Bido Lito! Issue 56 | Page 6

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 RO SH OU TIN GA TT 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, NG HE WA LL OR 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