BELLIGERENT GOAT

Words: Keeley Thompson

Image: Fran Angele (@franangele)

The 1992 Toyota HiAce, a testament to both loyalty and questionable mechanics, wheezes through traffic. Corners are taken more with hope than precision as it tunnels through narrow city streets, its overloaded suspension groaning under the weight of the weary musicians and a mountain of gear. The group race to their destination battling against a steadfast fuel light and the 80% chance that the van’s “check engine” light is giving its final, ominous warning.

Smoke of both the green and grey kind flees from every window and pore of the beloved but ramshackle van when finally, they pull in to their destination, not to a polished music hall, but to a haven every band craves; a divey pub.

The scent of stale beer mingles with the lingering aroma of yesterday's specials, the carpet – a survivor of the Bob Hawke era – sports a patina of stains. The bathroom walls are lined with stickers and graffiti, a gallery of dreams scribbled in permanent marker, a testament to the nights that have been lost and the legends that have been born within these walls.

This is the natural habitat of Belligerent Goat.

An ode to the weird and the remote, Belligerent Goat create music that feels both distant and omnipresent in its decoration of space. A copious sonic exploration of life, Belligerent Goat are a colourful yet candid guide through the landscape of life.

The psychedelic-bootscooting-desert-rock project of Clancy Cash (vox, guitar), Paco Cash (lead guitar, piano, synth), Callum Roza (drums), Kyle Widener (bass, synth, organ, backing vox) and (on hiatus) Stacey Allen (didgeridoo), Belligerent Goat sound like how a peppery scotch tastes, how burnt oak and lemon myrtle smells and how sitting in a swinging chair overlooking paperbark trees feels.

Interview also featuring Matt & Fran of Sunhead Records.  

KEELEY: Let’s start at the start. How did your personal relationship with music begin and how did Belligerent Goat start?

CLANCY: I started singing melodies in my head when I was walking home from the bus as a kid. I didn’t know how to play any instruments or anything so there wasn’t really an angle for me to pursue music. When I was in my mid 20’s I moved back in with my brother and he’d just started learning guitar while Stacy played didgeridoo so that was kind of the catalyst for my musical journey. 

One day we went to the pub and this guy from our highschool asked us if we were in a band and we said yeah, but we weren’t at all.

PACO: He was actually the school bully and it was a couple of years after we’d left. We said our band name was “Gilligan's Island of Death” but then we got home and spent hours brainstorming ideas for a band name and landed on Belligerent Goat. We couldn’t play for shit at that point though. It took us a few years to even come up with our first song. 

CLANCY: Voice recordings really kicked it off for us though. We’d do these bullshit jams for hours and listening back, we’d often find one riff or melody that was really good and use those to make fully formed songs from. 

We put on a party called “The Creation Destruction Party” and it was so fun. Belligerent Goat played there and after that we had a mate hit us up to play at his show in Brisbane. We agreed but didn’t even have any songs so we had two weeks to come up with stuff for the 40 minute set. I think we covered Johnny Cash’s Hurt and I remember talking shit for a lot of the set too. 

PACO: Yeah it was at The Globe too which was sick. It’s crazy how many venues come and go over time. 

Image: Cristina Mariani

KEELEY: Do you have any favourite or highlight venues? 

PACO: The Zoo is a classic, it’s the oldest live music venue in Brisbane. It’s cool because they bridge between international acts and local band gigs too. 

We actually played there for our second show too. The sound system there is so fun to play with. 

MATT: Stranded Bar is a good new one too. 

PACO: The Bearded Lady is wicked too. It’s kind of where we all met each other and we’ve played there a bunch too.

MATT: Yeah, it’s sort of the only venue left flying the flag in West End. 

CLANCY: We’ve got a gig coming up at The Cave Inn and I really back what they’re doing. Bring up the suburbs! 

It’s strange to think about how much the music venue landscape has changed over time. And with the current state of the industry, it’s getting harder and harder for venues to stay open and for bands to make any money from using those spaces. 

That’s (one of) the reasons we made Sunhead Records. We’ve got the space and we can cut out the middleman and make our own venue of sorts. 

KEELEY: What was the birth of Sunhead? 

MATT: The boys have had the lease on the space out there for like eight years. 

CLANCY: It’s an old office space that our didg’ player Stace used to work downstairs in. He lined up a deal with the owner, Jan. Is it Jan? 

FRAN: Jeff? 

CLANCY: Karen? 

MATT: Kath? 

CLANCY: I don’t know, I don’t talk much with them. But we rent this space and have turned it into a studio clubhouse. We figured it’s only natural to use that space for shows because we’ve already got all the gear there. We can record and film shows there too which is good for content purposes. 

We put on our first event there at the start of the year. We had The Cassowary’s, Fat Dog and the Tits, Trawlers, Belligerent Goat and Black Dog Cat Band play. 

It’s kind of been our way to reject gatekeeping of information and to support other bands (and ourselves) because we can also help with tour bookings and recording. We’re happy to share our knowledge and want to strengthen the music community. There’s enough love to go around. 

Image: Cristina Mariani

KEELEY: You mentioned content creation. How do you feel about the state of the industry, in relation to social media and technology? 

MATT: It’s a necessary evil. But it doesn’t have to be evil. It can be fun and authentic too.

CLANCY: Yeah I think inane social media posting isn’t helpful for anyone. 

