Good Vibes All 'Round

The gypsy-ska-rockers have just returned from their third European tour, supporting their second album AYA. For the boys, who travelled through various places including Holland, France, Portugal, Holland and more, it was as much about playing their own music as it was about experiencing others’ and their respective cultures.

“It was really good, man”, Beard says animatedly. “It was amazing for the main reason of going back and seeing some of these communities that have sort of nurtured us over there, it made it feel pretty special. There’s a big pond of amazing musicians over there, and it’s such an inspiring place to go, not just for the music but for the crowds and you respect the connection you have with the people.

“With so many of the places we visited, music is such an old part of their culture and they just really connect that way. Places like Portugal, we just had friends there that were on, like, €300 a month, but coming out and paying €10 of that to see a live band that’s come all the way from Australia. You can’t thank people enough for that kind of stuff. It’s so inspiring and it’s all about growing as people. At the end of the day, we choose music because we love the sound, but it’s a choice of lifestyle too. You choose to live your life through your best mates and going through all these amazing experiences, and sharing things with them. Everyone’s going through their own battle and the one thing we all have in common is the music.”

The Sydney-based quartet have been back in the country for a month, and are already psyching themselves up for an 18-date national tour, which begins this week. The tour celebrates their final single from their latest album, called Jackal In The Night.

“We wanted to road-test a bunch of songs in Europe to see how people reacted, but there was just something about this track that really got people going crazy. I mean, we don’t want to see people going mental and doing this and that, but when you look out over the crowd and you’re playing a certain track, you know what’s working. From Amsterdam to Austria, and down to Portugal, where there were so many different sorts of people, everyone got into it and were dancing their arses off, so that was it.

“We’re really feeling the momentum. Now, instead of us being behind the eight-ball we’re way out in front of it. We’ve obviously got this tour happening as we head into summer and it’s great for us as a band. We’ve had people coming us to us like, ‘Man, we really love the album,’ and it’s such a nice feeling. I don’t think many people understand just how good it makes you feel. Those sorts of things are really pushing us into the future and it should be an awesome next few months.”