Johnny Franck - Bilmuri 'I've Got The Same Vibe As Most Australians'

Sometimes cultural significance happens in a flash- a brief moment solidifying one’s presence in a reality for eternity - but it is a moment that can leave just as quickly as it arrives. It takes talent to remain ever present and consistently important. There is no better example of this reigning significance than the enigma that is Johnny Franck. 

Years of knowledge, growth, and unbridled self-expression have culminated in Bilmuri’s finest release yet, American Motor Sports. Seamlessly blending elements of metalcore with that fine country twang, needling in heartfelt sentiment between gamer jokes and Ohio memes - it seems as though Franck could not get any more unhinged.

But the reception globally has proven, he simply could not have conjured a more perfect recipe.

After wowing crowds across the world and selling out shows throughout the UK, it was then time for Bilmuri to show Australia what they were made of - and we head the chance to sit down with Johnny at Sony HQ in Sydney to chat with the pioneer himself about everything that makes this band so utterly insane (in the best way possible). 

Watch the video or read some highlights from the chat below!  

It was already monumental to see all the shows take off in the UK the way they did. They all sold out so quickly! This is a trend that hasn't stopped. This entire Australian leg has either sold out or has been heavily upgraded venue-wise. What is it like to see this demand lingering from country to country?

‍I feel like I really deserve it. No, I'm kidding. I feel like, yeah, this should happen. No, it's amazing, dude. I was telling my booking agent, he called me the night before [we booked it] and he was like, “Are we doing something stupid”? And I was like, “I think it's going to be okay”. And to see how it's sold out, it's just been unreal. I mean, we were all texting each other like, “This is sold out. It's been 10 minutes. Do we upgrade”? And then we upgraded. This is sold out.

So honestly, it's been incredible. Australians are just a bunch of bros, dude. It's just a country full of bros. I love it. I feel like I've got basically the same general vibe as most Australians.

‍Now, Bilmuri isn't a new spectacle. You have... Well, you've been around since the dawn of time, also known as 2016, experimenting and grinding away. It seems as though AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS is where people have really collected themselves with you. What do you think was different about this album that saw people drawn to this?

‍It was better music! Yeah. No, I think I did a lot of searching through the Bilmuri catalogue and seeing what makes it special and what is just nonsense that I'm adding in that doesn't really matter. And I got rid of all the nonsense and really focused on making the simple things as quality as possible. So a lot of the ways that I wrote the music was, usually I would write a mid-song, and then I would I'd add the most insane production and be like, “Yeah, it's good”. But I was like, “Okay, if the song is great with just drum, guitar, and vocals, then it'll be great no matter what else I put on it”! I really focused on that, making sure that just with the guitar, it's good. Then, after that's good, we add all the other stuff.

‍In saying all that, at the time of recording, did you have a little bit of a hunch that maybe this was going to be the one?

‍No! Because for the last record, I was like, “This is the one that's going to take me to the top”! It just didn't do what I wanted it to. I feel like in a great way, I approached MOTOR SPORTS from a lot more of a humble heart and was just like, “I'm going to try everything I can do in my power to make the very best music that I can. And wherever it ends up is wherever it ends up”.

And I'm really grateful that it did end up where it did. But I wasn't trying to make it to the top, I was really just focused on the work, and I think that's what makes it great.

‍Going back a little bit, Bilmuri opened for Sleep Token. Sleep Token is, of course, this group of masked, mysterious men, and then Bilmuri, is like a highlighter personified. What was it like bringing your eccentricness to a crowd that's used to darkness and mysteriousness? Was it a bit scary getting up on that stage?

‍It was scary just because of how many people it was. It was insane. I'd never played anything like that in my life. It was funny.

By the end, I was used to playing in front of 15,000 people, which is insane because before that tour, I would have been afraid to play in front of 2,000 people. So that was good.

I think that the juxtapositions of the band made it satisfying because I feel like if we were throwing the same pitch as they were, you don't want to watch the same... I don't want to eat the same flavour of ice cream multiple times. Get a little variation up in there! Make it sound... Or make it enjoyable for people, some humour, and then the darkness.

We eagerly anticipate the antics that will follow on from this monumental first trip down under.

Interview by Georgia Haskins @haskins2002