Dukes of Windsor - Thawing Out The Dukes

You may think you don’t know Dukes of Windsor, but unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last few months then you will probably recognize their name. And you will definitely have heard that song. “Boy, looking for love, the young man needs violence, licking guitars, a little desperate.” Those are the song’s lyrics, delivered in the operatic, octave-jumping screech of lead singer Jack Weaving. Now you know it; that thumping guitar, the energetic synth-bass and those floating, breathy backing vocals that hauntingly whisper “we are the others.” It’s been all over the radio and at the top of the charts for the last year. So you could say that for a first single, Dukes of Windsor have done pretty damn well for themselves.

The Dukes are a Melbourne band and that song, ‘The Others’, is off their debut album of the same name. Although they released the song in 2006, it was earlier this year when ARIA award-winners TV Rock decided to remix the song that it really took off (that’s probably the version you’ve heard). The remix was a huge success, peaking at #10 on the singles charts and making it all the way to #1 on the dance charts. The band was plucked from relative obscurity when the song became a hit, landing themselves a gig at the MTV Music Video Awards in April. Among the company of huge international acts that played at the event, the Dukes were given the honour of closing the show with a performance of ‘The Others’, broadcasting their song onto the television screens of thousands watching at home.

It sounds like the kind of success that struggling alternative bands dream about. But in a sense that success worries Weaving, because of the renowned tall poppy snobbery of alternative fans that will often snub bands they like when they receive commercial success.

“I have no doubt that on some level that would be happening. All you really need to do is come to see the live show and you realize it’s not about anything like that. It’s pretty loud and it’s just party music. I didn’t describe that well at all then, let me give it another crack… its sweaty and energetic,” he says, still a little unsure.

Wait, wait, he still hasn’t hit the nail on the head.

“It’s certainly not like fucking Fox FM on stage!” Weaving clarifies, just for anyone that was thinking of questioning the authenticity of the Dukes’ music.

It’s an interesting predicament for the band; Worrying about being dumped by alternative fans for ‘going commercial,’ and the fickle pop charts which mightn’t even bother to give their next single a second listen. But it’s a dilemma that the band refuses to let influence their music.

“We haven’t changed anything to sound commercial, it’s just something that happened,” says Weaving.

Judging by the fact that he let his parents, both opera singers, provide some backing tracks on the album (not exactly the most popular type of musical cameo in the popular music world), his insistence is quite convincing.

“But also when you’re writing a song you have to be aware of its possibilities. You’re not writing a song for no one to listen to it. You write it to be a winner,” Weaving admits.

“I hate more music than I love. Just the standard shit that you hear every day makes my skin crawl. When you wake up and you find that you’ve done the same thing, that’s the worst feeling in the world. It hasn’t happened to me… yet,” he says.

There’s worrying uncertainty in his voice, so I ask if he’s planning on doing it in the near future…

“Yeah, you’re about to hear some really tragic shit from us!” he jokes.

Weaving’s skepticism about the industry isn’t to say the band are ungrateful for their success. He’s the first to admit that professionally it has opened up plenty of opportunities for the band, although he hasn’t really experienced first hand just how popular ‘The Others’ has been.

“I haven’t really seen the song out there because it’s mostly being played in clubs and on radio stations that I don’t get a chance to listen to. We’ve still been doing our thing and playing to our audiences and more people turn up because they know that song. But I guess it’s just been a gradual build for us. We’ve certainly enjoyed the perks of the song,” he says.

Since the release of their first album, it’s all been a bit of a rush for the band, touring all over the place while trying to find some spare time to write new material.

“We’ve been on the road a bit too much lately. [We’ve been to] every part of this God damn country, and I mean that in a positive light. It’ll be good to be home for a little bit, but we’re gonna maybe try and record in the UK in the next month,” he says.

“It’s been fun… One day we’re in Perth and the next day we’re flying to frickin’ Bathurst. We’ve just been playing ping pong with planes,” he says.

Somehow, in the midst of a regimented touring schedule, the Dukes have found time to make plans for a second album.

“The next one won’t have any of the same possibilities,” says Weaving.

“[It’ll be] a bit more adult. I don’t like to think of adult as lacking energy or lifeless, it’s just a little bit smarter in the songwriting. The songs are a bit more dedicated and not as childish. They’re gonna be big, nasty songs,” he promises.

“Our manager is over in the UK right now. We’re just seeing what the options are; whether we want to fund it ourselves or whether we want to sell our souls to the devil,” he jokes.

Before the album comes out, however, Dukes of Windsor are touring, so take the opportunity to come on out and join the party.

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