I was very young - very very young – and I tried something for the first time and it was at Big Day Out and Sound Garden were playing and it was meant to be the last Big Day Out ever and I was lying down on the grass watching Sound Garden and feeling [ahh] pretty good. laughs
Ideal Lineup? Wow this could take me days to go through – The Birthday Party, Scientists, The Drones, The Stabs who are a Melbourne band, Hungary Ghosts… I could go on for ever!
Fave artist you've seen at a Music Festival? Oh, when I was really really young, too young to be at a festival I got snuck in to Summersault Festival and saw Sonic You play… that was amazing!
Tips for attending a Music Festival? Stay out of the sun definitely! I’m a very very white man and at Big Day Out I got burnt just walking from our band tent to the stage… 30 seconds in the sun – so definitely slip slop slap!
If we were hanging with you and your band backstage, what would we be getting up to?
Games of twister in our underwear, limbo and pillow fights in slow motion with feathers everywhere. Nah, not really, we tend to be pretty tame back stage, we just like to have a drink and a chat to calm the nerves. You might find Jo trying to decide which floral shirt looks the best and Tom working through a few blues licks on the guitar to warm his fingers up.
If you could request anything on your rider what would it be?
Tom: A selection of cured Italian meats and cheeses. And bison grass vodka with cloudy apple juice and lime would be the drink of choice
Give one of your personal favourite bands a plug.
JUST ONE?? The Eagle and The Worm is a group of super Melbourne musos led by Jarrad Brown from Custom Kings. They are tight, the music is very well written, and their gigs are good times! Bean is largely unknown but is perhaps one of Melbourne’s best kept secrets. She’s a singer/songwriter with an amazing voice and really interesting songs. She also knows how to really rock out. The Box Rockets are awesome! They’re prolific giggers and always blow us away.
What's your most essential item to take on tour?
Lumber support. Sounds dull, but seriously, hours and hours or driving can give you a really sore back. We discovered that if you fill a 1.25L plastic bottle with water and place it behind your bum in your seat, the back pain disappears, incredible! We should patent that.
What's your secret talent?
The ability to make a perfect Risotto.
AND... Where are we best to stalk you: MySpace, Facebook or Twitter? Which one's updated the most?
Myspace is definitely best.
New Empire
Since their formation, the Sydney four-piece have constantly been experimenting and fusing different styles to create their original and powerful brand of music. New Empire's high energy and powerful live show combined with their heartfelt and honest music makes them one of Sydney's most popular new bands. Awoe magazine has described New Empire as "the essentials of the rock pop culture", and this is clearly echoed by thousands of music lovers across the country.
Forming in the late Summer of 2003, Euphoria Audio are a Rock/Popular band from Wakefield, UK. They have worked closely with producers Stuart Epps (Oasis, Robbie Williams, Jimmy Page) and Steve Levine (Culture Club, The Beach Boys), and most recently have recorded in Trondheim, Norway with Universals D-sign Music (Kylie Minogue, Joe Cocker).
In 2010 the band showcased at the Musexpo music conference in Los Angeles in front of world-wide delegates as well as a performance at the legendary Viper Room.
