Facts of REAL Life

Rip It Up, Issue 76, 1 November 1983, Page 14

Facts of REAL Life

Russell Brown

You've got to hand it to Real Life they're no mugs. They waited and waited for the right record contract to come along. When it came, they wrote a song expressly as a j single. That single, 'Send |Me An Angel' went Top Five inTtheirMß native Australia and all the way to Number One here.

They got together with the Rich Kids film company and planned out an impressive video for the song. It was decided the band should adopt a "winter look" for the clip, with warm wool and leather jackets. "It's important for a band to have something you can identify with," says drummer Danny Simcic, who replaced a drum machine in the band early last year. "We're not one of those bands without an image," he explains. Real Life now work with Sydney fashion designer Katie Pye who has been furnishing them with new outfits. "Our look will keep changing all

the time, like, it should, to keep ' people mystified. That's important we are a dance band, a fashion dance band. It all fits into a format so it's not like, real extreme." The band has just finished (recording its debut LP, Heartland. .The album was produced by Steve j Hillage (Simple Minds'.producer)jj The album features both the bands ! singles, 'Angel' (in a remixed version) and 'Open Hearted'. Simcic describes it as basically an album of up-tempo rock songs -"a mixture"of, the hard edge and softer ballads." "It's not an Australian sound, it's a very international sound." In keeping with that, Real Life will have records released in both the UK and the USA’ before , the, year is out. The British release of Angel' has been brought forward because the powers that be think it might be a good Christmas single. Angels Christmas, see?

All this for a band that recently played its first gig outside Australia supporting DD Smash at Carlaw Park recently. It might turn the heads of some bands? but' not Real Life. 1 have a feeling ■ they'll handle success very capably.