows before heading on tour to the UK/Europe. Such shows are an excuse for a bit of a party, to amp us up and get some support from our local community before we head off to the other side of the world. It’ll also help us to scrounge together any additional funds to see us on our way, although there are rumours that people will be requesting duty-free orders from us. We'll see how this one goes down!

CM: What do you think will be the differences between a UK and home crowd?

KF: The first place that my mind goes is just the sheer population and geographical differences between Australia and the UK! That aside, we’re a bit more of an anomaly in the Australian music scene; we straddle different genres and we’re perhaps not obviously ‘Australian sounding’ - we’re not the indie grungy surf rock/punk sound. We’re a bit darker and more introspective and melancholic. I think UK audiences might be a bit quicker to get around some of our core influences and sound. While we are a bit of an outlier in Australia, we have more in common with the recent post-punk resurgence that has come out of the UK and Ireland so I think audiences in the UK will be quite receptive.

We tend to pull quite a diverse crowd in terms of age, gender and subcultures. At our shows we get Gen X-er men right up-front mingling with trans kids, goths, and guys who just love guitar noise and want to have a bit of a mosh. Sometimes it can feel like a bit of an outsider convention. It’s really cool to connect with people from all walks of life and see what they get from our music. Based on fans that I’ve interacted with in the UK, I think we’ll be looking at a similar audience mix, but I’m happy to be surprised! As long as a gig is an inclusive sanctuary from the ravages of the outside world, I’m happy.

We have a very supportive home-town crowd here in Sydney which is very much entrenched in the queer community. I think this common thread of queerness and community will carry through to the audiences we’ll encounter on our tour in the UK and Ireland, particularly through teaming up with promoters Loud Women (for Loud Women Fest Dublin and London), and Goth Frog productions in Liverpool for their event ‘DOLLHOUSE’ which is helping to raise funds for transgender aid community organisation Protect Scouse Dolls.

CM: Finally, what's your favourite cult thing?

KF: I really love browsing antiques. I’m always on the lookout for anything quirky and gothic. I love viewing history and people’s lives through unusual objects. I’m drawn to dark aesthetics, but I also have a soft spot for things like doilies.

Second Idol are bringing their upcoming UK & Ireland Tour to Manchester on Monday the 31 August at the Peer Hat on 14-16 Faraday Street at 7pm, with support sets from BLONDINE and Banquet. Tickets here.

In the meantime watch the video for the single ‘Spineless Wonders’, taken from their debut album Mongrel.

https://youtu.be/7NfqVXb7WBg?is=Z23d2DTHzcPXQg8y