Imagine, extracting your emotions, holding them in your hands, and moulding them into a small, tight ball. Squeeze them tightly, hold them close. Then walk into the middle of a crowded room...and throw them high into the air.
What do you think the crowd would hear, and feel?
Some people do this with their music, and unleash raw power...sometimes hate, sometimes depression. The crowd may be dazed, thrown flat onto the floor, torn apart...
If I was in the crowd when Art of Fighting threw their bundle of emotions into the sky, I think I'd be rooted to the ground, unable to move for fear of disturbing that perfect moment. And I wonder if I'd ever really want to move again.
Many bands use emotion in their music, writing songs that have the ability to move the listener deeply. Often it is expressed through pure power - you can hear the song build, before a distorted guitar explodes, and allows you release. Sometimes you can hear the pain in the song...and can't help but be moved. I've listened to many such songs, and loved them all. Art of Fighting are masters when it comes to emotion expressed through music. Never have I heard a band who can craft a song, so filled with feeling, and release it so tenderly. Almost before you realise what is happening, you're totally absorbed by it, flowing not around you, but through you.
So many times, I've been listening to a song by Art of Fighting, hearing it build in power, and thought to myself that the song is due to move in a typical, get loud and noisy fashion. That the singer is on the verge of shifting into overdrive, raising an octave, and blasting you with all the strength their lungs can create. Not Art of Fighting. Just as you feel you can't hold any more, the song will move in an unexpected direction, the release you were expecting to happen in one form, happens in another - and I wonder if I've experienced perfection. Instead of feeling strength in words, you feel stunning fragility...and it's so much stronger than a vocal assault
Art of Fighting were formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1995. They were originally a 3 piece, consisting of:
Ollie Browne - Guitars, Vocals
Cameron Grant - Drums
Peggy Frew - Bass Guitar
In 1998,
Miles Browne, brother of Ollie, joined on
trumpet and
guitar.
Cameron left in late 2000, he was replaced by
Marty Brown (no relation).
In 2001, Art of Fighting won an ARIA (Australian Record Industry Association) award, for Best Alternative Release. To win the award over more commercially successful bands such as Something For Kate was a wonderful achievement. Art of Fighting's music may not be as radio friendly as many other bands, but it is obvious that they remain true to their art, and write the songs they want to write, rather than what may be successful in the mainstream.
Discography:
Demo Tape 1 (extremely rare, only 50 copies were ever made).
The Angry Man (again, very rare, limited to 200 copies)
The Very Strange Year (ep) - 1998,
Half a Cow, hac74
Empty Nights (ep) - 1999,
Half a Cow, hac87
Wires (lp) - 2001,
Horse 008-2,
Trifekta
Art of Fighting also appear on Wonder From A Quarter Acre, a demo compilation from Au Go Go Records. Two songs from The Angry Man demo tape are on this release (probably the only place anyone will be able to hear songs from this demo tape).
If you love music written with thought, deep in emotion, beautiful in expression, then Art of Fighting are a band that will blow you away.