6
Bido Lito! June 2015
In the age of social media there is an unnerving amount of
pressure on musicians to maintain a high and constant online
presence. Bands, in particular, are expected to scream their
names from the rooftops whilst appearing fashionably indifferent
to success. This has led to, amongst others things, two strange
phenomena: an un-navigable swamp of choice and a distinct
lack of mystique. However, the release of RONGORONGO's first
EP, Shiver, in 2014 seemed to slip out from under the digital
radar, and has gained much positive attention
based solely on its own merits rather than
by way of any chest-beating from
the band themselves.
Despite the
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in the current climate of musical consumption a lack of exposure
on Facebook and similar websites can sometimes amount to a
blackout; and, though it is obvious, and correct, that Mick and
Jonny don't view success as a number of likes, it can be hard to
fathom why a band would potentially limit themselves in this
way. Jonny sees it in a whole other light, however.
“The internet is a force to be reckoned with. You can come off
like a grubby, needy child waving unwanted lollies into people’s
living rooms or Wi-Fi cafés. The last thing we ever wanted was
to interrupt someone's coffee or soup and a sandwich. It's about
trickles, not shouting at a wall. A lot of bands spend ages hyping
themselves up but then don't have the material to back it up.
That just highlights the transitory nature of the internet. People
get excited about something for a short amount of time and
then move on to the next thing.”
Regardless of how the band choose to promote
themselves, it is their commitment to making
the music they want to make that is
their most striking feature. The
upcoming EP has been
recorded,
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brooding synths that could have emanated from any of the
previous four decades. Like the other two tracks, it is satisfying
without leaving the listener truly fulfilled. A void is created and
a tangent established that should lead perfectly into the new
material, which, judging by the number of listens amassed
on their SoundCloud page, is being anticipated by a sizeable
amount of people.
In terms of the release, there are no plans for a specific launch:
as Mick and Jonny put it, “There are always plans for a party and
everyone is invited, but it's nothing to do with the release.”
Future live performances will see the band expand into a sixpiece, as opposed to their usual five, so that Mick can give up
his drumming responsibilities to focus on vocal duties, and,
he assures me, to provide some “fucking crazy dance moves”.
Considering he only learned to play the drums about eighteen
months ago, it is commendable he has been able to juggle
both duties thus far, and the scope that an extra member could
provide in a live setting will be an interesting prospect for a band
so heavily built on nuance.
Anyone who caught them supporting Strange Collective at
their EP launch in Kitchen Street will testify to this but, when
it comes to RongoRongo, expecting the expected from such
an amorphous project is probably a bad idea. But maybe such
descriptions prompt severe visions of a group who
consciously avoid taking themselves too
seriously. The best synopsis comes in
the form o