| SYDNEY - Inbedlam's Organised Chaos

Inbedlam's Organised Chaos

As I slip out of the rain and into Parramatta’s Mars Hill Café, the first thing I see is a low-lying couch wrapped in the shell of a retired tram car. Part of an art exhibition that changes every month, it’s where I spend my time, coffee in hand, knees at chin level waiting for inbedlam.

It’s not long until I hear loud discussion and turn my head. As chance would have it, the two guys sitting at the table next to me are drummer Andy and bass handler Dave. We chat for a while before front man Sid walks through the back door and we all head upstairs. He apologises for his lateness and then beams as he tells us of the bargain jacket he picked up for seven dollars.

Daniel, inbedlam’s guitarist, can’t make it due to work commitments, so today rehearsal will have to be postponed. This appears to be a common problem for the band as they juggle domestic life and modest rock stardom in Sydney’s live music scene. Having formed three to four years ago, I now sit with original member Sid and the two recent recruits in an upstairs room on more midget-height couches. A modest stage is spread out before us, inhabited by the occasional folk act.
We walk downstairs for a moment. inbedlam’s rehearsal takes place in the basement, strewn with dusty rugs and lyrics in permanent blue scrawl etched on cushions leaned up against the walls. The surrounding stone walls, complete with mould-ridden roof provide the perfect antiquarian atmosphere. This is the place the world forgot.
The dungeon-like surrounds reflect inbedlam perfectly. Their music, emotional passages through song, take shape beneath the crowded, concrete and plastic-lined streets above. While commercial beats pump out of the cars racing above their heads, this sheltered space lets them expose and explore their music in their own time and on their own terms.

