Why Motor Ace Fans Should Be Excited For Band Members' New Project

After quietly fading out of the music scene for ten years, two band members of hugely-successful '00s alt-rock act Motor Ace, Patrick Robertson and Damian Costin, announced their return last November with new project, Nighthawk.

This Friday, the band will play their first-ever live show at Yah Yah's in Melbourne and speaking to The Music, frontman Patrick Robertson said it will be 12 years since he and Costin have played on stage together. 

"We're definitely lacking the agility and youthful exuberance of the younger bucks in the band, [Flynn Wheeler and Rhys Thompson]," Robertson said.

"To be honest, as far as playing goes, it's been like trying to a get a rusty old steam train moving, so a lot of time has been spent just getting used to playing again. It's feeling really nice now though and we've got momentum, so very much looking forward to getting back on to a sweaty stage."

Motor Ace enjoyed a mountain of success in the Australian industry during their run together between 1998-2005. The band had a string of chart hits, which culminated in their 2002 album, Shoot This, peaking at #1 on the ARIA Albums chart. 

However, Robertson says the feedback for Nighthawk has been positive following the release of their first single, Surely Gettin' On, late last year. 

"I still feel like a lot of Motor Ace fans probably don't realise that we exist yet and we've got a bit of work to do to reconnect with some of them," Robertson said.

"I'd almost forgotten how hard it is to start a band from scratch. The positive sides are sites like this and social media avenues - this stuff simply wasn't around in a practical way when Motor Ace were playing."

Despite this, Robertson says that Motor Ace fans shouldn't expect to hear music that sounds just like their '00s material. 

"We're definitely showing some serious reverence to the sounds from early and mid '80s rock, so if that's not your cup of tea then it might be difficult," he said.

"But having said that, Nighthawk's music is a lot more meat and 'taters rock than Motor Ace's later material so that could be a plus. And everyone in Nighthawk are still suckers for a great tune and melody."

Following the live show this week, Nighthawk will head into the studio in April and May to complete work on their debut album, which is expected to drop mid-year. 

For details on the Yah Yah's show, click on theGuide.