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Peep Tempel’s Tales break through

The Peep Tempel tour WA for the first time in May

Filled to the brim with spit and bile, the Peep Tempel’s second album Tales was a critical high point for Australian music last year. Now the Melbourne punks come to WA for the first time.

The tour has been a long time coming for frontman Blake Scott, who lived in Narrogin until he headed east at age 19.

With lyrics about low-level criminals, barflies and other Australian social blemishes, was it his formative years spent in the Wheatbelt that shaped his depressing outlook?

“I had a really happy childhood, Narrogin was a great town,” Scott says. “I’ve spent a lot of time all around Australia and I think, particularly around the time we were making this record, there were changes politically that were a bit unsettling for us and there was a real feeling of resignation to the whole thing.”

In addition to changes at the top of the political food chain in late 2013, the band was struggling creatively. After three solid months of writers’ block, though, they managed to write two of Tales’ finest songs, Carol and Big Fish, in one afternoon.

“I still remember when Stewy (Rayner) was playing that bass line on Carol, I just started whacking the guitar with that chord and that started working,” Scott recalls. “As he kept changing through the bass I kept banging through the guitar and it just summed up how this process had been feeling; futile and helpless.”

When Tales was finally released late last year, it was quickly short-listed for the prestigious Australian Music Prize, an award that has previously gone to the Drones, Augie March and Big Scary.

Although it was young rapper Remi who eventually took out the top gong in March, Scott says he is thankful the album has been well-received.

“I think all people who don’t win awards say this but awards are not really why we made the record, but it’s great to have the recognition,” he says.

“To listen to how people see the record, both good and bad, is funny because sometimes people are just downright trying to insult you, which seems to be pretty popular these days, but to cut a long story short, to be nominated for the AMP was fantastic.”

The Peep Tempel plays at Jimmy’s Den on May 7, Prince of Wales, Bunbury on May 8, Settlers Tavern, Margaret River on May 9 and Mojos on May 10. See the venues for tickets.