Andy and Dave have struck a dream gig. Having been fans of inbedlam for some time, they befriended the band after shows and when the time came for a line-up change they got the opportunity to play. How does Dave feel about his stroke of luck? ‘I’m playing in inbedlam because I do enjoy the music and I want other people to. I want to be part of making that music that I first heard and loved.’
Thought up by the original line-up, ‘inbedlam’ initially reflected the quartet’s more sporadic, structurally uncommon songs and instrumentation. However these days, with ‘more commercial’ songs being written in the hope of being picked up by a large label, the name is more fitting of their lifestyle and the juggling of domestic life, career, and music. They co-ordinate practices around work, book gigs, run late, forget equipment and drink Wild Turkey during practice. Placing pressure on themselves to gain more exposure doesn’t add clarity. They’ve gained acclaim and comparisons to (amongst others) Jeff Buckley, The Tea Party and Radiohead, but don’t let musical association cloud your judgement. inbedlam do what they do, and do it well. As Andy reminisces about a past show at the Lansdowne: ‘Satellites on the Roam, the whole place, it was really loud for about ten seconds and then it was quiet for the rest of the song, you could hear a pin drop. It was like a Saturday night in the middle of summer… Everyone was just quiet, sipping their drinks.’
This is where inbedlam win their fans. The on-stage presence, the passion trickling through the notes of the ringing guitar find home. The emotion seeping through the stories Sid weaves are genuine, heartfelt and unadulterated. ‘We’re about storytelling,’ Sid explains. ‘It’s about emotion, that’s the way I always kind of see it. It’s taking people on an emotional ride, it’s transfixing on them and saying, Okay listen now and pay attention and see what you get out of it. It’s not so much, yeah, we’re gonna rock out guys, rock out with us. It’s not that. It’s kind of like, listen here, pay attention and hopefully we can take you somewhere and you can take something with you.’
They’re not worried about what you take, more that you just take something. Something only you yourself can find. The music is personal, yet universal. When asked about the song You Still Turn Me On, of which the line ‘And nine years on, you still turn me on’ is sung in a Buckley-esque yearn, Sid fidgets with his shoe and offers no explanation as to the object of his affection.
Everybody contributes to the songwriting, whether it be taking notice of a catchy riff or beat during practice and carrying it elsewhere, or just providing the inspiration for the words that represent the band. ‘Even though Sid writes the lyrics,’ Andy explains, ‘we all contribute to the mood and therefore, what we’re playing is kind of portrayed in the lyrics and stuff as well, which is really cool…’
Gaining a strong following with live music goers, the next step for inbedlam is capturing their live essence on CD. It’s a lot harder than it seems. ‘People are recording anything they want in their bedrooms, it’s so easy to do, that I think in the end, it might be a bad thing for the music industry where you get everyone doing one thing the same way, that you’re gonna lose on that ambient recording style.’ Andy echoes Sid’s sentiments. ‘The better the quality of things get, the more you’re looking for something that’s just raw. I think it’s easier for you to feel heart coming through… when the music isn’t so perfect.’ They recorded their April 7 gig at the Cat and Fiddle and are aiming to mix it onto a CD.
Dynamic music is what inbedlam seeks. Whether it’s listening to the music of bands such as U2, David Bowie, System of a Down, just to name a few, or playing their own, there’s a desire to feel and to make others feel the sentiments behind the notes. Part of Sid’s frustration is waiting for that one producer to come along and say, ‘I know what these guys need, I know where to put them, in what room, how to record them.’ Having done their own managing and putting their own input into production, inbedlam are bursting at the seams with anticipation of an LP release.
And what an LP that will be. Listening to their EP (a selection of songs can be downloaded in mp3 format from their website www.inbedlam.com or their MySpace page), you are transported into their world. My Way holds all the ingredients for a catchy single release, while Cupid’s Arrow sees Daniel punch out an attitude-filled riff, reminiscent of early Muse, before settling back to fewer, well-placed notes allowing the bass to drive the beat along. These songs, along with other humble EP releases gives inbedlam a rich foundation on which to build their impending catalogue.
But it’s also what’s they haven’t written yet that makes you salivate with musical hunger. Embryonic riffs hold promise to mature into crowd-pleasing favourites. A rehearsal was rescheduled a few weeks after the original meeting and I got more than I hoped for. Getting an hour set in a private show is exciting in itself, but to have a guitar thrust into your hands and have Daniel and Dave follow your lead while Sid sang whatever was flowing through his mind was awe-inspiring. After I put the acoustic down, Dave let rip with a crunchy bass riff and it wasn’t long till I was privy to the birth of a new song. As the band waited for Andy to return with his cymbals, the remaining three members let the notes lead them. Sid, overcome with inspiration, sang the remainder of the song off the tip of his tongue while Dave and Daniel nodded along in approval.
As Andy returned, the set took off. The eerie vocals of Heartbeat floated amongst the dust. Legion made me sit up and listen, Dave’s bass sliding with the groove of Andy’s drums. But not all was fine porcelain as riffs were hurled against the wall and impacted with my chest. Sid beat down on his acoustic guitar towards the end of Delete the File making me wince with the abuse. The last notes rang out as Sid sat down to catch his breath. Emotion, devotion and passion.

‘It’s thought-out chaos’. Dave’s description of inbedlam is agreed upon by the other members. Although they talk amongst, over and in-between each other, there are common threads that bind the discussion together. Their minds meet through the music and sound out together like the beer glasses they toast outside of rehearsal.
Having supported bands such as Thirsty Merc, Evermore and Jimmy Barnes, they now have a taste of playing to large audiences. They don’t mind playing smaller gigs, but inbedlam are looking forward. ‘There’s the old theory of, ohh but it’s fifteen people and if you impress them [there’s a chance for larger exposure] but that happens back in INXS and Midnight Oil days.’ Sid’s ideas are realistic, and he attributes many recent bands’ success to luck. Dave and Andy are past their younger days of playing with only ‘three hundred dollars worth of gear collective,’ but it’s still a tough road ahead. ‘We’re not living a dream,’ Sid explains. ‘We know the product we’ve got, we love doing it.’
inbedlam’s product is a finely detailed, handcrafted masterpiece. In a world where music is created on an assembly line and pumped out for the masses, inbedlam put thought, pride, and love into their creation. Get out there, take a moment out of your busy life and invest some time in inbedlam. Sample the passion and take something home with you.