Midnight Juggernauts bridge the great divide

If you’re an old school rock fan who doesn’t rate dance music, chances are you’ve been finding it increasingly difficult staying on your side of the divide, thanks to crossover acts such as Midnight Juggernauts.

By Angus Paterson

The summer of 2008 was always set to be at least partly owned by Midnight Juggernauts. Given a brief moment last year to exhale after an extensive tour of North America and Europe, they were flung headfirst into headline slots at the Meredith and Falls festivals in Victoria, Sydney’s Field Day and then, in January, a place on the travelling circus that is the Big Day Out, Australia’s biggest and most enduring music event. In March, they say goodbye to our country and the summer with the Farewell Australia Tour.

“Yep, it’s been a crazy summer,” says Vincent, leader of the Juggernauts, responsible for the psychedelic soundscapes in the opening moments of their long-playing debut Dystopia, as well as the vocals that alternate between a gruff rumble and an airy falsetto. “Hopefully we can create some sort of a Juggernauts cult. And then go around burning down people’s houses.”

If you were tuned into Triple J, the street press or any other form of music media then you’d have an idea of what a massive year 2007 was for Midnight Juggernauts. In 2005 they’d been kicking around their hometown of Melbourne, playing to their mates, splitting a $5 cover charge with a bunch of other indie acts. But on the strength of a couple of hit EPs and early tunes like the rocky “Shadows” and the straight-out dance beats of “45 and Rising”, and a strong presence on the live circuit, the Juggernauts were on a roll. By the time Vincent and cohorts Andy (guitar) and Daniel Stricker (drums) embarked on their national tour to launch Dystopia, they were selling out sizable venues at $40 a ticket.

Read the full story in Corker Issue 1: Autumn 2008

Image courtesy of Midnight Juggernauts