Byron Bay music machines COG have never been a band to be dictated to.
Whether it be for new material or live shows, the trio have never let external pressures dictate terms, instead adopting a more DIY, casual attitude that has been one of the cornerstones of their success.
They don't make albums for the sake of it, nor head out on the road because they feel obligated or pressured to. Which is why when you see or hear that the progressive metal trio have announced a run of shows, you just know there's a reason for it. And that the shows will be to their usual massively high standard.
A point that was proven when the band announced The Vinyl Tour earlier this year, as fans filled rooms to capacity, not only to see COG live, but also to get their hands on the very reason the tour was announced in the first place.
The long awaited vinyl pressings of two COG albums The New Normal and Sharing Space.
It's too long of a story to go into as to why the vinyl albums were not made available to fans a long time ago, but, as they say, good things are worth waiting for. Especially when the mighty COG hit the road to take the new vinyl to the fans.
After a small run of shows in March of this year COG retreated to the sanctity of their respective homes away from music, refreshing the batteries for round two of The Vinyl Tour which sees the band starting a fresh run of shows in Victoria on October 4 before hitting Byron Bay and Western Australia and finishing in Sydney on November 29. It is a well-spaced out and comfortable run of shows, but by the time it draws to an end, COG would have covered the vast majority of their fan base with a much-anticipated piece of music to promote.
HEAVY caught up with drummer Lucius Borich recently to find out more about leg two of the tour.
"Yeah, definitely," he nodded when we ask if the band are itching to get back out on the road. "There was definitely a bit of hoo-ha with the DM's from people saying 'why aren't you coming to WA or why aren't you coming here', so it definitely made sense when we had the right timing between the three of us and the crew to launch the next part of it, so it worked out pretty well."
COG have already hit South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT earlier this year, with Borich smiling when we ask how the shows were received.
"Really good. It was really great," he enthused. "Between the three of us, obviously it was based more around Sharing Space and The New Normal and it really felt… I guess obviously with the people that came to the shows as well, it felt very… almost like we were re-releasing that music to some degree. Which we were because we were doing it on vinyl. But it just had an air about it where everyone was excited and romantically reminiscing about when those albums came out, and we got together and created a good little vibe in the room together, playing and all the rest of it. And it was very similar. It had that air to it which was really good. And we don't play too much, as much as we'd probably like, but everyone seems happily stoked about what happened and so were we. It was really good fun."
In the full interview, Lucius discussed COG's upcoming shows, which will be based around the albums Sharing Space and The New Normal. He mentioned that the shows will have a similar set list to their previous performances, which were well-received. Lucius emphasized that the band's focus is on the music, with minimal emphasis on bells and whistles. He also shared that touring still appeals to him, as it allows them to explore new venues and environments, plus lots more.