Thanks so much to Mark Bryceland for the interview! I had written about the Perth, Australia, early 90s band Wash on the blog back in March. I was surprised to hear that the band is planning to reissue their songs thanks to Chapter Music! And I needed to learn more about the band. Mark also shared with me his new project and was happily surprised as well. Clearly he likes the music I also like! So it made total sense for this interview to happen. So if you haven’t heard about Wash, please hear them now!
++ Hi Mark! Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what your first instrument was? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?
There was often music playing in the house and in the family car – my Dad liked Roxy Music, Motown, Boz Scaggs, Motown and I particularly remember a lot of Smokey Robinson’s ‘Being With You’ album. As kids, we listened to the charts a lot: the Australian one and Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. I noticed I liked sad, melodic stuff such as ‘What About Me?’ By Moving Pictures, ‘You Weren’t in Love With Me’ by Billy Field, ‘All Out of Love’ by Air Supply. I was also really into John Lennon at this time, in particular ‘Mind Games’, ‘#9 Dream’ and ‘Watching the Wheels’. Being the early-to-mid 80s, there were loads of great synth-pop, rock and ballads around and I became obsessed with Simple Minds’ ‘New Gold Dream’ and Tears for Fears’ ‘Songs From the Big Chair’ albums. Later In high school I got into the Jesus and Mary Chain. A school friend, Stephen Garrett, lent me his Psychocandy cassette. I thought the noise was a cassette fault and gave it back. The more accessible ‘Darklands’ album was released very shortly after. I particularly loved the sad, melancholic title track, then got into Psychocandy after Darklands! Friends at School were listening to The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen and alternative British pop. A few friends were punks but I didn’t like punk, being very much a child of the more effeminate new-romantic era. So I was listening to all sorts of alternative music at that time and especially liked British indie and older stuff like Love, The Doors, The Byrds and Bread etc. I always wanted to play drums, so saved up and bought a beaten up old Rogers drum kit for $50. My parents flipped and I wasn’t allowed to play it in the house so I really looked forward to joining a band in order to practice.
++ Had you been in other bands before Wash?
I played drums in two cover bands with high school friends. One was The Funeral Party with Paul Collins (vocals), David Coggin (guitar). Paul Bristow (guitar) and Stephen Garret (bass). We mostly played covers of The Birthday Party and Bauhaus songs plus an original called ‘The Night the City Screamed’. We performed perhaps a handful of parties and gigs. I was also in a Joy Division covers band called Covert Activity with Stephen Garrett again (bass) and Peter Norris (guitar). I had seen Covert Activity play at a ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition at Applecross High School with their previous drummer just before Stephen enrolled at my school. We didn’t have a vocalist and we never played live, but we practiced most Sundays in Stephen’s very hot garage. Both bands eventually merged and then played half a gig at The Stoned Crow in Fremantle, which ended prematurely with an argument upfront, and we broke up on-stage.
++ What about the other band members? Were they in other bands too?
I’m not sure about Alan Matthews (bass) and Courtney Babb (guitar), but Rolf Farstad (guitar and vocals) was in another band with Jon Scull called Benji. Jon Scull did the artwork for the Wash ‘Demo’ cassette. One of Benji’s tracks, Iguana, made it onto Guy Blackman’s compilation ‘Bright Lights Small City’ in 1991 alongside Wash’s ‘Klunk’.
++ Where are you originally from?
My family moved from Paisley in Scotland to Perth in Australia when I was a kid. Perth was a nice place to grow up but it started to feel a little small as I got older, so I moved to London and spent the first year seeing a lot of gigs and a lot of bands – including a lot of the first Stereolab gigs! Laetitia had a cool voice and presence and was very sweet. The band had a raw energy in those days, much like the Super Electric EP, produced by Ian ‘Robbs’ Robbins. I ended up going to far too many gigs and soon got bored of gigs altogether and have generally avoided them ever since. The last gig I went to see was a Dory Previn tribute evening at The Betsey Trotwood in London in 2024 and before that Deerhoof in 2014 who were great, of course.
++ How was Perth at the time of Wash? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?
Perth is a geographically quite large and spacious suburban city with a relatively small population. It’s a famously isolated city and international acts at the time would often omit Perth from their touring schedule on viability grounds, I think. Despite Perth’s relatively low population there was quite a vibrant and diverse alternative music scene. Venues including The Old Melbourne, The Shents in Shenton Park, and The Stoned Crow in Fremantle were good venues for seeing a variety of alternative bands. I liked quite a few Australian groups such as The Go-Betweens, The Church, Ratcat, Lubricated Goat etc.
