Australasian Art & Culture

ISSUE 25 · FEBRUARY to APRIL 2019 Hoda Afshar, Billy Apple, Ari Athans, Gordon Bennett, Cassils, , Sam Cranstoun, Paul Davies, Urs Fischer, Mason Kimber, Kerry James Marshall, Ana Mendieta, Nell, AUS $17.50 NZ $25.00 AUS Lillian O’Neil, Stonehouse-Glasshouse, Angela Tiatia & more MARGINS · CLIENT LIAISON Leisure Suit Larrikins A shared love and nostalgia for the absurdity of Australian current affairs and pop vernacular jolted vocalist Monte Morgan and keyboardist/producer Harvey Miller together to form the electro-pop duo Client Liaison. The Melburnians, who met in high school, swanned into the music scene in 2012, penning boppy songs about corporate hustle, kitsch trends and leisurely pursuits. They’ve collaborated with and and will support ’s 2019 tour, in between running their fashion line and hatching other experiential ideas. VA U LT spoke to them ahead of a big year. WRITTEN by MARIAM ARCILLA

Client Liaison could be described as the prolific – he showed me that music was definition of dilettantish: you’re a band, more than just sound. Many people hide fashion label, festival curators, limousine behind their instruments and ignore the service, and ambassadors of Australiana numerous facets a stage has to offer. culture. What’s your game plan? An electric energy should happen HARVEY MILLER Our goal is to tell between performer and audience; it asks stories and give experiences, and the to be harnessed and caressed. So, we fun part is finding creative ways to do want these shows to translate our music so. We convey a sense of sophistication into cathartic, tangible moments that blended with Sir Les Patterson-style audiences will never forget. larrikinism, so the phrase ‘client liaison’ can feel like jargon, but it also evokes a Your 2012 debut music video ‘End of corporate mythology that we happily the Earth’ was something of an Aussie explore. After writing our song, ‘Off love letter to koalas, rainstorms, White Limousine’, we continued the Vegemite and canned beer, spliced narrative by buying a real limo for fans with clips of iconic larrikins Shane to experience. We often joke that we Warne and Julian Assange. It didn’t should start selling financial products, seem like an average pop single. like home loans, but we need to be You joked in an interview that “music careful sometimes, because our half- died in 1992”, and that Client Liaison baked ideas could turn into reality. is an antithesis to the “cultural cringe” We put everything into our art, of modern times. Can you speak to so our dreams are often bigger than this motivation? life, which is a good thing, I think? MM When we released ‘End of the Earth’, none of our peers were talking Certainly. Your live shows contain a bit about Australia in their work, but to of everything – musicality, costumes, us, it seemed like the most obvious dance moves, set design – they have place to start. We're forever searching this ‘dream big’ bodaciousness. What for another level of meaning. We don't feeds your showmanship? want to just write love songs about MONTE MORGAN I was doing theatre young romance. HM Client Liaison at high school and became influenced Our music references trailblazers Photo: Jordan Drysdale by Prince. He was infinitely varied and like Barry Humphries and Steve Irwin

70 71 because we believe they generate this advice applies to all modes of cultural capital. As for the ‘music died’ creative expression. Sometimes, an idea statement: that was us just trying to begins as a video clip rather than a be provocative. The undertone here song. Picking the medium that clearly is that we lament the absence of communicates your feeling or idea ’70s and ’80s glitz and glam, where is always the best starting point, and showmanship meant more than sometimes we all need reminding of this. simply smashing instruments on MM The inspirations are endless, and stage. Then again, imagine if the at times, completely absurd. Our recent ’80s never ended and just kept going? song was inspired by the ’90s animation We’d all be excruciatingly exhausted! Space Jam, while another song, ‘Pretty Lovers’, is about creating a breakfast Harvey, I heard you skipped your party at night. We also enjoy collecting final year at the Victorian College of vintage clothing and Australiana bric-a- the Arts to tour with . brac, so we’ve been making clothes and HM Is ‘skipped’ a more polite way of set designs for a few years. saying dropped out? I often joke that the only proper way to finish a Fine Unsurprisingly, you expanded into Arts degree is to drop out. It wasn’t a fashion, launching your capsule difficult decision to leave uni to travel range ‘Client Liaison Deluxe Line’ the world and play with one of my to stellar acclaim at Mercedes-Benz favourite artists. Fashion Week 2018 in . Your clothes seem multi-occasional in that But art school was not a total write- you could go from runway to pub to off. Your penchant for creating stakeholder meeting. What would you nuanced, translative work seemed like the wearer to feel as they inhabit a to come from your tutor’s advice: dolphin-patched pullover or jumpsuit “If you know what you’re talking adorned with eskies and platypuses? about exactly, don’t make an artwork – MM Because we’re from – write an essay.” where you dress for every season every HM Client Liaison Champagne Affection My tutor’s comment stuck day – our clothes don’t adhere to Photo: Monique Malone with me, and as you can imagine, particular seasons. So, we believe that what you wear is your self-belief, your mojo. I hope people can put on our clothes and feel invincible. Moreover, I want them to feel the groove within.

How did you and Kirsty Barros, who styles your stage costumes and music video sets, brew up these designs? MM Our ideas mostly stem from aspirational conversations, and finding clothes and images from op-shops, coffee-table books and Prince forums. We flesh out colours and motifs that resonate with us, and dream them up into fun and ridiculous scopes – like our philosophical concept A Day At The Pokies. Kirsty made our first capsule range a reality with her eclectic ideas. HM Kirsty has a real knack for naming our outfits things like Outback Gigolo and Rhinestone Australiana. MM Also, Sophie Gill co-designed our recent range Champagne Affection, and not only have we learnt so much from her fashion know-how, but she also brought our world to life in a fun and timeless way.

You recently toured your Aussie- flavoured festival Expo Liaison, a collision of local music, fashion and

leisurely hobbies. What propelled this? Client Liaison Deluxe Line Client Liaison Deluxe Line MM Photo: Lucas Dawson Photo: Jordan Drysdale For us, there’s something magical about creating a multisensory world

72 73 Client Liaison Campaign Image with its own philosophy and narrative. that people can enjoy Client Liaison Photo: Monique Malone At its core, music is an experience, on multiple levels or for just one aspect and we wanted to curate that alone. In the end, our work has a spirit experience beyond the confines of of fun, and that’s definitely reflected in one venue. We created a wonderland our audience. for Expo Liaison, and all the hard work was worth it once we saw people What’s next – or rather, what’s on the diving into the day, sinking Foster’s, sun-kissed horizon, for the Client buying our clothes, and enjoying the Liaison empire? woodchop sessions and ice sculpture MM I want to expand our website displays. It was also incredible to into a multiverse of experiences, headline the tour with my childhood although I’m not sure if people hero John Farnham. We learnt a lot would actually visit it. from his swagger, mic technique HM What about financial products? and extremely pleasant demeanour. MM Actually, financial products He holds so much contagious awe is a much better idea. and power onstage – we’ve never clientliaison.com heard a crowd cheer so furiously. clientliaison.fashion

Do you encounter much crossover between fans who dig your music, attend your live gigs, and consume your fashion? MM We’re lucky to have extracurricular activities within our music practice, so we like the idea of someone in Europe wearing a T-shirt with our faces on the front, without any knowledge of who we are. We also had a great time picking people up around Australia in our Off White Limousine car during our Diplomatic Immunity tour. We like

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