q&a: city riots
Describe your sound in five words or less.
Catchy guitar driven indie pop
Was there a particular moment or artist that made you want to pursue music when you were growing up? Who were your early influences?
The moment I saw Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’ film clip when I was about 6 years old, I knew I wanted to play in a band and perform. My Dad used to play drums, so we’d always have a drum kit set up in the house, which influenced me at a young age to start jamming. A few years later I picked up the guitar. My parents loved the British pop scene, so bands like the Monkeys, The Animals, The Who, the Small faces etc, were always playing in the house when Dan and I were young.
What are your other interests/passions?
Dan, Matt and I are all living together at the moment, so we always watch the Formula 1 races every second week. We’re also in the middle of watching a ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ marathon.
Who do you most admire?
My parents – for letting us convert their formal dining room into a permanent rehearsal room, putting up with all the mess, the noise and not kicking us out of home. I also have a huge amount of admiration for James Black (from RockWiz band, Mondo Rock) – for accomplishing so many things is his musical career and is so admired and respected amongst his peers, is incredibly intelligent and still loves to play guitar and keys like he’s a teenager, and no matter how busy he always is, still finds time to lend me advice.
Greatest achievement to date?
Opening for the Smashing Pumpkins Australian tour last year was a rather amazing experience. Playing SXSW 2010 was also awesome! Playing guitar with the RockWiz band as part of their live show last year in Adelaide was really great too and so much fun.
A song I wish I wrote/played is… There are so many!! Any song from Tom Petty’s greatest hits record would do. In particular ‘The Waiting’ I’d have to say. I remember when I first heard that song. It made me appreciate that a verse can be just as big of a hook as a chorus.
I couldn’t live without… Coconut juice –with pulp!
The best advice I ever received was… My dad often tells me to ‘take everyone’s advice and thoughts on board but at the end of the day, make sure you do what you feel is the right thing to do’.
Do you think the music industry treats female musicians differently to male musicians? Do you think it’s more difficult for women to establish themselves?
That’s a hard one for me to answer, especially since I’m not a woman. I don’t think women are treated too differently in the music industry. I know I don’t personally treat them any differently. Perhaps it may be evident in the ‘industry’ world but not so much in the performing world. In the past, perhaps they may not have been taken as seriously as males, but I feel in the last few years, there has been so many amazingly talented women that have broken out of Australia like Meagan Washington, Missy Higgins, Kasey Chambers, Sia and more recently Emma Louise and Kimbra that it has really shown how much great female talent we have in this country to really silence any critics there may have been.
Is there anything you’ve always wanted to be asked?
Why are we still living in Adelaide?
City Riots‘ brand new EP Matchsticks is out now!
