The Panics - Unknown Pleasures

The Dwarf recently sat down with Jae Laffer to get the skinny on the Panics world.

The Dwarf: You’re playing the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, how does that compare to previous shows you’ve played?

Jae Laffer: how does it compare? Well I’m not sure yet I’ll have to go and play it I mean I’ve never been to one as a punter and I don’t know a huge amount about the gig so all I know is they’re in really cool locations and it’s a really good line up so hopefully it’s just a good gig, same as any other gig.

When you play a festival its kind of hard to get in the same spirit as the people who have gone there just to watch bands, it’s just another gig. But hopefully people turn up and watch us we’ve had a very good season for the festivals we’ve had some great turn outs which has been a lot of fun so far so the more festivals the better.

The Dwarf: Sydney and Melbourne festivals have completely sold out. How does that make you feel?

JL: it’s good; I don’t know what the big draw card is for most people. Hopefully there is a bunch of people there who have put a little tick next to our name and are going to check us out.

It sounds like a nice inclusive kind of festival where it would be hard not to see all the bands because they are in such strange little laneways and what not. I mean, of course it’s wonderful; I never judge a gig till I kind of get off stage. I’m just happy we’re a band that people are inviting to play these great gigs.

The Dwarf: You also played the Falls Festival at the end of last year. .You have another festival coming up in Melbourne after Laneway?

JL : Yeah, Golden Plains. That’s going to be cool too. Another place I haven’t been, that’s where they do Meredith. I like to go and experience all the festivals, so its nice going to places I’ve never been. The Falls was great fun because you get to play your show then find yourself on the side of a mountain somewhere. It was a great way to see in the New Year, and just a really cool line-up. We were on quite early and had a really big turn out both times at the Falls, so we just got to enjoy the day. I love festivals, everyone’s happy.

The Dwarf: Do you prefer the festival lifestyle to your own headlining shows?

JL: Ah, it’s pretty different. It can be pretty validating to do your own head line show and it’s a far better indication of where you’re at as a band, because everyone is there to see you. But festivals are great fun because there are so many people who are just curious about your group and might have heard a few things. Maybe there is a lot of people there that perhaps wouldn’t buy tickets to your own show but are very curious to check you out at the festivals so I really don’t have a preference it’s just been very good this season, I think we’ve had a lot more exposure than previous years and its just been nice to get some of the biggest crowds than we’ve ever had. It’s nice like that and the word of mouth spreading and you notice it comparing it to festivals from the year before.

The Dwarf: And last year the Panics won J award...

JL: Yeah, that was a wonderful way to finish off the year. Like I say we haven’t had the same level of exposure as a lot of groups but that’s really helped us out and it’s made a lot of people really curious about the album, its all you can hope for when you make a record is that people are conscious that it exists. It would be horrible to put all that work into a record to have it fade away really quickly but winning an award and stuff has kept it around the place and kept it up on the radio and all of that stuff so its nice cause we’ve been together for half a decade playing music together so its nice that’s its continually getting bigger and better. By now we could have been bored or sick of each other or something but luckily it’s gone the opposite direction and it’s been a lot of fun.

The Dwarf: Has it changed the work ethic of the band?

JL: No, not really, because we’ve worked so hard for so long with no money, we’re a close bunch, we all live together. We’ve been a live band for so long I’m just glad we’ve had a strong work ethic from the very beginning. It’s pretty much the same but we’re selling more records and playing bigger gigs so it’s not too different it’s just a lot better. I can’t say much more about that one, we’ve always been hard working and its nice seeing the band around me get better with everything we do. We have a lot of confidence right now, and looking forward to making another record. Good times for us.

The Dwarf: Are their any bands on the Laneway Festival line-up that you are excited about touring with?

JL: I can’t tell you I’m that aware about all the groups that are playing. I’m quite curious about that Fiest girl, people have said she’s really good live. Off the top of my head I can’t remember who else is playing so that’s pretty bad of me. I guess I’ll be surprised when I get there.

I like the idea of the festival, the locations of it and I like that its not a billion bands playing, I like that it’s a select bunch of just cool groups that perhaps are not the biggest thing in the world but lots of interesting stuff. It’s nice to be considered in that bracket, more artistic, cool bands.

I’ve never done a festival that’s tours either. That’s kind of exciting actually, playing a big festival somewhere then move the whole thing to the next city. We never did the Big Day Out or anything, we haven’t done that one so that’s going to be pretty exciting I think. To fly between a few of the big cities, just to do a few big gigs. It’s nice to be on the road for months at a time but at the same time its kind of nice, feels a bit more like a holiday when you just do the big cities.

The Dwarf: What does this year hold for the Panics?

JL: Ah well, hopefully lots of exciting stuff, we have a lot of travel planned. I at least know it will be a different year for us it won’t be the same path of going around Australia and touring. We’re going to America soon in March for awhile and see what response we can get there. We’ve booked some festivals in Europe for the European summer and in England. I’m just very happy that the band has taken me to new places. I’ve got itchy feet, I’m just really looking forward for traveling at the moment and hopefully towards the end of the year we will be in a studio somewhere with a bunch of new songs. That would be the ideal, just to keep creative; all I ever want to do is keep busy.

The Panics play the Laneway Festival nationally

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