Unashamed Aussies

Belying some of the darker clichés about bands on the road, the most likely outcome of hanging out with Compliments of Gus on the road would be a sweaty afternoon playing cricket in the outdoor car park of their hotel, laughs when they lose the key to their transit van, and lots of humorous conversation when fans accost them in the street to sign autographs.

This doesn’t make Melbourne band Compliments of Gus dull, just very normal.

The band long ago conquered their home town, pulling huge crowds just by snapping their fingers. Breaking through to the rest of Australia is slow—but it is happening.

Lead singer Justin Michael says it’s hard to figure out why the appeal of the band has been so strong in Melbourne and the big Christian music festivals, but sporadic elsewhere. “Maybe people just have to come and see us live,” Justin suggests.

No matter the reason, one thing’s for sure—there’s a lack of pretension about Compliments of Gus. “We’re not particularly concerned with what people’s perceptions of Christian music might be,” says keyboardist Jared Haschek. ”The music speaks for itself within the context of a fun night out.” “We are just a bunch of best friends playing some good songs; hopefully it’s something that people enjoy,” says the band’s bassist, Rebecca, Jared’s wife.

Drummer Matt Young, usually a man of few words, pipes up, “One of the positive responses to the band’s new CD [ If This Is the End . . . ] from fans who’ve gone out and bought it is the strength of the message.

The songwriting on this album is much stronger than on our previous releases .

. . perhaps taking five years off between albums wasn’t such a bad thing!” In their own way, Compliments of Gus sings of saints and sinners. They absorb and salvage hope from confusion, compassion from grief and worship from pain. In many ways, they capture the mood of the moment—“Don’t worry, be happy”—with precision. But it might be fairer to say they have their finger on the pulse of today’s youth and religious conservatism.

Either way, Compliments of Gus’s performances are spontaneous explosions of fun and adlibs. And no two shows are ever the same.

Recording is much the same. No lead vocal take is ever an exact replica of the one before, and each new day in the studio presents a whole new palette of sonic ideas. Spending 12 months on the new album gave producers Gavin Chan and Haschek an opportunity to harness the hundreds of ideas into a cohesive form, while still maintaining the freshness the band is renowned for live.

Right now, Compliments of Gus can still walk around streets and churches without attracting much attention. While it’s not unusual to be stopped in a church or a shopping centre for an autograph, it will be a long time yet before they’ll be mobbed every time they go somewhere, or need security guards at auditoriums.

But Justin is sure that with the release of If This Is the End . . . they’ve got the door open and they’ll continue to build.

They’re expecting big things with their new radio song “Not ashamed,” a cover of the Newsboys’ classic.

“A hit single’s not going to change our lives or our values,” Jared comments.

“After all, the song’s about not being ashamed of who we are as Christians,” Rebecca says pointedly.

“And at the heart of it, that’s why Compliments of Gus does what it does,” she adds as the group heads to the van, before readying itself for a sound check and tonight’s show.