Stay Young

21 November 2014 | 1:13 pm | Michael Smith

In Hearts Wake defend their style of music: "[Hardcore is] not a drug- and alcohol-oriented genre at all."

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“You have to work twice as hard,” In Hearts Wake singer Jake Taylor admits of growing up in Byron Bay – a regional town with a population of 7000. “In this genre of music, it’s very hands on. You need to drive and in our case we didn’t have licences – we were too young, we were only 14 to 16 when we started – so we got in touch with the local bus companies and hired buses out and got friends to put in five dollars each so we’d be able to drive up to Brisbane to play.

“Byron Bay, with its population, you could only play a show every couple of months, but we were lucky enough to even have shows in Byron. How we’ve grown out of a small town and been able to do what we do and now be able to play in other small towns, I think that’s why Indent asked In Hearts Wake to be a part of this, ‘cause we’re a good representation – we know what regional touring’s all about and it’s something that’s important to us.”

“[Hardcore is] not a drug- and alcohol-oriented genre at all.”

 

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For readers unaware of what Indent is all about, as was Taylor before this invitation, Indent is an initiative of MusicNSW designed to provide a skills development opportunity for young people. The annual Indent Regional Tour, now in its fifth year, brings those opportunities to young people aged between 12 and 25 in regional centres and engages those same young people in the planning, promotion and staging of each event.

“Usually kids in cities, there’s a lot more to do; they can go to the malls, they can go to the movies, they can go bowling,” he chuckles. “There’s always something on, some sort of an event, but in regional areas, there isn’t a lot. Even though we’ve got the beach or a river to swim in, the weather isn’t always great, so you’ll find, in my experience in Byron Bay, kids can end up drinking on the streets and getting into a bit of trouble ‘cause they’re just, for lack of a better word, bored. So putting on this Indent tour really is a nice way of getting people involved.”

As well as performing, the band will be involved in a Q&A where they’ll be talking about their experiences as a band and sharing what they’ve learned along the way.

“[Hardcore is] not a drug- and alcohol-oriented genre at all,” Taylor adds, “and the culture behind doesn’t have an age bracket. There are adults that come to the shows in their 20s, 30s and 40s sometimes – not in high frequency of numbers, I think younger teenagers of course predominate – but the message behind hardcore and the community that it’s about is quite youthful, I think. It’s this underground thing with a voice and a vision to rebel for the greater good.”

In Hearts Wake will tour their latest album, Earthwalker, with The Amity Affliction in January.