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All the latest music interviews from the team at HEAVY Magazine. HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music. We will...
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All the latest music interviews from the team at HEAVY Magazine.
HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music.
We will upload the latest interviews regularly so before to follow our social accounts and our podcast account on www.speaker.com/user/heavy
show less
HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music.
We will upload the latest interviews regularly so before to follow our social accounts and our podcast account on www.speaker.com/user/heavy
HEAVY Music Interviews
HEAVY Music Interviews
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7 SEP 2024 · Dynamic rock outfit HER have been steadily building a name for themselves on the Australian music scene, with their infectious blending of rock and blues-infused grunge goodness finally getting the band national recognition following the release of their latest EP, Toe Rag.
With members having played with and shared stages with the likes of The Screaming Jets, Keith Richards, Divinyls and Billy Thorpe, HER most certainly have the pedigree for a career in rock, they just need the exposure.
Which comes next weekend in the form of the Mitchell Creek Blues and Rock Festival, where HER have been given the honour of closing out the three day festival on September 15. Undoubtedly the heaviest act of the 120 artists asked to perform, HER are flying the flag for harder-edged music, and do so with pride and enthusiasm.
HEAVY caught up with vocalist Mish Davie and bass player Jerome Smith to find out more.
"It just came out of the blue," Davie enthused about the opportunity to close Mitchell Creek. "I was contemplating where are we going? What are we doing with this band? It's such hard work, and I was really having a downer to the point of thinking I don't even know if it's worth keeping this band going. And then the phone rang, and it was Jimmy, and he said 'hey Mish how would you like to come and play at a festival I organise?' So it was totally out of the blue but he said he had been listening to us for a while, and he was really drawn to the single The Truth, and that's basically how it happened."
Part of HER's appeal comes in the fact that they are continually pushing their musical boundaries in an attempt to break free from the mould of being another in a long line of run-of-the-mill rock bands that are a dime a dozen in music.
"It's such a process," Davie explains of HER's overall sound. "For me personally, I collaborate still with my old guitarist. We've got so much stuff on the shelf we have yet to release, so that has been interesting bringing that in. When I first started this band six years ago, that was all the songs I had with my back catalogue. That first album was quite eclectic. Including Jerome, there's four drummers on the first album, so it was all hired guns. Now it's been 18 months to two years with this line-up, and Mark McLeod (drums) is now on board, and he has a really distinct style, so that's been interesting melding that into what we do with the kind of stoner rock and slower, bluesy rock stuff. It's really amped up the style and pushed it - because Mark is quite a metal player - and he has pushed what we do heavier. But what has happened with Nelson (guitar), Jerome and Christian (guitar) as well is all of us write. It's just so good to get together with a creative and talented group of people who, in their own right, all write music and have their own style."
In the full interview Mish and Jerome talk more about the sound of HER and how it came about, their upcoming show at Mitchell Creek Blues And Rock Fest and what it means to them and their music, what to expect live from HER, the EP Toe Tag and how it was received, pushing their limits musically, finding the balance of genres in the writing and recording stage and more.
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5 SEP 2024 · Interview by Kris Peters,
After managing to steer clear of this side of the world since 2016, North Carolina stoner/sludge/doom outfit Weedeater have declared 2024 the year of the Weed as they prepare to traverse Australia with their good mates King Parrot for the When The Weed Meets The Speed Australian Tour kicking off on November 6.
No strangers to touring overseas together - as recent as last US Summer and as far back as 2015 - this will be the two band's first tour of this country together in what promises to be an entertaining, energy charged and musically brutal run of shows. While polar opposites of the musical spectrum, Weedeater and King Parrot connect where it matters. Live, loud, and in front of an audience.
Just to make sure the needle of chaos pushes into the red, Astrodeath and Choof will join the party as the bands play 11 shows in 12 days from one side of the country to the other.
HEAVY spent some time with Weedeater for a chat ahead of the tour, starting with why the boys have neglected Australian fans for the last eight years.
"We're not attempting to neglect you," they assured. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but it's kind of far away from where we live (laughs). We love Australia. We've always had a good time there, but it's not easy to get there, and it costs a lot of money to do so. It's a big pain in the ass, but when we get there, we have a damn good time. I would love to ask you a question. Why have you not come to North Carolina and visited me?"
One point Weedeater. Zero points HEAVY.
In the full interview we discuss what to expect from Weedeater's shows, their friendship with King Parrot, some tales from the road, their brand of hot sauce and if any will be making its way Down Under, the term 'sludge-toned tar-heels’ and what it means, new music, three songs to listen to in order to know the band better, future plans and more.
