CHAINSAW HOOKERS

CHAINSAW HOOKERS

Blood On The Tracks

High energy rock’n’roll heroes Chainsaw Hookers are launching their self-titled debut album at the Rocket Room this Friday, April 20. BEN WATSON chats to guitarist Jon Russo.

On the one hand, it’s hard to believe it’s now seven years since Chainsaw Hookers first took the stage, but on the other their experience definitely shows.

The band has become pretty much ubiquitous on the Perth rock’n’roll circuit, matching their high-energy Motorhead/Turbonegro style punk with a relentless work ethic and determination.

Seven years is quite a long time, but rock’n’roll like this – edgy, furious and with entrenched lyrical reference to more B-grade horror films than most people have ever seen – is a long-term game not suited to the commitment-shy or those out to make a quick buck on the corporate rock circuit.

But the lengthy apprenticeship has allowed this band to find exactly the right guys to take their uniquely wild west music to the wider world. “Got a solid four members now,” says Jon Russo matter-of-factly, “which has definitely shaped the sound over the last couple of years.”

Russo himself came on board in 2007 and quickly earned a reputation as one of Perth’s better DIY managers. He agrees things changed for the band at that point. “I think in the early days it was just more of a fun sorta thing, bit of a novelty live act. But since I joined the band we kinda changed gears and all focused on the goal that we wanna achieve. Just been pushing for it non-stop.

“A couple of line-up changes and we’ve got four guys who all want the same outcome.”

But Russo’s frankness shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of humility. When X-Press asked him to clarify what ‘outcome’ the band is after, the goals are surprisingly simple. “Just to be able to play, as much as possible, to the right people; have people enjoy our music; and to be able to record the music we want. Obviously experience all the things along the way – touring and that.”

The things Chainsaw Hookers are doing along the way are increasingly cool. Following this week’s launch, they’re off to tour the east coast of Australia with Scottish punk icons The Exploited. There’s also been some interest from the US where, Russo reveals, legendary metal label Earache Records have been giving the band quite a hand

“There’s doors opening there,” he says. “We want to head over to the States and do a bit of a tour, hopefully next year. So, that’s a big step for a band from Perth, but that’s what we wanna do.”

But this week, Perth audiences can revel in the fruits of the labour of their hometown heroes, who have been slowly dropping the album’s fresh songs into their set alongside older, more familiar material. “Everybody’s taking to it,” Russo says of the new songs. “They’re pretty catchy choruses so they’re pretty easy to pick up, and everybody seems to be getting into it. But once they get the album at home I think it’s gonna pick up a bit more.

“But yeah, we’ve got a few new tracks on [the album] that people probably haven’t heard yet."

“[The launch is] a celebration of what we’ve put together, and we’re playing it with our mates and that, and hopefully it’s a good night.”