MATT: Exactly. Online we get to create a world and an identity. I think it’s better to exist online with intention rather than creating content for content's sake. 

FRAN: I think it’s important to stay authentic. Let people into your world, but don’t put on a fake identity to do so. People can tell when you’re not being real.  

CLANCY: And that’s why we record those shows at Sunhead. Paco’s got the desk so the sound is wicked and the video footage is quality and it shows people

who bands are when they’re doing what they love. 

KEELEY: You just released ‘Broken Bottles’! How are you feeling about it? 

CLANCY: Yeah I’m stoked! I love that song. It’s really fun. 

We’ve been working on an album and the whole process of creating it has been fun. We’ve lost a few members so there’s just four of us now. We didn’t remove any of the instruments (that we lost) from the recordings so it’s been interesting keeping that big sound with just the four of us. It’s created a lot of space for us to play and be more intentional with what we create. 

KEELEY: When can people expect the new album? 

PACO: We’re going to release another single soon and we’re probably going to create one or two film clips. 

CLANCY: I’d be keen for a springtime release I reckon. We’ve got a couple of shows lined up for August so it’d work well I think. And I love spring. 

PACO: To reiterate what Clancy said, it has been so fun making this album. Our current house has a sunroom and when we moved in my first thought was “this is the perfect spot for a piano”. I didn’t think I’d ever find a good, affordable one but lo-and-behold one came up on Marketplace for $200. I’ve had that miked up and re-recorded all the piano on the proper acoustic piano. 

CLANCY: That’s a beautiful piano. 

KEELEY: Where do you guys get inspiration from? 

CLANCY: Anger. 

FRAN: The darkness. 

CLANCY: Yeah the darkness! If you can transmogrify that into something that makes you want to hoedown in tasselled boots that’s pretty cool. 

It’s hard to make a happy song that has any sort of credibility. It can be done and people do it well all the time, but for me it’s often from a dark place. Making music helps me work through the darkness. 

PACO: Instrumentally, I tend to get inspiration from mucking around on different instruments or effects pedals and also just seeing other bands. 

I subconsciously take inspiration from stuff I’ve heard and played around with. For example, the newest track Broken Bottles was probably inspired by the band Freud and The Family Solution. They’ve got this real fun, bootscooting parts to their songs and I think my guitar playing in Broken Bottles was kind of inspired by them. Our song doesn’t necessarily sound anything like that but it’s definitely my take on that energy. 

KEELEY: What are your three desert island albums? 

CLANCY: I think Pac’s would definitely have to say The Circulatory System Self Titled Album. 

PACO: Oh yep. I actually listened to that the whole way through the other night. It’s a masterpiece. 

CLANCY: I might have to have a Neil Young one on there. 

PACO: And The Mollusc by Ween. We go on about Ween a lot. 

CLANCY: I’m gonna say, I’d be pretty sad on an island by myself so I’ll pick Shootenanny! by Eels. 

PACO: Yeah actually I’d probably trip out listening to that Circulatory System album over and over again. 

Maybe I’d pick something that’s in a different language? Who knows, maybe I’d be able to learn the language after a while. 

FRAN: How? You’re on an island. 

PACO: Yeah fair. Maybe more so interpreting the energy. 

CLANCY: Okay I’ll settle with Shootenanny by Eels, Death Song by The Black Angels and The Mollusc by Ween.

PACO: Yeah okay I’ll go The Circulatory System Self-Titled, Chocolate and Cheese by Ween (so I’m not picking the same one as Clancy) and Wide Awake by Parquet Courts. 

KEELEY: What’s the dream for Belligerent Goat and Sunhead? 

PACO: Just to keep getting better, keep experimenting and keep learning new shit. And just to keep having and making friends and having a crew. 

CLANCY: I love writing songs and having a group to do that in is what keeps me going. It’s really cool having a group that afford you the space and understanding to just do the thing and fuck up and be a weirdo and get your shit out. 

There’s not much more I can ask for than that to be honest.

MATT: With Sunhead I’d love to see some of the bands that we’re involved with get to go overseas. That’s obviously quite a while away for us, but it’s definitely something I’d like to see. 

CLANCY: Yeah! To find those pockets and communities that are already enjoying what we’re doing and/or are already doing something similar.

We want to cut out the middleman and the gatekeepers and connect with people that are already doing it.

Image: Riley Dale

KEELEY: What are your highlights? 

MATT: Honestly everything. 

CLANCY: Yeah exactly. And playing at Last Chance Rock n Roll Bar every time we go to Melbourne hahahaha

KEELEY: What’s the best flavour in the Arnotts Assorted Creams? 

PACO: Kingston

CLANCY: Yeah I’m into the Kingstons.

FRAN: I love eating one Kingston and then eating the other just so I can go back to the Kingstons.

CLANCY: Dad used to work at the Arnotts factory and come home with biscuits and that’s all I have to say on that. 

Image: Riley Dale

KEELEY: That's basically it! What’s coming up for you? 

CLANCY: We’ve got a gig on May 10th at The Cave Inn! We’re playing with Homewood Sapiens and Camping. Come hang and have a pizza and listen to some tunes! 

MATT: We’ve also got a Sunhead Records event coming up. We’re currently planning for somewhere in the middle of June, so keep an eye out for that one. 

10TH MAY: BELLIGERENT GOAT W/ HOMEWOOD SAPIENS & CAMPING BUY TICKETS HERE

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