The Preatures emerged in 2014 on the strength of jangly, insistent single “Is This How You Feel?” The track, which anchors the Australian quintet’s debut album, “Blue Planet Eyes,” was a bit of a departure for the bandmates, who initially shied from these more pop-leaning tendencies, favoring darker anthems inspired by the likes of Nick Cave.
The shift, akin to storm clouds giving way to sunny blue skies, clicked with both the band members and its fast-expanding audience. Within weeks of its premiere, “Is This How You Feel?” had migrated from Australian radio to overseas markets, “which was obviously pretty mental,” said singer Isabella Manfredi from Paris in an early March phone interview.
Do you remember the first time you heard “Is This How You Feel?” on the radio?
Yeah, I do, actually. I was crossing the Anzac Bridge in Sydney, which … is also called Madonna’s Bra because it’s got two big peaks. It joins the city and the western suburbs, essentially, and that’s where [bassist] Tom [Champion] and [guitarist] Jack [Moffitt] live. We’d had word [radio host] Dom Alessio was going to play it on Triple J that evening, so I took a cab out there to see them and be at their house and hear it on the radio because it’s always a big deal hearing your song on the radio for the first time. And it played on the station as I was crossing the bridge, which was weird because I’d been in the same situation before with [our previous single] “Take a Card” … and had said essentially the same thing to the cab driver, “Turn it up. This is my band!”
The album’s interesting. Musically it’s really upbeat, but a lot of the lyrics are more damaged. Do you enjoy that contrast?
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[Laughs] I think that’s just who I am. I really like soul music and grooves and drums and bass; that’s what gets me into any song. But then I also really like lyrics, and I like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan and Nick Cave — people who are more poets than singers. I don’t know how that all comes together, but that’s where I come from.Is that line “Come over here” on “Rock and Roll Rave” a nod to INXS?
[Laughs] Yeah. There’s heaps of flagrant nods on the record. INXS are a funny band, because in Australia they had such a bad rap for so long … because they got so successful, Australia almost disowned them. Now I think people are starting to enjoy them for the great band they always were.In the past you’ve said you want to put on shows that make the audience feel at once terrified and in ecstasy. Who’s the last performer who inspired that feeling in you?
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a show like that. I’ve seen footage of Iggy Pop performing, and I think that’s probably the closest. Well, close to that was the Dead Weather. They came out to Australia, and I saw Alison Mosshart and Jack White singing together. Alison made a big impression on me. At the time I wasn’t moving a lot, and seeing her made me realize you could move [Laughs]. I hadn’t really considered that before.
You’ve actually described your onstage persona as a character.
Being a singer is so different. When I started singing I felt very exposed. That’s where the character comes in. It gives you the anonymity you need to perform. A lot of the time on tour you don’t feel great when it’s time to go onstage. You’ve been in the car 12 hours, you haven’t had any sleep and you’ve got your period, or whatever is going on that day. You need someone who’s going to be like, “Just give it to me and I’ll handle it. You don’t need to get up there and be you. Just be me, and everything will be fine.”
They’re not a completely different person; they’re just another part of yourself you’ve amplified and made whole. You can toss them anything and walk offstage like, “My hands are clean.” You can go out into the audience and bite someone’s head off or kick your bandmate in the face. I mean, I’ve done some pretty weird [bleep] onstage. It’s all in the name of a good show. That’s what I love about shows. It’s freedom. You’re just up there, like, “I don’t care,” which is so different from my everyday life.
Andy Downing is a RedEye special contributor. @andydowning33
The Preatures, 8:30 p.m. March 26 at Schubas. Sold out.