Pro-beard quartet grow international following

Nathaniel Beard from the Beards talks about their upcoming gig at the White Star Hotel on April 21, as part of their Farwell Tour.

Tell me about the Beards.

We're a beard-related activist rock band from Adelaide that only plays songs about beards.

We formed 11 years ago with the express purpose of standing up for the rights of bearded people everywhere.

What have you been up to lately with your performing and music?

Since forming in 2005, we've written and released four studio albums consisting of nothing but original songs about beards.

We've spent the last six years relentlessly touring around the world, spreading our pro-beard message throughout Australia, Europe and America and convincing thousands of people to grow a beard.

We're pretty close to achieving what we set out to achieve through music, so we've decided to do one final tour before we turn our attention to the non-musical propagation of beards.

Can you tell us what that will that involve?

I can't say too much, but it will most likely involve starting some kind of organised religion; starting some kind of armed military unit; or possibly moving into the realm of children's entertainment.

We haven't quite decided yet, but whatever we do, you better believe it's going to pertain heavily to beards.

Achievements or highlights as a band?

Some of our highlights would be playing at the opening ceremony of the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Alaska, making it into Triple J's Hottest 100, performing to beard-loving crowds all over the world and, of course, growing excellent beards.

This is the band's second time in Albany. What do you think of our crowds?

We've only had the chance to play in Albany once before, and it was bloody awesome.

We were really impressed with how into it and responsive the audience was ... although I think some of them may have been intoxicated.

What can the audience expect to see at the gig?

This time around, we'll be playing two sets of our very finest beard-related propaganda rock.

We'll start with an intimate, stripped-back acoustic set, and then we'll launch into a high-octane, no-holds-barred frenzy of unbridled beard enthusiasm.

Expect to touch each other's beards, expect to see fake beards on the faces of the beardless, and expect to leave at the end of the night feeling more pro-beard than you've ever felt in your life.

Why do you enjoy performing?

For us, it's really about doing more than just getting up on stage and playing our songs.

It's about literally connecting with the crowd.

We like to cultivate a triumphant atmosphere so that for a couple of hours, everyone can forget about their problems and focus on what really matters - having a beard.

This is your farewell tour. How and why did the decision come about to hit the brakes?

Basically, we want to take our hardline, pro-beard attitude to places that live performance cannot, but not before we give Aussie audiences one last chance to feel the beard love.

What advice do you have for residents of Albany?

At all costs, have a beard.