FEATURE: KYS in the studio with IKTPQ

The calm before the storm…

It’s a fitting, if not apt, phrase for I Killed the Prom Queen circa 2014. The boys from Adelaide (well, three-fifths at least) are preparing for their return. The musical throne has not been abdicated but merely kept warm.

On the eve of eagerly anticipated new album Beloved’s release, Killyourstereo.com spent the afternoon with the band to see where everything stands. What we found was a group in a comfortable, renewed and purposeful state of mind.

Eight years is a long time in any context – particularly music. In a way of putting it into stark perspective, Twitter was only founded four months prior to the release of ‘Music For the Recently Deceased’ and Soundwave was still a year away from being a national festival.

“It has been a long time in between albums,” guitarist Jona Weinhofen simply states in reflection.

Excitement, nerves, anxiousness and overwhelming enthusiasm have all seemed to coalesce on the week of Beloved’s release. Passionate sentiment, hard work on the live front, and perseverance is only one side of the musical equation. Now, the physical and aural elements come to the fore.

The building blocks and backdrop have been set gradually over the months and years between. New members, new label, new intent – this is Prom Queen in a recognisable but evolved state.



What emerges early in the day is that it’s a relaxed feeling in the camp. The I’s dotted and the T’s crossed. Outside the band’s rehearsal studio in Melbourne, the members appear fresh.

Vocalist Jamie Hope and drummer Shane O’Brien discuss who they think will win the ice hockey gold medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics before the former expresses his desire to watch Geelong’s first NAB challenge game in the evening after practice.

It’s a point of shared interest as Hope and this KYS writer share insights about respective time spent living in Geelong and fellow support of the Cats.

At the rehearsal space, the focus is on the upcoming Soundwave run. It’s an ideal festival spot coinciding with the release of the aforementioned ‘Beloved’.

Equally, it’s the first opportunity I Killed the Prom Queen have to play the new songs live, which requires considered practice in the lead-up. For Weinhofen, the upcoming Soundwave spot is a chance to properly introduce the new songs to fans.

“We’ve written these songs as a band, but we haven’t yet performed them. Because [we] like to put a focus on our live show and be an energetic band, playing the songs for the first time is like learning to walk – you’ve got to get used to actually performing the songs correctly, but [also] move around the stage, head bang [and] jump off stuff, which is what we like to do,” Weinhofen says.

“…We’ll be sweet,” O’Brien reassures.



On the public surface, the biggest change in musical aesthetic is the various line-up changes.

O’Brien is one of the new faces. The drummer, having played previously with the likes of Jack The Stripper, Buried In Verona and Confession, has fitted in well, complementing the pre-existing dynamic.

“It will be different because it won’t feel like I’m in a cover band or anything like that [anymore],” O’Brien laughs, noting the chance to play new songs.

“To tell you the truth, I wrote the [new] songs as I recorded them. We got there [Sweden], we lost our equipment for like two, three days then we went to Belgium for a festival then we drove back overnight and I started recording at 10am in the morning. We had ideas that we had in rehearsal and then we came in and pieced it together,” the drummer adds.

“Shane basically got put right on the spot,” Weinhofen declares.

However, as O’Brien notes, ”It’s good, I like it that way. It’s more natural.”

In terms of the 2014 version of IKTPQ, Weinhofen gives a snapshot of where the band is positioned, articulate in his overview.

“We have Shane, Jamie and Ben [Coyte, bass] in the band now. That’s three line-up changes, which is a pretty massive difference. We wanted to keep it as an I Killed the Prom Queen sound [though]. I think having Kevin [Cameron, guitar] and I write a lot of the riffs then Jamie came into the fold and wrote a lot of the heavier riffs, we’ve got the perfect balance between it sounding like a Prom Queen record but people will understand it’s a brand new record – we have a new line-up. We’ve tried news ideas. We’ve got strings and synth, and some guest vocalists, which is stuff we’ve never really had before,” the guitarist says.



Before Soundwave, Melbourne fans have the opportunity to see the band in an intimate setting, when I Killed the Prom Queen play the Evelyn next Wednesday (19/2).

“This is our opportunity to test the new gear, test the new songs and iron out the kinks. The Soundwave shows are the first ones we had booked for the year and we didn’t want to go into those if there were any problems.

“[This] show is like a professional rehearsal for us but we’re letting some fans come in. We’re not putting too much pressure on ourselves, so we decided to make it pretty casual and make the tickets really cheap. We brought Sea Shepard on board – they’re an organisation we believe pretty strongly in being a band of all vegans and vegetarians,” Weinhofen states.

The touring beast that is Soundwave is gearing up to make its way around the country shortly. The well-received and incredibly popular festival is again a prominent part of the musical calendar. However, this year the presence of more local acts makes it an even more welcomed event.

“It’s rad that the people behind Soundwave and even other festivals, and other organisations in the music industry are recognising the talent and demand, and popularity of heavy music in Australia, and the Aussie bands doing it,” Weinhofen is at pains to note.

“There always seem to be an Australian band on the [overseas] tours.” O’Brien adds.

When asked about plans for the future and where the band would like to tour, the collective response centres on geographical locations that differ from previous ventures.

“We’re going to try and visit some more exotic locations like South East Asia and perhaps South America,” Weinhofen suggests before offering in jest, “…Maybe Zimbabwe?”

“I reckon they’d chuck a serious mosh in Zimbabwe,” O’Brien laughs.

It’s an exciting time for the band, fans and perhaps just those with a vested interested in the local scene. One of the heavyweights in contemporary metal/hardcore is back in full-time mode.

“We hope that fans will hear the record and appreciate that it’s I Killed the Prom Queen, but it’s I Killed the Prom 2014 not 2006,” Weinhofen concludes.


‘Beloved’ is due out this Friday via Epitaph Records.

Catch I Killed the Prom Queen at Soundwave 2014.

View our exclusive studio photo gallery here.

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