KING PARROT + WEEDEATER + ASTRODEATH + CHOOF
“WHEN THE WEED MEETS THE SPEED” AUSTRALIAN TOUR, NOVEMBER 2024
Wednesday, November 6th - Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, Gold Coast QLD
Thursday, November 7th - The Triffid, Brisbane QLD
Friday, November 8th - King Street Warehouse, Newcastle, NSW
Saturday, November 9th - Manning Bar, Sydney, NSW
Sunday, November 10th - The Basement, Canberra ACT
Tuesday, November 12th - Volta, Ballarat VIC
Wednesday, November 13th – Barwon Club, Geelong VIC
Thursday, November 14th – Singing Bird, Frankston VIC (All Ages)
Friday, November 15th – Max Watts, Melbourne VIC
Saturday, November 16th – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide, SA
Sunday, November 17th – Magnet House, Perth, WA
Tickets on sale now: www.kingparrot.oztix.com.au
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3 SEP 2024 · Interview by Kris Peters
Less Than Jake have played a massive role in the continued success of ska-infused punk since first bursting onto the scene in 1992.
While their first two albums Pezcore and Losing Streak laid the platform for Less Than Jake, it was their 1998 album Hello Rockview that solidified their growing stature and propelled them from a band with great potential to a great band and fuck the potential. Featuring the huge tracks All My Best Friends Are Metalheads - which is closing in on 60 million spins - and History Of A Boring Town, Hello Rockview is the soundtrack to many a late Gen X or young Millennial youth.
Known and loved the world over for their scintillating live performances, Australian audiences are about to receive their first visit from Less Than Jake in seven years when the band celebrates that milestone album this October and November with the Hello Rockview Tour Down Under.
Not only will the ska legends be playing Hello Rockview in full, they will also be dragging The Bennies and Young Offenders around the countryside in a triple bill of excitement that should make up for lost time.
HEAVY sat down with Less Than Jake vocalist/guitarist Chris Demakes to find out more, starting with why the band have neglected us out here for so long.
"Oh, geez," he smiled. "So, seven years by my account… was it 2016? Was that the last time we were there? I think it might have been 2017… shortly thereafter - because for a while there we were trying to get down to Australia every two to three years - four years tops - we'd try and get back down there for at least a festival or our own tour or something. Then of course we lost about two years with the pandemic, and now here we are. It took bands a minute - not to make excuses - but it took them out of the pandemic a second to start travelling overseas. We're glad to be back, and we hope it's not anywhere near as long next time."
In the full interview, Chris talks about the tour and what to expect, playing Hello Rockview in full, difficulties they encountered translating the full album to stage, revisiting some of the older songs and the memories it brought back, why people connected with that album, the Hotter Than Hell shows as part of the tour, how much practice goes into Less Than Jake's live shows, compensating for an ageing body on tour, their latest single Broken Words, if it is part of a new album cycle and more.
Transcribed
30 AUG 2024 · Interview by Kris Peters
British rock outfit Boston Manor are gearing up for the release of their new album, Sundiver, which will hit the airwaves on September 6.
Celebrating new beginnings, second chances and rebirth, Sundiver is the next chapter of a story that began with the 2022 album Datura, but, unlike the bleaker undertones of that record, Sundiver sees things through more rose-coloured glasses.
The culmination of two years work and four years of planning, Boston Manor always knew going into the pandemic that their next record would be a double album released in two parts: the first, a shadowy-noir electronic record conceptually set over one night (Datura) and a second sprawling rock record that documents the following day (Sundiver).
The fact that the album has already spawned four successful singles is a fair indication of the quality of the material, with Container, Sliding Doors, Heat Me Up and Horses In A Dream all providing a glimpse into the musical majesty Boston Manor have created.
HEAVY sat down with frontman Henry Cox to find out more.
"We've been working on this record for four years, really," he measured. "It's crazy to think about, so it's pretty surreal to have it coming out there in the world. I'm excited to hear what people think of it."
We ask if he is feeling anxious, nervous or keen to get it out there with the release so close after so much work.
"Kind of a mix of all three, to be honest with you," he smiled. "It's weird having sat on a record for so long. I've not done that before. Usually six months or whatever you get into the whole rollout thing, but with this one we've had an early version of the mixes for almost a year now, so we've been sitting with it for a minute. I'm happy to say that we're not bored of it yet. We really enjoy listening to this record. I am quite keen to just get it out there. We just started playing some of the songs of the record live which is really refreshing and super fun. It's obviously part of a double album concept with our previous record, so we put a lot into that, so I'm keen to just let people hear it.'
