Interview: Ooberfuse
British band Ooberfuse made waves in the media when their song 'Heart's Cry' was chosen as the official youth anthem for the Pope's UK visit last year. This is a band with a unique sound that is breaking the mould and smashing sterotypes everywhere they go. We caught up with the band to find out what's going on.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band and how you began?
Cherrie: We are a four piece electropop band that blends the best of Eastern sounds (relying primarily on the distinctive percussive instrument, the kulintang, from south east asia) with contemporary Western classical and pop instruments.
Hal: We are united by a vision to introduce fresh vibrancy into the (dare we say) moribund conventions of contemporary pop. We joined the national band search competition Live and Unsigned last year where they dubbed us the most original band in the history of the competition!
Tell us a little bit about your new album 'Still Love My Enemies' and what the inspiration behind it was?
Hal: There is a real tendency for us all as Christians to escape to those familiar zones where we feel at home and comfortable. Often our religion provides opportunities to flee the harsh unpleasant realities that a fallen and oftentimes graceless world confronts us with. Our guiding belief is that God is to be encountered in his fullness and glory not in a religious world separated and disjoined from our everyday lives but rather in the mess of our brokeness. The track Still Love My Enemies for example does not romanticise the truth and trauma of an agonising death hammered to a wooden cross. Rather, through the emotional turmoil of a mother's broken heart the song views one ordinary woman's son through the lens of her unspeakable anguish and spiritual darkness. It confronts head-on the gospel imperative to love our enemies in the specific instance of an adoring mother whose beloved son has been so brutally murdered before her crying eyes.
Which is your favourite track on the album and why?
Hal: It's a hard question to answer... it's like asking someone with 10 children which one is their favourite! Each song has emerged from a real lived experience. The most difficult one to bring out into a song was Don't Cry Out Loud. Confronting deeply buried wounds is not so easy. Your instinct is to leave alone things that are the source of pain and to pretend they are not really there. To plunge into feelings of desperation without some kind of protection is like deep sea diving without an oxygen supply. When you resurface from being submerged in an ocean that threatens to suffocate you feel a sense of elation. It is so reassuring therefore when people are moved in a positive way by a particular track.
Michel: I like Love Stupid Love because it's a fun track with a nice melody.
Alex: My fave song is Summer Skies because it is a song about hope.
Cherrie: Little Flower is my favorite because it surprises people when the chorus kicks in!
You received a lot of media exposure when your song 'Heart's Cry' was chosen as the official youth anthem for the Pope's UK visit last year - how did that come about and has it helped you?
Hal: I think the thing that most caught the media's attention was the concept of an elderly religious figure, known for his personal penchant for the ancient traditions of the church, embracing so vigorously a genre of music (hip hop) usually associated with gang culture in urbanised post-Christian cultures. The concept was so unexpected and therefore dynamite. It just goes to show that media portrayals very often miss the subtleties of a person. I think the Pope is first and foremost a man of God who will deploy any musical genre to communicate the gospel to social groups otherwise unreachable by traditional channels. The Homey from Romey with his massive tunes now enjoys the adulation of homesters in some of the most dangerous slums!!
Cherrie: We even got asked to perform the song in the Philippines' largest stadium for Easter this year - where it was broadcast live on national TV! That was amazing!
What's your song writing process?
Hal: It's less a process like modern manufactured pop ie you put milk in one end and 10 minutes later out pops processed cheese and more something organic. Creativity is about being gripped unexpectedly by an inspiration that won't stop agitating until it has achieved its purpose, until a song and/or a lyric is born. Sometimes these moments happen at the most inconvenient times. For example, I had been out late one night so that when I finally found my bed all I wanted to do was sleep. I moved the guitar off the mattress but before I put it back in its case I felt the urge to play a few chords. Over two hours later eyelids propped open with matchsticks Little Flower was born. Inspiration comes like a thief in the night, when you least expect it and when you least feel like entertaining it.
How would you describe your style of music?
Alex: A fusion of Eastern influences into Western electropop...
In your opinion, what makes the perfect song?
Hal: One that brings to the light of day, without compromising or diluting, an otherwise dark and unreachable feeling. When this happens music has a depth and an integrity that resonates with others and hopefully survives the test of time.
What advice would you give to any aspiring bands out there?
Michel: Everything has its time. Never give up.
Hal: Dreams are sown in our hearts by a loving God who work tirelessly preparing for the allotted hour. Be like the wise virgins ever ready for the moment!
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?
Hal: Receive the Power...then I get more battery to listen to more ooberfuse tracks!
What does the next year hold for Ooberfuse?
Cherrie: Loads of stuff coming up! We're performing at World Youth Day in Madrid next month so we are very excited for that...
Michel: We've also got a number of exciting London gigs coming up. For example, we'll be at the O2 next month as guest stars of Live Fest, London's biggest indoor festival (supporting acts like NDubz, Tinchy Stryder, the Hoosiers)
Alex: We'll be releasing one or two new music videos later this year.
Hal: Plus we are also working on new songs for our next album. Watch this space!
Find out more about Ooberfuse at www.ooberfuse.com and get a FREE Song Download on LTTM
