Q&A: Steve Welsh (Dead City Ruins)

By ADAM COOPER

Hot Metal: Hey Steve, nice to chat. How was the KISS show at Rod Laver?

Steve Welsh: “Hey Adam! Nice to chat mate! It was bloody unreal. It was like a dream I didn’t even know was possible, come true. I can still smell the air on stage. Seeing everyone front to back, side to side. Enjoying the show was a truly unbeatable feeling.”

HM: Unfortunately I went to KISS on another night…

SW: “Haven’t seen you guys since Brewtality at The Tote in Melbourne!”

HM: The new album sounds mint! Gone back to bit of ol’ school I noticed.

SW: “We will make up for that in no time I’m sure! Thanks mate! We all poured so much energy collectively into this album to bring that DCR DNA into something new. So far the reviews suggest that we’ve done exactly that!”

HM: How has the band evolved since the last record?

SW: “Commenting from the perspective that I’ve only been in the band four years and had experienced some shows as a crowd member, we’ve all focused on bringing our live show game to the next level, with choreographed mid-show gimmicks for fun, and as much crowd involvement as possible.”

HM: “Speed Machine” is a great music video, Mad Max-esque. That must have been a hoot.

SW: “Mate I got to drive a V8 XB coupe around Little River – where they shot Mad Max – for hours! Whaddya reckon!? It was a bloody blast. And I got to experience a bit of cinema history going to some of the very locations with famous shots and replicating them, like Max taking off In the interceptor from the side of the road.”

HM: Are you a car/rev-head ? If so, fave car?

SW: “Sure am! Honestly for years it’s been an XB coupe (which) many of us Aussie revheads love. Other than that it would be my XA sedan I’ve owned since I was 16 or my old XC panel van that I had as a daily for a few years.”

HM: How has the sound or songwriting changed, do you think, since you joined in 2018?

SW: “The songs definitely feel and sound different to the previous recordings. There was a significant lineup change which added to it but it was truly an exciting process. All ideas were valid and experimented with until we all felt what was right for which ever song we were working on.”

HM: Now, seriously, all time fave desert island artist or album?

SW: “Haha, if I was trying to relax and enjoy the sunset – AIC (Alice In Chains) Jar Of Flies/SAP. If I needed a backing soundtrack to hunt to survive, Judas Priest – Painkiller.”

HM: AFL, NRL or Sport teams followed? How are they travelling?

SW: “I don’t follow football much any more, but I Supported the Sydney Swans for many years and it’s looking like they have a chance in the grand final this year!”