Transcribed
30 AUG 2024 · Earlier this year Melbourne rock outfit Cicadastone released their third album, Future Echoes.
An album that typified Cicadastone's sound, Future Echoes was also the band's first album under new label XMusic and solidified Cicadastone's reputation as a musical star on the rise.
Creating a hybrid of rock and grunge that is accentuated by a fresh, modern approach, Cicadastone's music has always been ideal for both a full-blown rock assault and the quiet strains of acoustic, so, with the blessing of their label, the band decided to strip back a selection of tracks from Future Echoes and compile them into an easily digestible acoustic EP that was unleashed on the public today.
Frontman Mat Robins sat down for a chat with HEAVY to tell us more.
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30 AUG 2024 · Coheed & Cambria are possibly one of the most important bands to emerge in this generation.
Essentially a progressive metal outfit, Coheed & Cambria are also a fully immersive sonic beacon of hope in a world that is too often void of such feelings.
While musically the New York based prog rock icons sing about lands and situations that are bathed in darkness, it is their approach to music and life in general that has seen Coheed & Cambria intertwine themselves into the ears and lives of anyone close enough to be touched by their energy.
Over the course of ten albums since the turn of the century, Coheed & Cambria have brought new light to an increasingly stale genre, and, more importantly, done so of their own volition.
Now, after an eight-year absence, Coheed & Cambria are readying to make their way back to Australia as part of the massive Monolith Festival, starting in Brisbane on November 2. Monolith features a truly international assortment of bands from differing backgrounds, with fellow American outfit Periphery joining Norwegian prog rockers Leprous, Canadian instrumentalists Intervals, French metalcore dynamos Novelists and Melbourne music machine Silver Fang rounding out the bill.
As a special treat, Coheed & Cambria will be playing their third album Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through Madness in full to celebrate last year's 25th anniversary of their most successful release to date. Frontman Claudio Sanchez will also be hosting a special question and answer panel called Celebrating 20 Years Of The Amory Wars: The Past, Present And Future where he will be discussing the band's long-running series of comics and graphic novels.
HEAVY caught up Sanchez earlier today, fresh off stage from a show with Incubus.
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28 AUG 2024 · Sydney punk reprobates FANGZ are in the thick of things of late. They just recently finished a massive national run as support to Cancer Bats, and have been busying themselves with releasing new music and generally making life a party wherever they go.
True Aussie legends in their own right, FANGZ are a fresh band with an old-school mentality. They play hard and party harder without pause for reflection or decision.
That hypothesis will be put to the test this weekend when FANGZ set out to do the almost impossible.
A 24-hour East Coast tour.
Let that sink in. FANGZ are planning a WHOLE East Coast tour in the same amount of time it allegedly takes the sun to do a lap of the Earth. Starting at the Cherry Bar in Melbourne as Friday night rolls into Saturday morning - so August 31 - the boys then travel to Sydney for a show at Bootleggers precisely 12 hours later and finish up at Greaser in Brisbane before the clock strikes midnight, thus completing an East Coast tour in 24 hours.
It sounds too much of an effort to even think about, let alone attempt to pull off, so HEAVY tracked down frontman Joshua Cottreau to see how serious this whole thing is.
"What do you think?" Cottreau fires back at me when I ask if it is even possible. "It doesn't make sense to NOT try and do that," he laughed. "You know us by now. I'd put more in if I could. I don't think it's that unreasonable. The only thing, obviously, is flights because we're on a tight schedule. As long as everything goes according to plan, it should be sweet. We're really stoked. I think it's a pretty insane idea, but I don't really know anyone else who's done it (laughs). You've gotta go for it, right?"
In the full interview, Joshua talks more about the 24 hour East Coast tour, the new track Same Old Story and its nostalgic video, their style of music and why it is so infectious, gives us the scoop on a new - debut - album, their musical growth over the course of three EP's, the upcoming Froth & Fury festival and more.
28 AUG 2024 · Interview by Kris Peters
Brisbane, it's that time of year again!
The annual celebration of music that is BigSound is just around the corner, with the music event that stops the nation set down for the Fortitude Valley from September 3 to 6.
It is difficult to comprehend the vast array of benefits BigSound has for artists, music lovers and music industry people, but with a selection of live music, workshops, speakers, showcases and a range of other activities, one thing you can be sure of is getting your absolute fill of music.
While recognising the achievements and status of established performers, BigSound also invites up and comers to join festivities, giving many young and hopeful bands an opportunity to not only showcase their music, but also make connections that could ultimately prove valuable for their future career in music.
