'It's An Amazing Adventure': The Moving Stills Write What They Know On 'Rock Band'

The Moving Stills want you to start a rock band. 

At least, that appears to be the main takeaway from their latest single Rock Band, a sunny track that oozes youth, a song – with its reverbed guitars, a sleepy drumbeat, and an uncomplicated melody – that is impossibly easy to listen to.

“We used to have such a good time, making noise after midnight. Remember you can choose what you do in life,” croons lead singer and guitarist Tom Mahler, before launching into the arm-waving chorus: “Drop out, start a rock band. Play loud with all your best friends. They say you’re never going to make it. But we can’t hear them.”

The single arrives as the band are enjoying the momentum of having just toured nationally with Spacey Jane.

“Starting a rock band is just something we’ve used as an example,” he explains. “But I guess the sentiment is, if you’ve got something you really want to do – but there’s sort of pressure or noise saying that it’s not the best move because maybe it’s not financially sustainable or whatever – just give it a go anyway.

“I understand we’re in a privileged position to be able to pursue music. But hopefully it inspires a couple of people to give that thing, whatever it is, a go, or continue on with what they’re already doing that maybe isn't what everyone around them is doing.

“I think people should start a rock band because it’s such an amazing adventure,” he adds. “You experience so much more than just that hour onstage. A lot of people, that’s all they see of a band.”

There is so much more behind the scenes - which is why he feels that it is important to show off what does lurk behind the scenes.

“I think that’s what got us into being in a band in the beginning: watching bands maybe five or ten years older than us that were putting up tour diaries on YouTube. Just seeing people travelling around with their friends. I think that part of it is very attractive.”

The Moving Stills have certainly done their part to glamourise the life of the musician: they recently screened their fifteen-minute documentary, being in a band, created by their guitarist Mike Drennan.

being in a band enjoyed a sold-out launch at Dendy Theatre Newton, and is coming with them to London. Was the creation of the documentary partly inspired by the tour diaries they all grew up loving?

“I feel like that’s exactly probably where the idea stemmed from,” Mahler agrees. “I know Mike stumbled across a band a few years ago who actually inspired him to buy a camera and start putting footage together.”

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The documentary is without a doubt Mike’s baby, but the decision to make it was unanimous. “We sort of got to a point of like, we’ve actually been doing this for a little bit now.” They felt they had something worth showing off.

“We couldn’t always afford to have people following us around filming us, so it made a lot of sense having Mike’s camera,” he adds. “And we would all film each other. But Mike definitely took the charge on the edit.

“He is super great with video and film and has a really good eye. I can’t really speak for him, but I think based on conversations we’ve had, he feels like filmmaking is an important creative outlet for him. And he did an amazing job with the doco.”

“To be honest, the overarching feeling is… I’m just really happy that we have this film that encapsulates what we’ve been doing. I think it will be really nice to look back on. Maybe the word I’m looking for is –” he hesitates, and then his voice peaks, as if he’s asking a question – “proud, I think. I just think Mike’s sort of nailed the feeling, to be honest.”

As someone who grew up playing guitar “really young,” becoming a musician always seemed inevitable to Mahler. But is it what he expected?

“I think that teenage version of me, if they saw what we’ve done and where the band has taken us, I think they would be so stoked.”

For example, teenage Tom would probably be over the moon about attending writing sessions in Los Angeles – which is where Rock Music, amongst other songs, was written, in collaboration with Californian artist Henry Nowhere. 

“I had been there the year prior and did a couple of songwriting sessions and really connected with Henry,” he explains. Together, the two wrote last year’s single Running Out. “Mike came along the next year and we ended up doing eight or nine days with Henry, and Rock Band was one of the songs that came from those sessions.

“It was really cool. It was Mike’s first time in California, and I was still very fresh. It was such a switch-up of culture. And Henry, he’s a really cool dude and has a slightly different vocab to us, which I thought worked really well with the lyrics. I definitely think LA impacted a bunch of these new songs for those reasons.”

He describes Rock Band as “probably the most” autobiographical song they have ever written.

As the band has been grappling with rising success, they also recently grappled with a line-up change, and have welcomed a new bassist: Evie Corradin. 

“It’s been really awesome. Brad [Guthmann] – our old bass player – he was amazing as well, but he left to pursue other things recently,” he explains. “We’re very very lucky to have Evie come into our lives and into our band.

“I think when someone leaves it’s probably a bit hard to replace in a way, but we’re all viewing it as a new era, or a new chapter of the band. It is emotional. But we’re feeling good.”

They are feeling good, and are in fact thriving, as they prepare to test international waters and continue to do what they do best: be in a rock band. 

The Moving Stills’ Rock Band is out now.

This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body