PROGFEST SPOTLIGHT: Closure In Moscow

“If money was no object, it would be a night of theatre – that’s what I would absolutely love to see.”

Closure In Moscow are an all-encompassing type of musical construct. Part musicians, part entertainers, the local band seems to revel in the enjoyment music creates.

Having released an eclectic (and equally, impressive) beast, which dripped with overwhelming lyrical and aesthetic appeal earlier in 2014 – ‘Pink Lemonade’ – the group is preparing to headline national event, Progfest this August/September.

Frontman Christopher de Cinque is refreshingly forthright and typically engaging when discussing a “perfect world” scenario for the band’s ideal stage show.

“I would love to have crazy stage props. [It would] basically be like Katy Perry’s show, but [in this] bizzaro universe, and just as cheesy and gag-inducing as her stage show, but more in a creepy [and] sardonic way,” de Cinque says.

It has been a busy period for the Melbourne boys. A lengthy gap between releases has evaporated. Deserved plaudits have piled up. However, a specific review from The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Liam Wilson (worth a read.) stands out.

“That was one of the more humbling things. I was just blown away, it was a fun little read and probably the most appropriate review for the album seeing as the tone and his [Wilson’s] writing style is very much in the spirit and aesthetic of the whole album.”

“We met him a little while back when we were on Warped Tour together and just clicked, and hung out a bunch. [Liam] was nice enough to do that [the review],” de Cinque offers.

Progfest is the main topic of conversation at the moment. It’s a fitting and apt headline spot for the band – an event seemingly tailored to all aspects of Closure In Moscow.

“Being that it is Progfest, when in Prog-Rome get Prog, I guess,” the singer laughs.

For fans, and perhaps the uninitiated all the same, the festival will see the quintet revise their set to accommodate for the theme of the evening.

“There are some tweaks to the songs, some extensions and some extra bells and whistles as I think it’s a crowd that will dig that. So we get to be a little bit more masturbatory as people attending Progfest are expecting some odysseys, so it’s nice we have the excuse to open things wide up,” de Cinque says.

The event, in a fundamental and intended sense, has the same positive factors at work as that of larger festivals like Soundwave. It provides a designated and ideal experience for fans of the music, but also presents the opportunity to watch and subsequently discover new bands.

“It’s all well and good in the internet age to look around and pick and choose bands that you like and dislike, and fob a band off after a 25 second listen to a song. But, when a punter is going down to catch a couple of bands they like and happen to catch three others they might not have given a chance otherwise [it is great].”

Essentially, it’s a primary philosophy. It’s the connection and “live experience” that holds the impact.

“When you’re putting on a show for people, you’re actually in a room creating a kind of vibe, this intangible, real thing that you can’t convey through laptop speakers. I think Progfest is good that it’s bringing a bunch of likeminded people together and I hope it keeps growing. I think these events are important more so than ever now when everyone can just as easily sit on the couch, soaked in apathy,” de Cinque adds.

What prevails at events like these is the lack of divide. De Cinque mentions his desire to assimilate and absorb Progfest as an event.

“I’ll definitely be down there early and soaking up the atmosphere and getting the vibe before we go on. It’s just a shame it’s such a short tour. Something like this really needs to be on the road everywhere for awhile.”

The conversation allows us to change pace and reflect on social media. The band’s humour and tongue-in-cheek mentality evidently extends to the online sphere. A recent tweet from the group (see below), which featured a sleazy or ravish pose (matter of perspective really) from Sam Newman accompanied to a YouTube link to Whigfield song ‘Sexy Eyes’ is the perfect case study.

De Cinque offers an interesting explanation.

“My theory is, I want to bring about the apocalypse and every tweet is just another little bit of server farm space that is chewing just a little bit more energy – so the more I can spam out, the quicker I can chew through the Earth’s resources and bring about everyone’s doom…but with a few frivolous LOLs along the way,” he laughs.

Reorrr https://t.co/YWK6ZoE9GB pic.twitter.com/wflGCQREZB

— Closure In Moscow (@ClosureInMoscow) August 13, 2014

The light-hearted attitude is the antithesis to the myriad of groups that seem to focus on downtrodden emotion and an “us-versus-them” persona to get the music across.

“I think all that bullshit is just manufactured. It has been force-fed through the cultural zeitgeist for so long. I feel all that heavy emotion shit becomes this very Showcase, HBO-type dramatisation. It’s caricatures of real emotions, it just grosses me out, [and] it feels really insincere and conceited,” de Cinque states.

“I don’t know enough about the current musical climate to gauge if the tide is turning, but I think there needs to be more anti-heroes to the La Disputes. There needs to be more tongue-in-cheek and silliness. I don’t want to listen to something and feel bummed out.”

Therefore, we can view Closure In Moscow as leading by example. If they’re having fun then fans should be too.

“I hope that fans are entertained. I hope their brains are thoroughly stimulated and they get their music nerd jollies fried a little bit and it’s good fun.”

Closure In Moscow headline Progfest '14 (beginning this Saturday in Brisbane). Full details and ticket information here.