Melbourne-based heavy band Ne Obliviscaris broke crowd-funding records in 2015 when they raised $80,000 to fund a world tour that has seen them tour Europe, Asia and most recently, America (where they just toured the country alongside Cradle of Filth and Butcher Babies).
Last week, Ne Obliviscaris announced another step into the new frontier of fan-to-band relations – a subscription model via the Patreon platform where fans can contribute whatever they would like on a monthly basis to support the band and allow Ne Obliviscaris to dedicate themselves to music full-time. Whilst the usual tall poppy chorus of self-interested resentment typical to Australia was heard far and wide, it neglected to acknowledge that this is a mind-blowingly exciting new model for Australian bands in what is an incredibly difficult country to make it work. CJ McMahon of Thy Art Is Murder’s decision to call it quits was a key catalyst for this paradigm-busting decision. Anyone who has spent any time in the industry knows how broken the system is – its bold moves like this that could change the game.
“We’d been stewing for a while about ways to function financially as a band, then the news with CJ (Thy Art is Murder) came up, we had a lot more discussions, and we thought ‘Who says we can’t do this fulltime? It’s worth trying. Why not?'” Ne Obliviscaris singer Xen explained as the . “Having a “membership” option makes people almost feel like it’s more official and structured, which it is … but this solidifies for both parties the gravity of the commitment.” A commitment fans have already made to the tune of $6,966 a month. In the age where the experience and not the record has the most value, this is a really exciting move and a chance for fans – the “Obluminati” to put their money where their mouth is.
This majestic feat was made possible for Ne Obliviscaris through the alchemy of several key ingredients – creating interesting, unique music that gathered a devoted global audience, gushing reviews and fans around the world screaming to experience the songs live. Delivering consistently excellent live shows. Having a “sound” of their own. At this exciting juncture for Australian heavy music where talent is exploding across the country, this puts reliable cashflow and long-term viability in reach for some of our most talented artists who are making magic (but often not much money) at every fucking show – what is often the make or break issue for bands doing the hard yards.
Have you seen any other bands overseas do things this way? What have you taken away from their approach?
We haven’t really seen other bands try what we’re doing, at least not in this way. There are various ways bands can tour overseas i.e. if they’re able to get government grants, but they’re never guaranteed nor should they be relied upon.
What is the central, primary benefit for becoming a ‘patron’ of Ne Obliviscaris?
Allowing us to do what we do more, so that we can provide more content to fans, quicker, and to make them feel like they’re able to contribute in a positive way to something that has meaning to them. People wonder why it takes a lot of bands about 3 years to create an album, well … it’s available time and money.
Have the fans said anything funny about Australians or Australian bands whilst you’ve been over there?
The main bands they’ve been exposed to from Australia have been Psycroptic and King Parrot, and the latter is a band that will always provide some sort of amusing tale for people, they’re great guys who put on an intense live show … shamelessly destroying American minds, and good on them. The one thing that most Americans have brought up constantly though is regarding the “dangerous” creatures we have … every single show at least one person brings it up. I try to allay their concerns by stating that we’re still alive so it’s not that bad, but it seems they won’t trust an Australian that doesn’t really have a typical Australian accent.
Would you ever consider creating a running documentary capturing your touring experience?
Ha, sounds like a reality show. We film a lot of stuff on tour already, it’s anything but cohesive though, and we’ve actually brainstormed the idea but I think there would need to be a lot more interest first before we’d really considered going there, I doubt the majority of the band would want to go down that route, there’s enough of a lack of privacy on tour already.
The wider marketing world is shifting from an advertiser-driven to a subscriber-driven approach to marketing. Did this play a role?
I don’t necessarily think it played a role in our decision or at least it wasn’t directly concious. We were thinking about having more of an interactive relationship with our fans, one where they could support and feel more in tune with what we were doing. At the end of the day, we’re no different from our fans, so why shouldn’t we break down a few barriers?
What do you have to say to those people questioning your decision?
People can question all they want, they’re entitled to their own opinions however I’ll only validate them if they’ve read our spiel properly and have something intelligent and constructive to say, as opposed to the ignorant individuals who assume far too much and have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. We knew we would get flak for trying something different, people fear what they they don’t understand, and this project we’ve taken on has really stirred things up. If you don’t want to get out from behind your keyboard and take risks in life, what’s the point of your existence?
Sometimes I feel like tall poppy syndrome is a symptom of there not being enough to go around here in Australia. What do you think?
I agree, our scene is a lot smaller or at least more closely knit than most. If a band does something, then everyone knows about it and comparatively it becomes a big thing, this can go either way unfortunately. Jealousy is a poisonous thing, more so in a smaller scene because it can destroy the community vibe we have … it’s disgraceful actually. Music should be about being unified and working together, not trying to bring down someone or something that you’re basing off ignorance and “sheep-like” single mindedness.
