Forces make EBM and industrial dance music that makes you think of a world where Throbbing Gristle or DAF made a career out of hit songs. In the leadup to Forces’ performance at Sugar Mountain Festival, and the release of their 12” on Siberia Records, Alex Akers (producer/vocalist) and Tom Henderson (percussion/production) sat down in their studio to answer some questions.VICE: Are you both Ravers at heart? Alex you lived in London for years, everything hints at that being the case.
Alex Akers: I think the club is my natural habitat.Tom Henderson: I think I am a punk at heart. I made the same transition people in the 80’s did from punk to dance. Music. For me dance music holds the greatest potential for the ideals I have.What do you expect from Sugar Mountain Festival? Is there anything you’re particularly excited about?
Tom: We’ll get to hang out again with Kirin J Callinan and HTRK.Alex: Yeah Kirin’s playing beforehand and HTRK’s playing as well so we are looking forward to playing with them. I just got really excited about it in the last couple of days. I’ve started talking with Anthony Hamilton about how we’re going to approach the choreography and staging of the whole thing. You do know we’re collaborating with dancers?No, actually.
Alex: We’re working with Anthony Hamilton, who’s Julian from the Presets’ brother, and we think we have the basic framework for how it’s going to work.Forces with strobe lights already seemed like the pinnacle of modern entertainment. Now you have dancers? How many will you have onstage?
Alex: Ten. I think it’s going to be really fun.Will it be more of a rave or a 90’s bush doof?
Alex: More like an evocation. I don’t know what the effects are going to be yet; we’ll have to see how the audience reacts.It sounds expensive. Will you be selling tie-dye shirts and eccy’s out front to help cover costs?
Alex: Maybe. Probably.What’s your all-time favorite low-grade Australian eccy to take at raves?
Tom: Had a few red Minces back in Adelaide.Alex: Microdots were acid weren’t they?I like that Tom has a skinhead aesthetic. If you were to fight another artist at Sugar Mountain who would you bash?
Alex: Kirin J Callinan.You can’t choose Kirin because he is a solo act and weighs 30kg. You need to choose another duo or a band. I wouldn’t choose HTRK either because you should never start anything with anyone in an all-white pantsuit.
Alex: (laughs) I have no idea.Tom: ESG but they would be old and frail.Do you know the ESG drummer became a bus driver and then got busted for insurance fraud?
Tom: Yeah! She said she couldn’t drive a bus because of an injury to her arm and then they got all this footage of her playing drums in ESG.Maybe try to sell her insurance on the day.Sugar Mountain Festival happens January 19, 2013 at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne. For details, step this way.
Alex Akers: I think the club is my natural habitat.
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Tom: We’ll get to hang out again with Kirin J Callinan and HTRK.Alex: Yeah Kirin’s playing beforehand and HTRK’s playing as well so we are looking forward to playing with them. I just got really excited about it in the last couple of days. I’ve started talking with Anthony Hamilton about how we’re going to approach the choreography and staging of the whole thing. You do know we’re collaborating with dancers?No, actually.
Alex: We’re working with Anthony Hamilton, who’s Julian from the Presets’ brother, and we think we have the basic framework for how it’s going to work.Forces with strobe lights already seemed like the pinnacle of modern entertainment. Now you have dancers? How many will you have onstage?
Alex: Ten. I think it’s going to be really fun.Will it be more of a rave or a 90’s bush doof?
Alex: More like an evocation. I don’t know what the effects are going to be yet; we’ll have to see how the audience reacts.It sounds expensive. Will you be selling tie-dye shirts and eccy’s out front to help cover costs?
Alex: Maybe. Probably.What’s your all-time favorite low-grade Australian eccy to take at raves?
Tom: Had a few red Minces back in Adelaide.
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Alex: Kirin J Callinan.You can’t choose Kirin because he is a solo act and weighs 30kg. You need to choose another duo or a band. I wouldn’t choose HTRK either because you should never start anything with anyone in an all-white pantsuit.
Alex: (laughs) I have no idea.Tom: ESG but they would be old and frail.Do you know the ESG drummer became a bus driver and then got busted for insurance fraud?
Tom: Yeah! She said she couldn’t drive a bus because of an injury to her arm and then they got all this footage of her playing drums in ESG.Maybe try to sell her insurance on the day.Sugar Mountain Festival happens January 19, 2013 at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne. For details, step this way.