One of those bands is Central Coast trio Muzzle, who will be making their first visit to Brisbane and playing their songs to an established audience with a common love of music.
HEAVY caught up with Isaac Wasiliev from the band to find out more.
We spoke about their two showcase performances at Tomcat on September 3 and Ric's Backyard on September 5, what people can expect from their show, what they hope to come out of the BigSound experience with, where Muzzle came from and how they have been shaped into the band they are today, adding your own DNA to original music, three songs to listen to in order to know what to expect, their upcoming EP and more.
BIGSOUND MUSIC FESTIVAL tix and delegate passes on sale now: www.bigsound.org.au
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27 AUG 2024 · Interview by Kris Peters
Good Things Festival is back for another year, and that can only mean one thing.
More world class live acts!
Featuring the likes of KORN, Kerry King, SUM 41, Billy Corgan, Electric Callboy, Mastodon, Jet, The Gaslight Anthem and more, GT24 is already shaping up as an absolute cracker. But, of course, one of the best things about large music festivals is the opportunity to discover new bands. Because if they weren't good, they wouldn't have made the cut, right?
For Good Things 2024 one of those bands who will definitely be on people's radar is Swedish metal outfit Imminence who, despite being around for more than a decade, have never made it to our side of the world.
Imminence have made a huge impact on the music world pretty much everywhere else, with their latest album The Black cementing their status as one of the bands to watch anywhere and everywhere they play. HEAVY caught up with vocalist/violin player Eddie Berg to find out more.
"It's always about getting the formal invitation you have been waiting for," he laughed when asked why Imminence have neglected Australia for so long.
We bring up the fact that organisers must have extreme faith in the band to bring them out without an established market, to which Eddie nods in agreement.
"Absolutely," he affirmed. "I think we'll come in cold," he added when asked how much preparation the band will do on what to expect when they get here. "We already have some people there that we're friends with through the internet, so it's gonna be great to finally see them. I think that we should just go in there with an open mind and see what it's like."
In the full interview we talk about some of the other bands playing, what Imminence are expecting from Australian audiences, what we should expect from them, three songs for people to listen to in order to know the band better, the early days of Imminence while he was still in high school, his early attitude towards making a career out of music, how he focussed on a career from a young age, the blending of Swedish metal with violin that forms the nucleus of Imminence's sound, how difficult it is in the creative process to infuse the opposing styles together and more.
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26 AUG 2024 · Interview by Kris Peters
After dropping two EP's in quick succession towards the end of the last decade, Melbourne indie-punk outfit Dental Plan decided to take their time with their next release, putting into effect not only their music interests and pedigrees, but also their growing knowledge of their craft.
2021 saw Dental Plan return with the brutal single Hole In Me, which emphatically announced their re-emergence as a more polished unit. Landslide followed, and anticipation turned into expectation as Dental Plan announced their debut album Raw Nerve was incoming.
That album landed on July 19, affirming Dental Plan's growing status, opening the band up for a new range of opportunities that are finally coming to fruition.
HEAVY sat down with vocals/guitarist Niam Hegarty to find out more.
"It's been really good," he enthused of the reception Raw Nerve has received so far. "We've kind of got more streams than I expected and people seem to have been digging it. It's done what it needed to do, which I think is get the word about the band out there. We've been a band for a while, and this is our first record. A long time coming, but I'm looking forward to getting out to play some shows to support it."
In the full interview Niam discussed Raw Nerve more in terms of musical direction, how it represents Dental Plan's trajectory to date, what sorts of things are discussed going into a debut album, finding their sound and the balance between genres, how Raw Nerve differs to their self-titled EP, finding your musical identity, future plans and more.
Supporters Club
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15 SEP 2021 · The Hard-Ons are almost more Australian than Vegemite.
Almost.
For just shy of 40 years guitarist Blackie and bass player Ray Ahn have punked and rolled themselves into Australian music folklore with their blending of punk tempos, hardcore attitude, heavy metal riffs and surf-pop melodies, coupled with a dry and laconic sense of humour, catapulting them into the hearts and eardrums of generations of fans.
The recent announcement of You Am I frontman Tim Rogers to The Hard-Ons was met in some quarters with surprise, but most with excited anticipation, with the amalgamation of two of this countries most loved bands a recipe for success.
That anticipation was justified with the release of the bands first single with Rogers, Hold Tight, satiating long term fans and silencing the doubters with its fresh approach to The Hard-Ons sound without overhauling the finer points that endeared the band to many.
Rogers and Blackie joined HEAVY for a fun chat recently to discuss the next phase of the Australian juggernaut that is The Hard-Ons and their new album I‘m Sorry Sir, That Riffs Been Taken, which is out on October 8.