What is your ultimate goal with the membership, what do you want your fans to feel about their decision to contribute?
We want people to feel like they’re part of something, a new initiative, to contribute to the growth of not just us, but for music in general and any band they want to see flourish. Music is one of the most important things in a lot of people’s lives, I don’t see anything wrong with trying to support it.
I think it’s an incredibly smart decision as to function, bands and the artists within them must consistently invest, and their sources of revenue have shrunk to what is a largely seasonal business. What kind of impact would this kind of running capital have on the future of the band?
It allows us to do more without compromising … things will get done as it’ll become a “job” in a sense … It’s a commitment which we wish to live and breathe. How long the idea of Patreon lasts is another question altogether, but we plan to take advantage of the opportunity while we can.
Will there be any Patreon-only releases planned?
It’s hard to say, I doubt we will record simply for Patreon members, however being a member will likely allow them to be able to hear new music first before the general public gets a taste. Nothing is out of the question though.
What was the American tour experience like?
Now that we’re back I can reflect properly. The tour was incredible, better than anticipated despite the initial hiccup Cradle of Filth had with visa delays. Both Cradle and Butcher Babies were very supportive, and we worked really well as a tour package, especially considering the crossover of genres. The crowd response was great, we not only had our own fans turn up but we made a lot of new fans, granted it took them a little while to digest what we were doing though, ha.
What has it been like touring with your fellow bands? Any ridiculous moments, lessons shared, new friends made?
We’d toured with Cradle across Europe before so we already had that strong rapport, but straight away we clicked with Butcher Babies. They were the easiest and friendliest band to tour with, we couldn’t have asked for more. There were plenty of ridiculous moments, most were antics in the small hours which I can’t really elaborate on … but the main one that comes to mind is when both BB and NeO crashed Cradle’s set (during Nymphetamine) in New York … they took it well. In terms of lessons, I think we learnt to enjoy what we do more. Each member from Butcher Babies has this great energy about them, even off stage … they don’t give a fuck about haters, they love what they do, and it’s infectious.
What’s been the biggest “pinch yourself” moment so far?
Regarding this tour, as soon as we finished our last show in New York, we realised we’d survived 6 weeks without any major issues. Our first US tour was a complete success, the support had been amazing, meeting so many new and interesting people, and knowing that we will be back.
You’ve done a ton of touring over the last couple of years, is there much of a difference in terms of show energy, crowds, etc between Europe, America and Asia?
It varies so much depending on where we are, what style of music, and I think culturally it can make a difference too, for example in Japan and Hong Kong they’re crazy, the energy is unlike anywhere else, whereas in China they’re more reserved despite how close. Europe is a mixed bag, if you compare Germany to France, they’re complete opposites, yet they’re bordering. I could write an essay on crowds throughout the world, but I think the only real way is to experience it is firsthand, whether on stage or in the crowd.
From the fans that you’ve interacted with you, had a lot of them discovered you before the show, or did you get more ‘wow never heard you guys and stoked I found you’ vibes?
A bit of both, we had fans already, but playing with bands from different genres you play to people that wouldn’t necessarily go out of their way to listen to your music based on a description. We got a lot of, “Sorry, I’d never heard of you before tonight, but you made a new fan…”…that’s exactly what we wanted to hear. We weren’t entirely sure how the tour package would go but I couldn’t have gone better, to be honest.
Which song has gotten the biggest response?
‘And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope’ always gets the biggest response, it’s the one song most people are familiar with, and by far the most plays online.
What’s it like being a vego on tour? Any tips for survival (ha)?
Touring as a vegan is actually easy, granted there’s limited choices however it’s not difficult to go to a Walmart and stock up on food. Anyone that thinks it’s hard, is lazy. Our drummer has also recently converted to veganism, and I will mention this – across the tour he and I were the only ones who didn’t get sick. Just putting it out there …
How close up are you guys with the fans? Do you party with them afterwards?
Simply, we treat fans how we want to be treated, we’re just like everyone else. We do our own merch, and after every single show we’re available to chat to fans, sign things and take photos with them. Sometimes we’ll go out to party and generally fans will be there, I don’t see why there should be segregation for us.
Have you lost any band members or left them anywhere or had any random moments in transit?
We’ve been pretty good in terms of being where we should be, and not missing bus curfew, this comes down to not wanting to deal with the grief we would give each other afterwards. There was an occasion that Cradle accidentally left their lighting guy in Chicago, he missed bus call and they didn’t count heads…he ended up in BB’s bus for the trek to the next city.
PATREON LINK: Join Ne Obliviscaris’ “Ne Oblumati” on Patreon
Photo credit:
No Comments