MOVING Pictures haven’t let a 20-year hiatus slow them down. The Aussie rockers are back, keener than ever, and writing new songs to take to the studio next month.
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Why? Because it’s fun, says guitarist Garry Frost.
The band responsible for Aussie anthems What About Me have just finished a tour with James Reyne and are now playing a run of their own shows – including a gig at Belmont 16 Footers on May 6.
The tour marks the 35th anniversary of their album Days Of Innocence, which spent seven weeks at the top of the Australian music charts.
“We have so much fun hanging around together and playing together, that’s why we do it. Even after all these years. We still actually enjoy sitting in a room together. Not many bands can say that,” Frost says.
Frontman Alex Smith has been vocal in the past, blaming himself for the band’s split in 1987. Frost disagrees.
“He’s very superlative, in all ways,” he laughs.
”I think we can all blame ourselves for it. There is some truth in what he says but I don’t think that anyone in the band or management or record company is blameless.”
In the late 1970s and early ’80s Moving Pictures played more than 250 shows a year – standard practice at a time when success was founded on hard work.
“Ian, our bass player, has got the original book of all our gigs and it’s quite amazing looking back and seeing how many shows we used to do,” Frost says.
“Nowadays people make it without doing the hard yards. And that’s the problem, you haven’t got substance behind you.
“We played about 500 shows before releasing a record, and we were playing to full houses.”
Unlike some artists, who refuse to play “that” hit song which broke them commercially, Moving Pictures continues to perform What About Me. Frost says you have to keep the fans happy.
“It’s not our favourite song and yet it is our favourite song to play because it’s the fans’ favourite song,” he explains.
“As a band it’s really important to value the people who give you your living.”
As for Never, the song the band recorded for the original film version of Footloose, time has eased any initial bitterness. Moving Pictures have never received any royalties from the song.
“We performed it, it was written by the guys that made the movie, and we got nothing from it. Someone made a lot of money out of that song, and it wasn’t us,” Frost laughs.
Frost reckons Alex is singing better than ever – which is fortunate, given that the band will be playing some ’60s soul on their upcoming tour, and hitting the recording studio in May.
“I’m not just saying that, either. Alex is a very good boy now and I’m sure that’s helped his voice. Not that he was a bad boy, but he certainly wasn’t always a good boy,” Frost laughs.
“Not that I’ve got all my brain cells. I was only a bit naughty for a little while – I’ve got four kids, you see, so early in the piece I went ‘Woah, I can’t do this’.”
Frost has 23-year-old twins, a 21-year-old and a 17-year-old. One of the twins is proving to be musically inclined (he goes by the name Dylan Mitchell and his band is called Apollo Hooks).
“He eats me for breakfast when it comes to music,” he laughs.
“But as we were talking about earlier, what the hell do we do with that talent? He is such a great singer but these days it’s hard to decide which course to take. Talent shows go on popularity or sympathy. You can wander into any pub and see a better singer songwriter.”
In the meantime, though, it’s Frost’s time to shine on tour with Moving Pictures.
“The band is such a good band, I mean, these guys are just the best players, and that’s why I love playing with them. It’s an absolute joy to play with them live every night.”