There were a few good record shops in Perth. Dada Records (still in business on Pier Street) was something of a regular hangout for people into alternative music at the time. The staff were cool and funny and would often make recommendations. 78 Records on Hay Street was a big one but seemed a bit snooty and dull so I didn’t go there much. There was a Perth musician called Kim Williams who had his own band (Summer Suns, who put out a few nice singles) and a while later he opened a record shop called House of Wax, first on King Street then moving to an arcade on Hay Street, which I started to visit more often – he specialised much more in UK indie music than Dada’s – so it became a new favourite.
++ I can think of quite a few great bands from Perth! Did you have any favourite bands in Perth at the time? Was there any that you think deserved more attention, that should have been bigger? Or ones you really enjoyed sharing a gig?
The most enjoyable and memorable gig I ever saw in Perth was the very first The Blackeyed Susans gig at the Seaview Tavern in Fremantle in 1989ish. The Blackeyed Susans were an Australian ‘super-group’ made up of David McComb and Alsy McDonald (The Triffids), Rob Snarsky (ex-Chad’s Tree), Ross Bolleter, and Phil Kakulas (ex-Triffids). They did a bunch of covers by the Velvet Underground, Elvis and others, and later put out some original stuff in the 90s. The Seaview gig was packed and the Perth audience were uncharacteristically enthusiastic on what was one of the hottest evenings of the year. On the basis of that performance I thought they should have been a great success.
++ How was the band put together? How was the recruiting process?
Rolf had been writing songs and wanted to put a band together. He put an ad in House of Wax for musicians and Alan joined him first. They played their first gig supporting Thou Gideon at The Actors’ Centre (I think) in Northbridge. Thou Gideon’s drummer, Cameron Potts, sat in on drums. I can’t remember how I ended up joining – I’d known Thou Gideon’s lead singer Mark Lilypie for years so perhaps he recommended them to me, having known they needed a drummer. We first rehearsed as a trio, played two or three gigs and recorded half the cassette before Courtney joined us on guitar. Courtney beefed up our sound quite a bit and we sounded much improved thereafter. You can hear the difference Courtney’s guitar made in the second lot of songs we recorded for the cassette.
++ Was there any lineup change in the band?
We were fairly stable for a few months after Courtney joined and until I left for the UK: we played a few more gigs and recorded the rest of the tracks on the cassette. We were in something of a hurry to get the cassette out before I left. I was replaced on drums by Jamie Hamilton, and the band played one or two more gigs and recorded a couple of new tracks before splitting. Those two later tracks will also be included on the forthcoming re-release.
++ What instruments did each of you play in the band?
Courtney Babb (guitar), Mark Bryceland (drums and vocals), Rolf Farstad (guitar and vocals), Alan Matthews (bass), and later Jamie Hamilton (drums). Rolf, Alan and I were all left handed players, and Courtney was the band’s sole righty. Rolf played a Tokai SG because the double cut away helped with getting to the higher frets. He was inspired by John Squire of the Stone Roses to paint the guitar in a Jackson Pollock action painting style. He also used a Digitech PDS 1550 and a Roktech phaser pedal into a 69 Fender Bassman amp.
++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?
We were from south of the Swan River and practiced in a rehearsal studio next to the Fremantle Market most Saturdays. Rolf wrote his songs at home and brought them in as and when. We learned them fairly quickly and would just run through them all a few times at each rehearsal. We worked solidly and with little fuss at rehearsal to get the arrangements as tight as possible and then often had a beer at the Sail and Anchor in Fremantle afterwards.
++ What about influences?
Rolf and I were both mad about The Jesus and Mary Chain. We all liked Creation and 4AD stuff like Ride, Lush, My Bloody Valentine and Pale Saints, I think. Rolf was into Sonic Youth and Sub-Pop stuff too, and loads of other stuff. I was also into a lot of UK indie like Sarah Records and The Pastels, The Vaselines etc.
++ One bit that struck me is that you were the only shoegaze band in Perth at the time. Is that really so? In Australia in general, did you find any other like-minded bands?
