Image: The Dope Tapes-Dope 122 produced by Michael AldrichSydney’s Crying in Bed formed as a tribute to Destroy All Monsters, the mid-70s Detroit art rock performance group led by vocalist and visual artist Niagara and who included the Stooges Ron Asheton and Michael Davis of the MC5 among their ranks.Influenced by Sun Ra, the Velvet Underground and monster movies, the group had a habit of getting kicked out of parties with their experimental music played through homemade instruments. Loose, loud and uncompromising they were a band respected by rock critic Lester Bangs, The Ramones and Thurston Moore.Comprised of Matthew Hopkins and Lucy Phelan from Naked on the Vague alongside Holy Balm’s Emma Ramsay, Anna John and Jonathan Hochman, Crying in Bed were formed last year for a one off gig at an art exhibition featuring Destroy All Monsters member Mike Kelley’s video work. Unfortunately their part of the event was cancelled.Luckily, the band will be playing a special show on Valentine’s Day with US guitarist Gary War. We sent Emma some questions to accompany a premiere of the band’s first track and video.Noisey: So you formed to be part of a one off gig at a Mike Kelley art exhibition. What happened?
Emma Ramsay: Our mate decided it was too much to put on the gig at the last minute I guess. We had some big plans for costuming and the like. The exhibition at Sydney gallery, 55 Sydenham Rd was quite a spectacular show. We were all re-inspired by the local work as well as the Mike Kelley video works to wander off into this one off band experience together. Kelley was a unique artist who according to US critic Jerry Saltz had “clusterfuck aesthetics.” Are you all fans of his work?
Absolutely. There are a lot of themes he would re visit that we all relate to on different personal levels. We like his uncompromising critique of contemporary society and approach to the way he made work. ‘Crying in Bed’ was the name of the second part of the box set compilation that Thurston Moore put together. Is that your favourite era/album? You've got to love a song called “Puke Like a Motherfucker”!
I had a good puke on the weekend and that song came to mind. The compilation is the only way to connect with the DAM output really. We love the images and sounds of weeping, the melodrama that comes to mind when you think of someone 'Crying In Bed'. Is that Lucy singing? It captures Niagra's ghostly detachment.
Ah no - it's actually me mostly but in the band we are all free to sing whenever we feel. We're definitely channeling a kind of free and unstable, slightly sick in the head vibe that I think Niagara would enjoy.Crying In Bed play with Gary War (US), Subterranean Rain and Seating Plan, Saturday Feb 14 at a secret warehouse location, Marrickville. Sydney. RSVP to the Facebook event to find out location details on the day.
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Emma Ramsay: Our mate decided it was too much to put on the gig at the last minute I guess. We had some big plans for costuming and the like. The exhibition at Sydney gallery, 55 Sydenham Rd was quite a spectacular show. We were all re-inspired by the local work as well as the Mike Kelley video works to wander off into this one off band experience together. Kelley was a unique artist who according to US critic Jerry Saltz had “clusterfuck aesthetics.” Are you all fans of his work?
Absolutely. There are a lot of themes he would re visit that we all relate to on different personal levels. We like his uncompromising critique of contemporary society and approach to the way he made work. ‘Crying in Bed’ was the name of the second part of the box set compilation that Thurston Moore put together. Is that your favourite era/album? You've got to love a song called “Puke Like a Motherfucker”!
I had a good puke on the weekend and that song came to mind. The compilation is the only way to connect with the DAM output really. We love the images and sounds of weeping, the melodrama that comes to mind when you think of someone 'Crying In Bed'. Is that Lucy singing? It captures Niagra's ghostly detachment.
Ah no - it's actually me mostly but in the band we are all free to sing whenever we feel. We're definitely channeling a kind of free and unstable, slightly sick in the head vibe that I think Niagara would enjoy.Crying In Bed play with Gary War (US), Subterranean Rain and Seating Plan, Saturday Feb 14 at a secret warehouse location, Marrickville. Sydney. RSVP to the Facebook event to find out location details on the day.