Interviews

Royal Treatment Plant Interview

• 15th Mar 2011

Royal Treatment Plant returned this year with a new single and word of a new album. The single was a bold, soaring pop track which was accompanied by a video made from home-movie recordings of main bod Paula’s childhood in Papua New Guinea . Being one of the most fantastic girl-fronted rock bands in the country, we jumped at the chance to pose our quizzicals to Paula.

Glasswerk: The first single from the new album, 'All That's Left', feels like a pretty big song. Did you purposely want to lead on a big number?

Paula: It was a good song to release after we've been off the scene for a while. It’s a song that also means a lot to me so I wanted to release it at some point.

Will the rest of the album sound as grand?

Some bits, yes, other bits, no. Variety, isn’t it.

What made you want to put the video together for the track?

Because I just wanted to. It fitted the lyrics and the intent behind the song.

This will be your second full record. How do you think you've changed, maybe not just in sound, but as a band, since the last album?

I have grey hair and DJ has a paunch. I also smoke less and Tom has more shit keyboard equipment. In terms of music I think we're branching out more rather than just writing in typical song structures. We're a little looser with what we're doing and I really like it. Plus we're getting better at playing slower; we used to only play fast songs. We're a bit mellower. Or maybe we're just tired and can’t move our fingers as fast.

Have your goals changed, as a band, between the two records?

Yes. Before we wanted to rule. Now we're completely focused on getting the music right. Let's see where it takes us…

Have your views on music changed, and has that affected the way you write and make music?

No. Music is the shit. Always has been, always will be. It makes us happy.

How conscious are you of the aesthetic / image of the band?

Have you seen us recently? No, no we're not.

Do you think that a band should be conscious of their look, in both relation to their music, and to how they're perceived by the public?

No. But the public do, and they're the ones with the spending power.

Do you think a band needs to represent something?

No. I don’t think many bands represent anything these days. It’s all in the perception of the audience and how the band are presented to the world – people attach associations and might assume they represent something, but most often they don't. That’s only my opinion though.

Words: Thomas Harper