We start by welcoming Rogers to the band and asking how it came about.
"The call came - and I thought it was a wind up - but Ray's always been straight up with me," he began. "For thirty years he told me how bad we've been when we've been bad in my other band, and he's been so generous, so I decided to take it seriously and sobered up a bit and then drove up to Sydney and had two rehearsals and it was so much fun and terrifying. I've never rehearsed harder in any situation. "
"You found it terrifying, but fucken hell, it was a pleasure," Blackie cut in, laughing. "So your suffering was my pleasure (laughs)."
"I think I turned up the second rehearsal," Rogers continued, "and I was a bit more relaxed and had more fun because the band said 'hey Tim, why don't you just choose a set list' and I thought well, I've got a wishlist of about 97 songs and I whittled it down to about 20 something, and apart from songs on the record they were 95% songs from the last six records. My purpose at the moment is to get people that haven't heard those records to hear them, as well as the one we just recorded. After the initial terror, it was just joy. And the recording... I did all my vocals in a day and a half, and I was really shocked to find out that Pete and Ray and Murray had done the tracking similarly, like a day and a half, and I couldn't believe it. I thought this is like trying to cage a tiger or jump onto it."
In the full interview the chemistry of Tim and Blackie is evident as they bounce off each other, talking more about Tim joining the band, the upcoming album, why they chose Rogers as singer, how, if at all, The Hard-Ons will be different musically, humour in music and why it's important, what Tim brings to The Hard-Ons and more.
Supporters Club
30 SEP 2019 · Black Rheno are one of those bands that everybody should have heard but too many have not. They are a hard-working, hard-touring excitement machine and after introducing themselves to the world with their debut E.P Let's Start a Cult in 2016, are finally ready to unleash their first full-length album, with the appropriately titled Noise Smasher set for release on October 25
"We're ecstatic!" blurted drummer Dougy "We're very excited (laughs). There's a big tour coming up for it too but we've all been waiting for the right time to drop it and I think now is that time. Let's do it!"
After completing the album some time ago and with anticipation around the country now threatening to boil over, Dougy admits that sitting on the album before releasing it has been frustrating to say the least.
"Oh man, you have no idea," he laughed "It's been pretty crazy. The E.P came out a couple of years ago now and we've been sitting on this for a while waiting for the right time to bring it out. We have worked insanely hard on it. It's a good mix of everything. You've seen us play and I think its a good adaption of what we do live. We go crazy, we can make you dance and go nuts, and hopefully it all works out. Very excited is an understatement.
Musically Noise Smasher follows a similar path to the music on Let's Start a Cult, but Dougy says that for their second release Black Rheno tapped a little more into their personal influences - more subconsciously than thought out - with the resulting collection of music the definitive sound of a band at peace with their craft.
"Other artists talk about where most of their influences have come from - usually their personal favourite artists - but I have never really thought like that," he deliberated. "But when I think about it this album pretty much sounds like all of our individual favourite bands (laughs), with all those genres smashed into one. It's great. You wouldn't pick it but I'm an avid fan of most genres. I grew up with just death metal and that was it, but I'm also a big fan of the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss or stoner stuff, but fuck I also like Sting and The Police - there's nothing of that on the album of course (laughs) - but it's a big mix of different genres which is great. It's not just death metal, death metal, death metal. It can pick you up at some points and you get all groovy and start dancing, or you can start banging your fucken head and start smashing things if you like. There's something for the whole family if you will."
Tour Dates
Thursday 7th November
Badlands, Perth
Friday 8th November
Enigma, Adelaide
Saturday 9th November
Max Watts, Melbourne
Sunday 10th November
Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
Monday 11th November
The Basement, Canberra
Wednesday 13th November
The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Thursday 14th November
Crowbar, Sydney
Friday 15th November
Crowbar, Brisbane
All the latest music interviews from the team at HEAVY Magazine. HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music. We will...
show more
All the latest music interviews from the team at HEAVY Magazine.
HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music.
We will upload the latest interviews regularly so before to follow our social accounts and our podcast account on www.speaker.com/user/heavy
show less
HEAVY interviews the worlds leading rock, punk, metal and beyond musicians in the heavy universe of music.
We will upload the latest interviews regularly so before to follow our social accounts and our podcast account on www.speaker.com/user/heavy
Information
| Author | HEAVY Magazine |
| Organization | HEAVY Magazine |
| Categories | Music Interviews , Music Commentary , Entertainment News |
| Website | heavymag.com.au |
| kris@heavymag.com.au |
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