Shiver Like Timber

The freak folk from up north

by Max Lavergne

There's something undeniably Australian about Shiver Like Timber. Even though, on first listen, the quaver in Betony Dircks' voice conjures associations with American singers Cat Power and Joanna Newsom, there's something about her bare (but not barren) tunes that seems rooted in Australian suburbia.

Maybe it's not surprising, then, to learn that she comes from what could quite rudely be described as Australia's largest suburb: Brisbane. To out-of-towners, it's a vague, northward mass, sometimes confused with the Gold Coast. When pressed, most would name The Go-Betweens and Powderfinger as the sum of Brisbane's contribution to Australian culture.

Lately, though, that perception's been changing. A wave of young bands, such as I Heart Hiroshima, Scul Hazzards and Turnpike have swept down from the north, marauding the warehouses and pubs of the East Coast and generally reminding us that the Sunshine State is good for more than dad-rock.

On this tour, Shiver Like Timber and fellow Brisbanian Let's Not (But Say We Did) are hoping to prove to Sydneysiders that folkier side of Brisbane music is alive and well, too. Not that it's ever been otherwise, says Betony Dircks:

"I don't think it's thriving more than usual. I think it's always been like this, and people are taking more notice now… I don't think there's more bands than usual. A lot of them have actually disbanded. For bands starting out, there's not a lot of gig opportunities."

The lack of spaces for bands to play in Brisbane has led to something of a culture of house gigs, and this DIY approach has had some interesting side effects. Two weeks ago, Shiver Like Timber played a gig at a house in Herston, a Brisbane suburb, on a line-up that also featured Melbourne's Batrider and Brisbane punks Liars Hate Liars, whose line-up includes one member of the notorious Frou Frou Foxes.

The gig was organised by Dircks, who likes her line-ups eclectic: "I seem to get thrown in with all sorts of bands. That's my favourite type of show; ones with all different kinds of bands playing. It shakes it up a bit, makes it more interesting.

Last time Dircks played Sydney, it was with Alps Of New South Wales, a Newcastle lo-fi pop act; the time before that, it was at Lanfranchis, sharing a bill with Quebec and Tragic/Athletic for the launch of Shiver Like Timber's debut self-titled EP.

That gig was a little under a year ago now. Since then, Dircks has been focused on the fashion label she's established with a friend in Brisbane and playing the odd show around town. The next big project is the first Shiver Like Timber album, which Dircks hopes to have completed for early 2008.

"For the album, I want to do all new songs. All the songs off the EP I've been playing live for at least year, and I'm thinking when I'm playing, 'Oh, I hope everyone's not getting sick of them!' And maybe that's a sign of me getting weary of them myself."

The songs on the EP were quite minimalist; most were simply guitar and vocals, with the addition of the odd piano and some backing vocals. On the album, though, Dircks says she wants to branch out:

"I'd like to experiment and try adding some drums through a song, or two or three. Some cello. I'd like to try some new things – there's a lot of work to do."

WHO: Shiver Like Timber (Bris), Rand & Holland, Say Cheese And Die!, Let's Not (But Say We Did) (Bris)

WHERE: The Hellen Rose-Shauersberger Labratorium, Corner of Kippax and Waterloo
Streets, Surry Hills.

WHEN:  Saturday 15th September, 8-11pm