Friday, 9 September sees the long-awaited return of Adelaide juggernaut The Mark of Cain, detonating on our doorstep as part of a national tour celebrating their recent induction into the South Australian Music Hall Of Fame.

The band (consisting of founding members John Scott and his brother Kim, together with touring drummer Eli Green) were last on the Gold Coast back in 2014 as they traversed the nation commemorating their 30 year anniversary as one of this countries most revered heavy rock acts. 

Whilst not the most prolific of artists when it comes to recorded output, the band are renowned for their consistently blistering live performances and this tour promises to blow the cobwebs off their recent Covid-induced hiatus.

In the lead up we reached out to front man and guitarist John Scott to find out what the band have in store on this current run of shows.

Congratulations on being inducted into the SA Hall Of Fame recently! What was the atmosphere like at the show at The Gov in Adelaide on 19 August, when you received your award and performed in front of a sold-out crowd – it must have been a special (and somewhat surreal) moment to join the roll call of SA music illuminati as relative outsiders to the musical mainstream!?

Thanks – it was a great show – felt very much like attending a function with old friends, a very warm and enthusiastic welcoming. The induction itself was surreal to be honest, a recognition I think of the hard work we have done over 38 years as band in Adelaide, never compromising. Of all the bands in the SA Hall Of Fame I think we have the least tuneful songs, so that's special in itself.

It's been eight years since your last visit to the Gold Coast, as part of your 30th anniversary tour. What can we expect from the band this time around – any new material working its way into the set?

This is the culmination of the Hall Of Fame celebration so we are playing a cross section of songs spanning each album from Battlesick through to Songs of the Third and Fifth. No new material at this stage.

Prior to Covid you did a run of shows commemorating your first album, 'Battlesick'. Any plans to do a similar thing for subsequent records 'The Unclaimed Prize' or 'Ill At Ease'?

Yes, 2019 was the celebration of 30 years for 'Battlesick' which we did with our friends the Messthetics. I think we skipped the 'Unclaimed Prize', although it definitely is a well underrated album if I say so myself. 'Ill At Ease' was intended to occur in 2020 to celebrate 25 years since release its release in 1995 however Covid got in the way. The intention is to do 'Ill At Ease' in 2023 .. I guess it's the belated 25th anniversary.

You've billed this tour as 'A Different Kind Of Tension', in homage to Buzzcocks and their fabulous third album. In addition to the muscular riffage element to The Mark Of Cain, would it be fair to say that the tension of punk/post punk (and the tautness and uncompromising nature of acts such as Wire) seems to be an influence on the band that is perhaps a little undersold in comparison to the more obvious hard rock angle?

The use of hard rock as a classification of genre is easier I think for people to glean an understanding of what we might be, and does suit us. But we definitely come from that cut of cloth that sits more with the ethics that underlines the uncompromising nature of some of those bands. The whole DIY nature of punk appealed to us and of course the hardcore influence from the US bands like Black Flag, Big Black from Chicago, The Rollins Band - all very much take no shit, do it your way sort of bands.

The Buzzcocks homage was mainly as a result reading "Ever Fallen in Love: The Lost Buzzcocks Tapes" and the idea originally was "Another Music in a Different City" tour (a play on Another Music of a Different Kitchen, Buzzcocks first album). Kim replied (add some dripping sarcasm) "You mean the same music in the same cities" – so we moved to "A Different Kind of Tension" which was very applicable given Covid and the bullshit everyone dealt with, the lines of division that occurred etc.

You guys are rapidly closing in on 40 years in the bizz, which is an iconic achievement! On the outside it would seem that balance is a key component of your longevity. Is keeping the band (semi) active becoming more challenging over time, or have you guys just about nailed the band/work/regular life formula?

To be honest we are not very active as far as rehearsing – we didn't rehearse during those two years of Covid (basically 2020 through 2022.) Those two years seem like they went by in a flash as we all lurched from one fucked up Covid scenario to another - like we all collectively lost two years. 

We started rehearsing for this tour a couple of months back and I was amazed at how tight we were from the get-go. Life and work is a balance I guess we all have though, and we do this when we want to, not because we need to, as it's never been an economic driver for us. I'd rather us finish and never produce another record than put out something sub-standard because the bills need paying. But that is a balance anyone who does music full time needs to deal with, it's something we have never had to ponder fortunately. No compromise because we play when we want to and release when we are ready.

The mighty Mark Of Cain and their ‘no compromise’ violent soul music will be unleashed with brutal panache on Friday, 9 September at the Miami Marketta. Tickets are available here.