By CHERIE DONNELLAN
AN Adelaide fan once offered Dead Letter Circus a stuffed lemur to take on tour – but drummer Luke Williams thinks Geelong fans can top that.
He laughed recalling how the lemur, affectionately named Larry, was mounted to his drum kit and became the band’s “good luck mascot” during a previous tour.
The zany toy helped make that Adelaide gig “one of the best shows on the last tour”.
But Williams joked Geelong fans could offer “quirky gifts” to “one-up Larry the lemur” as the band toured for recently-released second album The Catalyst Fire, playing next Friday at Wool Exchange.
He said the new album flaunted a “heavier sound” which was developed with a change in line up.
Last year founding member, guitarist and key lyricist Rob Maric left the group, and former tour manager Clint Vincent picked up the guitar.
He also attributed the new tone to touring with other bands playing heavier music.
“It’s been rubbing off on our subconscious,” he said.
Williams was “personally proud” Dead Letter Circus had “nutted out” a sound he believed audiences would respond to during nine months of writing and recording.
He believed track Say Your Prayers was the “heaviest song on the record” which showcased bassist Stewart Hill’s “new tone”.
The group’s soon-to-be-released single I Am was a Williams’ favourite.
He dubbed first single Lodestar the “tester track” to gauge fans’ reactions to the five-piece band’s new work.
“We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback – everyone seems to be enjoying it.”
Williams joked touring with progressive rockers Closure in Moscow and indie-alt rockers Sleep Parade – both from Melbourne – would create a “travelling circus”.
But he sang high praises of both groups, touting Closure in Moscow as “amazing” while Sleep Parade “deserved a leg up [in the music industry]”.
“We’re [all] ready to rock the show,” Williams asserted.
Dead Letter Circus will play 30 August at Wool Exchange.
