Safe Sex are a Perth-based duo made up of vocalist Molly Biddle and producer Andrew Wright. Molly describes their sound as a combination of her "effeminate squeak" and Andrew's "bassy tones".
Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?
The sound emerged as an amalgamation of myself and Andrew Wright (Forest Studios Perth). I always wished I was danq rapper and Andrew makes some incredible hip-hop and electronic stuff. So the music was sort of born of that combination between my effeminate squeak and Andrew’s bassy tones. It’s like a buttered cat, but it’s a perpetual sound that seems to work. There’s a lot going on in our tracks and think that’s sort of emerged as an addictive or obsessive quality we both possess… nothing ever feels quite finished.
What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?
There are a lot of different sources that feed into this project- the music, the performance aspect, the film, the art. For myself, I wanted to make something that was more than it seemed at first glance - and I think I can assume that’s what we all wanted. Sexual repression and repression of identity is something that’s been an ongoing dialogue for a lot of different communities - and for myself on a personal level. I saw a problem, and I sought to apply myself to that problem in a way that might be able to reach people - via pop culture and by the rubbernecking of train wreck. I stumbled upon the best people for the job and I’m lucky to have them invest such intimate parts of themselves in the mission.
What can punters expect from a Safe Sex live show?
Punters can expect a live show yes! It’s a thing that’s on the cards. I hope they like DJ, VJ and live performance art because that’s what they’re going to get. It’s going to be bizarre and uncomfortable for everyone involved.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?
The best advice I have been given is to be brave. Be brave and don’t apologise. I give that advice to myself every single day. If you’re not harming anyone and you feel passionately about something, there is no reason not to do it and no reason to apologise. I used to apologise because I felt my mere existence was somehow offensive to people. The more you apologise the more people begin seeing you as something that requires an apology.
Also - listen to people if you are trying to affect change in underrepresented or victimized populations. We are all products of social construction and there is more to this story than you think. This advice comes from the most endearing researcher at my University. She's rad. She probably doesn't even know I exist.
What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?
If I wanted to cheer someone up who was crying I would play them something from Gotye, probably
Hearts A Mess, because maybe they’re crying because their hearts a mess and they want that validation. Everybody’s heart’s a bit of a mess.
What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?
If I wanted to make someone break down into tears I would play them something from The Cat Empire, maybe
Fishies, and then tell them it’s not their fault over and over like in Good Will Hunting.
You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?
I’m the DJ at a party and the dance floor is pumping… but it’s well past my bedtime and I want out (slight change of tactic). So I cut the music and play a little Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and start reading aloud from chapter one of ‘”And the Ass Saw the Angel.” Nick Cave is an incredible novelist, people don’t know that.
What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?
The very last local gig I went to was
The Brow’s single release at AMPS in Perth. They’re friends of mine and I danced like there was a bee on me. It was great. You can always count on a great live show from those guys.
Tell us about the bands or people in the WA music community that inspire you.
Western Australian bands that inspire us are Empire Of The Sun (Luke Steele), S.O.X., Abbe May, Sun City, Marksman Lloyd, The Love Junkies, The Siren Tower, Our Man In Berlin… we’re probably leaving a lot out… we hear a lot of great music emerging from WA.
What are your plans for 2016?
Oh my goodness gosh. World peace. But for seriously, we have a bunch of new and bizarre tracks hibernating until we decide to release them. I guess something that stands out about us is that we’re not precious about releases or perfection - we just keep churning out material and sharing our music as soon as we can, however we can - so we can move on and keep creating. We have some obscene videos coming out too- all featuring myself and the very talented actor Nick Pages-Oliver (and some new arrivals too), executed by the ingenious Peter Cheng (Acid Flicks). We also have some symbiotic Safe Sex education tips, but I won’t spoil that…
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