By Jhoni Jackson
It’s been a little more than a year since Bass Drum of Death dropped GB City, the Mississippi-bred band’s debut full-length on Fat Possum. But that hasn’t stopped them from touring again—they’ve literally doubled up on some cities. And just days after their second European bout to support the album, they’ve already kicked off another tour of the states. Fans of the grimy garage act will have to wait until fall for a follow-up LP, though Barrett says it’s mostly finished. Two tour only 7-inches will be available, however, and the mental sting of their raucous set will do well to keep them in your thoughts until then. Despite the grueling schedule, frontman and founder John Barrett was able to squeeze in a few minutes to add his part to the 5GB series.
What was the first gig you ever attended?
Sh*t, I think I was probably in sixth grade. It was a festival in Memphis called Memphis in May. I forget who all I saw…Three 6 Mafia and George Clinton. And Saliva. (laughs)
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed?
It was probably the show we just did in April. We went to Australia for the first time. Probably the Melbourne show, or this one this past May in Paris. They were pretty f**king crazy.
What is the best gig you have ever seen?
I’ll just go with my gut. The Spits at the Hi-Tone in Memphis…and Stevie Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl.
What is the gig you would most like to play?
It would be cool to play Primavera [Sound Festival] in Barcelona, which is one of my favorite cities in the world. It would be cool to play Coachella too. Obviously a dream show would be f**king selling out Madison Square Garden, but we’re a bit of a ways from that. (laughs)
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
We pretty much just played one—at least for me, anyways. The last show of our European tour we played with us, and then the Spits and Thee Oh Sees. We played outdoors at an outdoor park, there was a skate park attached to it, next to the river in Bordeaux. There were a ton of people and everybody was going apesh*t. That’s as close to a dream show I’ve ever played. But…if I had my pick, it would be definitely a show with us, KISS, the Ramones and Nirvana.
Catch Bass Drum of Death with Melbourne’s DZ Rays, plus Atlanta acts RESONS and Acid Freaks, tonight at 529.
