The Good Fight

Kylie Cowling talks like a woman on a mission. And it's pretty simple one; “We like to rock,” she laughs. “It's pretty easy to understand!” In pursuit of that goal, Cowling and guitarist Sherree Newton started Diva Demolition a bit over a year ago.

“It's been quite a massive undertaking to get to this point; we're about to release an album that we've had recorded since last August and we just can't wait to get it out there,” she tells. “We've had a lot of interesting things happen along the way, we've been going from one exciting thing to the next.” One of those exciting things came earlier this year, when Diva Demolition was added on the Monster Tour with KISS, Motley Crue and Thin Lizzy. “It was very surreal and we feel very humbled by the experience. You couldn't ask for a more exciting tour to go on, but at the same time it was quite a lot of work.”

Now in the midst of their first co-headline tour, with Melbourne's Bellusira, Cowling says she's looking forward to a bit more of a laidback vibe.

“We're excited to get back to playing venues where people are just there and there's not that massive anxiety beforehand,” she smiles. “We're looking forward to pub gigs where you can do a bit of a soundcheck and cart your own gear and all that kind of stuff, cause that's what we're used to!”

The two women also aren't afraid to challenge what they see as a warped status quo.

“We still get that comment, where someone comes up to up at the end of the night and goes, 'Wow, you guys are pretty good for girls!' We've certainly in the past tried to change the stereotype and be girls that are kind of hard partying, hard drinkin' hardcore chicks but that doesn't do you any favours either because you don't really get taken seriously when you're pissed every night.”

Another way Diva Demolition is challenging perceptions is with their name; “Divas take themselves very seriously and carry on like bitches, and we've always kind of looked at chicks like that and gone, 'What a loser!' so Diva Demolition is kind of redefining what a diva is and taking a bit of a shot at these pop singers.”

Though Cowling and Newton write mostly by themselves, they're also open to collaboration, in completely informal and sometimes weird ways. “Usually at the end of a social night when we're hanging out with our mates we put it out there that if you've got an idea we'd love to work on it with you, and that's been quite successful. And we've got a mate who books the entertainment for the armed forces and he loves nothing more than to write some lyrics, so we've collaborated on a few songs with him.”

The one small bump in Diva Demolition's blazing road to rock has been Facebook's decision to not let them advertise the trailer for their anime-inspired arse-kicking video for single Diva Disease.

“I would just like to ask,” Cowling rages, “what is more harmful; a crazy diet that encourages people to think that they're not good enough or not thin enough, that's specifically targeted at young women, or a video with a bit of blood and gore? And it's not even blood and gore; it's a cartoon for god's sake!”