I don’t think we knew or used the newly-coined music media term ‘shoegaze’ at the time – I just thought of us as ‘indie’. There were a few Cocteau Twins-ish rock bands around (The Cutting for one) but not what might be defined as shoegaze at that time – the definition seems to have broadened considerably over the years. I don’t remember other bands playing anything similar at the time and the Perth alternative music scene was quite diverse, so we’d play on some pretty eclectic bills. There was a bit of excitement around the release of Ratcat’s very successful ‘Tingles’ EP in 1990. They played Ramones-type power pop and their single ‘That Ain’t Bad’ became a huge crossover hit in Australia after its release, which helped popularise alternative rock in Australia to some degree and offered some inspiration to young bands at the time, including ourselves.
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
A friend of mine, Michael Lock, and I were into the same stuff. We’d comb through NME and Melody Maker for new bands to check out. Back then if we wanted to hear something we’d have to visit Dada Records. There was so little demand for some of this stuff in Perth that they wouldn’t stock it and we would often have to order it just to hear it. Michael never had any money so I’d usually have to buy it and make him a copy on cassette. Michael and I became huge fans of bands like The Pastels, Primal Scream, Slaughter Joe, Meat Whiplash. Michael was the one who suggested the band name, ‘Wash’, and I and the rest of the band liked it too. ‘Wash’ fit well with the one-word indie band names so popular at the time; Bleach, Lush, Ride etc. It also matched the washy distorted sound of the guitars.
++ The band released a self-titled 8 song demo in 1991. Was this your first ever demo? Or had you made previous tapes with other songs? Where were these songs recorded? And did you work with a producer?
I was friends with a musician and audio engineer called Jason Ward. He sang and played guitar and made some interesting trippy, drony psychedelic-style music with his brother Mark on bass and another guitarist called Mark Taylor. Jason was training at the School of Audio Engineering in East Perth. I’d previously played drums for him on a college sampling project. As a band though, we hadn’t previously recorded anything. We recorded ‘Demo’ across two days a couple of months apart engineered by Jason. The first date was as a trio around Easter 1991 at a studio in the Victoria Park or Burswood areas of Perth, where we recorded Fractal, Chlorine, Pallid Virtue. Courtney joined later and before we recorded the rest of the tracks, again with Jason, this time at the much nicer Perth School of Audio Engineering studio. Jason, Courtney and Rolf seemed pretty keen on adding ‘wig-out’ overdubs, layering on some feedback, additional guitars, Thurston Moore-style guitar noise with drumsticks, and cranking up Rolf’s distortion pedal.
++ How many copies were made of the demo? And what was the main intention with this demo? Was it to get label attention? Radio plays? Did you sell the tapes at gigs?
We think we made about 50 copies of the tape and I’m pretty sure we sold some in Dadas and House of Wax. Not sure we harboured any serious hopes of success and we accepted our place as a fringe band in the world’s most isolated city. There were no real prospects in Perth for getting label attention. These were the days before Loveless and Nevermind did much to popularise indie music after all, so I can’t imagine we would have even registered with Australian A&R at the time.
++ In 1992 Chapter Music included you in the compilation “Bright Lights Small City”. I would think the demo got their attention, is that right? Or what is the story with Chapter Music? How did the contact happen?
Rolf knew Guy Blackman from the Perth indie music scene back in those days. Guy was a musician in Perth too, so they crossed paths, and he liked Wash. He also was making fanzines and being creative in general. Guy went on to form Chapter Music.
++ The interesting bit is that thirty-something years later Chapter is going to reissue the demo tape with two more tracks. How did this renewed interest start and how long have you been working on this project? Do you have an ETA when the record will be out?
Guy was looking to start a new label called Epilogue. He wanted to start this label to highlight short-lived bands that put out some good stuff in the past and that he felt might have been overlooked. Guy recently contacted Rolf and asked if he could reissue ‘Demo’ as the debut release of his new label.
++ In what format will the record be reissued? And will it include the cool art by Jon Scull?
It will be streamable online initially, but I’m not sure if Guy has immediate plans for a physical release. Jon Scull’s original artwork will figure somehow.
++ My favourite song of yours is “Chlorine”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
Rolf had written the music for ‘Chlorine’ and we recorded the music in the studio. I really liked it as it was a bit slower and more melodic, and a little bit different from the rest of our tracks. Rolf didn’t yet have a melody or lyrics and we didn’t know what to do with it. Rolf suggested that I sing on it, but I had never sung before, had no idea what to sing and wasn’t that keen. But I scribbled out some lyrics in about 5 minutes and improvised a melody. I don’t think we spent more than 25 minutes on writing lyrics and recording vocals. It felt a bit throwaway at the time, but it turned out quite well and I also like the feel of the music and the mix. Rolf recently wondered if we put strings on the track. It does sound like there are strings on there, but that was engineer Jason Ward adding a load of ‘wig-out’ delay and reverb.
