Interview by Kris Peters
Brisbane funk metallers Osaka Punch have been strangely quiet of late.
Not quiet in the sense they have done nothing, but more so quiet in terms of their usual prolific output and touring schedule.
Towards the back end of last year the band made their first trek outside of their home state since 2019 with a run of shows supporting Sunk Loto on their reunion tour, but aside from that fans were left lamenting the lack of fresh material from a band who promised so much with the release of Drones and Hall Of Shame that same year.
With The Other Festival returning next weekend at its new home at The Tivoli in Brisbane, Osaka Punch once more reunite with headliners COG and a string of rising local stars for a one day celebration of everything that is musically good in this country.
Guitarist Chrispy sat down with HEAVY recently to face the music on what has been happening with the band and their appearance at The Other Festival.
"First and foremost we're all massive fans of COG and have been for years and years," he offered. "We're always humbled when we get invited to play. I think we did a tour with them in 2019 which was great and that was our first experience being able to support them and it went really well. Obviously they were happy to have us along for the first Other Festival."
Osaka Punch have always prided themselves on their relationship with their fans, especially in the live arena, which must have made the last couple of years where they have been stuck in QLD that much harder to bear.
"It definitely...," he measured. "Prior to everything leading up to 2019 we did quite a few interstate shows and we always tried to make it a priority. We're really trying to build a fan base outside of Queensland and it was starting to take shape, which was nice. Luckily quite a few fans from other states have connected with us still and we are always getting requests to make our way back down to Adelaide and Melbourne and Sydney again. We're planning to do that this year very soon."
In the full interview, Chrispy talks more about The Other Festival and what fans can expect from their set, the tour with Sunk Loto, new music and when we can expect, what to expect from the new tracks, what has changed in the band since their last appearance at The Other Festival in 2021, his stint as a DJ at the festival and more.