Photo by Annie Wu
Occasionally a band comes along so perfect, original and unaffected that rabid scenesters can only watch in disbelief as the words, "why didn't I think of that" spill from clenched teeth and mental notes are made to be more honest and naive. The Pre-Teen Braves are such a phenomenon. They sound like modern r+b filtered through a school band via the Shaggs, Sun Ra and the Shangri-La's. They have a xylophone, saxophone, drums and an organ, but they mainly just chant and rhyme about bizarre stuff that happens to them at school.
When the Pre-Teens played their first gig at BUS Gallery a year ago, people were all like "I never would have started collecting all those Bitches Brew out-takes if I'd known this existed". The Pre-Teen Brave appeal doesn't necessarily lie in the fact that they don't like no-wave or free jazz. It's not just that they borrow their sax from school, that they're fourteen, wear funny dresses and are confident as fuck. They just make really clever music.
VICE: What do the other kids at school think when you come in on Monday and tell them that you played a show on the weekend?
Isabelle: Uh, they're like excited, but they don't really care cuz they don't know the bands we played with. Are you getting more ‘action' at school now that you're rock stars?
Isabelle and Courtney: (squealing) No!! Have you played at assembly yet?
Courtney: We were gonna play at this "Brave Faces" thing, kind of a take off of Red Faces, but we decided not to because last year some break dancers won… Can you explain how you write your songs?
Isabelle: We started writing years ago, before we even had the band. Turtle is about our friend Tom. He was always sick so his mum took him to an allergist to see what was up and they found he was allergic to the city and the fumes so he had to move to the beach. I saw all these kids on "A Current Affair" smoking pot in front of the teachers. Does that really happen?
No, yes, maybe? They're not doing it in class but there are kids on drugs. How do you feel about the way people have responded to Pre-Teen Braves?
Isabelle: It's cool. We really want people to sing along. Yeah, everyone should buy our CD, learn the words and come and sing along. Pre Teen Braves can be contacted for gigs, parties and sausage sizzles at Pre_teen_braves@hotmail.com
Isabelle: Uh, they're like excited, but they don't really care cuz they don't know the bands we played with. Are you getting more ‘action' at school now that you're rock stars?
Isabelle and Courtney: (squealing) No!! Have you played at assembly yet?
Courtney: We were gonna play at this "Brave Faces" thing, kind of a take off of Red Faces, but we decided not to because last year some break dancers won… Can you explain how you write your songs?
Isabelle: We started writing years ago, before we even had the band. Turtle is about our friend Tom. He was always sick so his mum took him to an allergist to see what was up and they found he was allergic to the city and the fumes so he had to move to the beach. I saw all these kids on "A Current Affair" smoking pot in front of the teachers. Does that really happen?
No, yes, maybe? They're not doing it in class but there are kids on drugs. How do you feel about the way people have responded to Pre-Teen Braves?
Isabelle: It's cool. We really want people to sing along. Yeah, everyone should buy our CD, learn the words and come and sing along. Pre Teen Braves can be contacted for gigs, parties and sausage sizzles at Pre_teen_braves@hotmail.com