++ If you were to choose your favorite Wash song, which one would that be and why?
My favourite is probably Orangeboat. It’s another slower melodic one and Rolf’s vocal has a nice floating quality. The guitars sound particularly good on this one with quite a lot of nicely blended feedback and more of Jason’s string-like effects. The drums play double time on the choruses which provides a nice bit of contrast and variety and makes the arrangement more lively. Not sure the drums actually work that well though – I tended to overplay and no-one ever reigned me in!
++ What about gigs? Did you play many? And what were the best gigs that you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
I think we played about six or seven gigs in total before I left for the UK. One of the more unusual ones we played was a Saturday night gig with Cinema Prague at a surf club in the Scarborough area, I think. I don’t think we were quite the surf crowd’s cup of tea at that pre-Nevermind point despite us sounding like crashing waves. The most memorable was when we played at the Old Melbourne Hotel with Thou Gideon and Rust. Thou Gideon had garnered a reputation for outrageous stage antics, including burning a pig’s head on a spike, performative defecation, spitting, nudity etc. That night, Mark Lilypie swung the body of a dead cat over his head which enraged one or two of the guys from Rust and a bit of a tussle between the bands ensued. Rust asked us to take Thou Gideon’s place supporting them a week later.
++ When and why did Wash stop making music? Were any of you involved in any other projects afterwards?
I left the band to move to London shortly after the tape was released and was replaced on drums by Jamie Hamilton. I think they played one or two gigs after that, then split due to various reasons including travel, study and other band commitments. Rolf committed a bit more to Benji after that.
I’ve played in other bands in London. I played bass for a friend, Silvana Del Bene, who had written some nice songs and performed them under the name Cream Soda. We played a handful of gigs, the first of which was supporting Oasis at their first ever London gig at the Water Rats. We recorded a 4-track demo of Silvana’s songs, produced by Ian ‘Robbs’ Robbins (he was our manager and also produced Stereolab’s Super Electric EP) from 4AD’s Colourbox that sadly never saw the light of day. More recently, I started a new band, The Dark Reds, in London. We’ve just released a debut album largely written by myself and we play regularly around London. I also have a solo project for releasing more offbeat stuff called Rembrandt Swells which I do when the mood takes me.
++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?
There wasn’t much press at the time. There was a local fanzine called Party Fears (named after the Associates single, Party Fears Two, I assume). It was a one-man operation by a guy called David Gerrard. We might have got a few small mentions there since it covered all sorts of Perth-based music news and interviews and reviews. I think that was about it!
++ Looking back in retrospect, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
Recording in the studio was a great experience for me and probably the others. Jason was relaxed and easy-going. He liked the same music as us so knew where we were coming from and did a great job of recording and mixing the songs. We were pleased with how it all turned out.
++ Also wanted to ask you about this year’s World Cup how do you see Australia doing this time around?
I’ve no idea about the Australian team, or the Scotland team. I watch a bit of the English Premiership but I don’t know how well England will fare. The UK media have a habit of talking up England’s chances a little too much and then criticising them harshly when they don’t live up to the unrealistic expectations, so I’ll take any predictions with a pinch of salt, although England could do well.
++ Never been to Perth, nor Australia, so want to ask a local. What do you suggest checking out in your town, like what are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?
Perth has great beaches and I always spend a bit of time swimming there whenever I’m visiting from London. The city itself is a little sleepy and provincial compared to London. The University of Western Australia is lovely to visit and has an outdoor cinema nestled amongst pine trees. We saw a bunch of films there in the late 80s and most memorably Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire. If you were to visit, I’d spend more time outside of Perth taking in some of the state’s natural beauty: I’d recommend visiting The Pinnacles limestone rock formations near Cervantes a couple of hours north of Perth. The south west coast and forests are great too, from Albany back up around the coast, the Stirling Ranges and Bluff Knoll, the highest point in the state, the Margaret River wine region, and the karri forests around Walpole. Food wise it’s a mixed bag: I’ve had the worst curry I’ve ever tasted in Perth at the Old Shanghai Food Court in Northbridge – I’m sure it was made with just a can of chick peas in tomato soup with a teaspoon of curry powder. But the Chinese food in Perth can be really good. There are lots of small unlicensed family-run Chinese restaurants scattered throughout suburban Perth. Many are open for just a few hours in the evening. Some are better than others but the good ones are great and it’s fun trying them out.
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Listen
Wash – Chlorine
