By W.T. Edwards
Let’s face it, the music industry has changed. Gone are the days of small-time bands getting discovered, signing to a major label and selling millions of records. Musicians are now more responsible for their own art. They are challenged to craft it in a way that catches the ear of listeners, many of whom have endless musical options right at their fingertips.
Philadelphia quartet Battle Circus, determined to set themselves apart from the innumerable musical masses, has traversed major hurdles, both personal and professional, to meet this challenge head on.
Battle Circus was founded in 2004 in the North Isles of Auckland New Zealand. Having had moderate success in their native country and Europe, the band unanimously decided to come stateside to take the next steps in their musical endeavors. This decision landed them in rural Pennsylvania where they moved in with their management. With all parties involved living together and sharing a studio on the premises, Battle Circus has remained hard at work making a name for themselves in the good ol’ U.S. of A.
While the band holds dear their Pavlova Paradise, they felt as though their style didn’t fit in as well with the dub-roots, alternative, garage like bands that have a strong hold on the island. This left little for them to build on by way of a place to stand and accumulate a solid fan base.
Battle Circus’ artistry spans many genres and finding a niche in New Zealand’s music culture was difficult. “For us, a struggling mini-genre, it was kind of hard to find the right town or the right club to play.” Said drummer Daniel Bosher.
The band’s conundrum was made all the more difficult by the fact that their native island only housed a few professional-quality venues. So after giving up their everyday jobs as teachers, sound designers and architects, Battle Circus moved to the states in October 2010 in order to pursue lives more bohemian.
Prior to the move, however, Battle Circus released a four song EP titled The Half-Light Symphony. “[The EP was] this sort of carny circus freak sort of thing… just a couple of waltzes and these sort of umpa sounding songs came out.” Said guitarist and vocalist Marcell Bellve.
Riding the wave of newfound success Battle Circus toured Europe, joining forces with Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. After the tour ended, the group rented a barn on the west coast of the island, loaded it full of music equipment and began the recording of tseir new full-length, self-titled album.
The creative process was unlike most others. “We would wake up every morning and go for a walk on the beach, start recording on into the night and then barbeque.” Bosher said. “[The result was] this sort of fine line between being powerfully proggy but also having folk elements. There are definitely moments of acoustic softer songs followed by some sweeping string arrangements.”
Battle Circus has released the first three songs from the album for free on their website. At first listen, there is something vaguely familiar about it all. Maybe it was the power in Bellve’s voice. “Marcell’s voice has such elements of a young Roger Waters… that ‘you better run’ kind of screams in their songs that reminds you of [Pink] Floyd.” Said bassist Peter Connors.
Battle Circus is inspired by such a wide breadth of influences that the final result is this amalgamation of individually wonderful styles all wrapped into one package.
To get their music in the hands of new listeners, the band has taken to old fashion pavement beating. One of their favorite ways to get their name out there is to hang out in densely populated areas, such as parking lots, and just meet new people. According to the band, methodology, being nearly unheard of in New Zealand, is a truly American trait.
“The interesting thing about the proliferation of digital music is that there are many ways in which people engage with music now” said Bosher. “I would love to think that one day the intellectual property around our songs and our art can have a value again but in the meantime, there are plenty of other ways for us to be financially sustainable through playing shows and through merch.”
In an industry with ever-changing levels of communication and ways in which to connect, Battle Circus agrees that while the industry has changed fundamentally, the shift is also exciting. And for a band on the rise, odds are good that the folks they talk to on the street will like what they hear.
