Ready, willing and able

Nothing’s gonna impair the global pop-rock
plans of Australia’s Rudely Interrupted

BIGGER THAN BONO: Rudely Interrupted

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

If anyone presents a good argument for replacing the term “disabled” with the ordinarily smarmy “differently abled,” it’s Australian sextet Rudely Interrupted. With the exception of guitarist Rohan Brooks, a music therapist, physical and/or mental difficulties—blindness, deafness, Down Syndrome, autism—afflict the whole line-up. Frontman Rory Burnside, for instance, was born eyeless and has Asperger’s Syndrome. On the other hand, he’s got both perfect and absolute pitch, which frankly fall just short of superpowers, and he can pen and deliver an outstanding tune. The band’s craft is competent enough that no pity card needs to be played.

“Prior to us leaving Australia,” says Brooks, “I had a call from Austereo, a commercial radio station, and the programmer said they dig the band’s sound and wanted to give the single ‘Close My Eyes’ a spin. He then asked me if it was true we are disabled—he didn’t realize the guys were disabled and it wasn’t till after the song was chosen that they researched a little further and found this info.”

It’s not just at home that ears are open to Rudely Interrupted’s sound—slick anthems in a Killers vein mixed with post-punk’s reconfigured pop, and that distinctly antipodean balance of Anglo gentility and outback roadhouse muscle (“We don’t care about what’s cool, hot or trendy, we love good songs,” Brooks declares). They’re intent on going worldwide with this stuff, and if there’s one place where they could play to the whole world at once, it’s the United Nations headquarters in NYC. In late 2008, they made it one of their first gigs abroad, and were the first indie band ever to play there.

“Two months prior to us performing at the UN, Bono was addressing the same auditorium and he only half-filled the room, whereas we packed it out, so we think we can champion him a little in the UN department. Ha!

“No, it was an awesome achievement for the band, and that whole tour set them up for this tour, and it’s a different band these days. The guys are so strong live now whereas back then, we were cutting our teeth for touring internationally—it just happened to be at the UN. Ha!”

WITH UROCKAOKE AT LION D’OR ON
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 7:30 P.M., $15,
ALL AGES