Rejoice! The Mark of Cain has reissued their 1995 opus Ill At Ease as a 4-side vinyl set! Timeless in sound and signalling a crucial turning point in their career, they’re coming to Canberra to celebrate; just a little later than anticipated….
When BMA caught up with bassist Kim Scott, it had been eight weeks since his nasty road cycling accident. A bulky brace drilled into one’s pelvis tends to get in the way of playing bass. Who knew?
Despite this sizable setback, Kim, brother John, and poster drummer John Stanier have admirably kept their meticulous preparation for live performances, calling on skill and experience to ensure the best results.
“Both John and I are engineers,” Kim states. “Over time, we’ve learned that it’s all about ensuring everything is perfect.”
More on that later. But for now, let us step back to this ethos’ roots. To a chaotic time known as 1989, when the musical landscape gently veered away from punk and toward grunge, thrash, and grind.
“I was probably 19 then,” Kim recalls. “My brother was two years older. John was already playing with bands, doing mainly blues covers, but he wanted to create his own original music.
“John had observed, and often remarked, that sibling bands had longevity. As brothers and sisters, you want to kill each other, but you still love each other, you know?”
This cognitive dissonance of brotherly love was evident from the start when roles within the band were assigned.
“‘You need to play bass’, John told me. I didn’t know how to play bass,” Kim recalls, “and I didn’t want to. But John persisted.
“So, I picked it up, we started playing, and soon began seeking a drummer. As you may know, we’ve had about 12-13 drummers. And John had a lead singer initially, but it didn’t work out.”
A tumultuous start, perhaps, but this only refocused the brothers’ purpose.
“John really wanted to write lyrics based on his struggles,” Kim says.
“Becoming a three-piece was perfect because the sound we wanted didn’t require a lead guitarist. It was incredibly stripped down, yet sounded big. This was a hallmark of the band, which surprised punters.
“The late ’80s was punk, grind, and other heavy, chaotic stuff,” Kim continues. “But we were massive fans of Joy Division. We liked the darker, ethereal, melancholic sounds; way different from what everyone was playing. Punters constantly told us:
‘Play faster! Faster!’ To which I would say:
“‘Yeah, we’re not a punk band.”
As principal songwriter, John was determined to explore this style. It took time to resonate with crowds slowly being weaned off punk, but no compromise was to be had. It was a slow burn, and hard work, but they got there via the namesake of one of the genres they eschewed: grind.
“You had to get on the road, build a profile, get that exposure on stage,” Kim says. “Bands had to traverse the East Coast constantly. It was not uncommon to drive ten hours, play a show and drive home again with no sleep. And that’s what we did, and slowly, we built momentum.
“The live show has always been our trademark,” Kim reflects. “The consistent touring and calibre of our live show gained us recognition in the Oz music scene and with fans. Our focus, diligence, and visceral impact with audiences led to our longevity.”
20-plus years on, Ill At Ease‘s vinyl reissue sees old material get a revamp in mastering, mainly to encapsulate the sound pressure.
“With vinyl, there’s a space issue with only twenty minutes on each side,” Kim explains. Cramming on more can distort the grooves and diminish that dynamic sound.
“The vinyl reissue has four sides to avoid such issues.”
Described as the period where John’s lyrics and songwriting were coming into form, Ill At Ease maintains its potency. It also marked a turning point, attracting the attention of Henry Rollins, who took an interest in producing the album. This, in turn, pricked the interest of the sizable Black Flag fanbase.
“The transition was wild”, Kim recalls. “Well-populated shows became sold-out shows packed with testosterone-pumped Rollins fans, ‘rolling’ up with much more aggression. The exposure of this new dynamic of fan was… interesting.”
John Stanier joining on drums at the brink of the noughties propelled the band even further, scooping up Helmet fans for the ride. Rather than ease up, the band stayed true to their core tenet of fastidiousness leading up to 2023 and the delayed tour.
“Some bands rehearse twice and think, ‘yeah, we’re good to go’,” Kim states. “This is not the case for The Mark of Cain. Every stop must be precise; every timing signature change must be perfect.
“Typically, we rehearse around 20 times pre-tour before we’re happy,” Kim reveals. “We started in June for this tour. We got super tight with the album and were ready. Then I had my accident.”
But that won’t get in the way of the celebration of such an impactful record. Not with that determination.
The Mark of Cain, supported by Pig(x7), play at The Baso on Wednesday, 13 December. Tix are $61.20 via Oztix.
Ill At Ease deluxe edition on gunmetal grey vinyl is available now via Artist First.
Stream The Mark of Cain on Spotify and Apple Music