Australian alternative-rock quartet Pacific Avenue, from Gerringong, New South Wales, are conquering international charts in a whirlwind. With their first album released in May 2023, Harry O’Brien (vocals and guitar), Ben Fryer (lead guitar), Jack Kay (bass and vocals) and Dom Littrich (drums) are ones to watch out for!
We had the pleasure to meet them in sunny Brighton, at The Great Escape Festival and had a chat with singer Harry, about their debut record, their band slogan and their amazing sense of fashion.
Put your best dancing boots on and prepare yourself for some infectious tunes and some good old fashion Rock’n’Roll!
How does it feel to be able to finally perform in the UK for the first time?
It’s so lovely being able to perform in the Uk, it’s something we’ve been dreaming about since we were kids so it’s pretty surreal to actually be here and playing in front of people.
Is there any difference between the crowds back home in Australia and European/UK audiences?
I think over all the experience of playing the shows are the same, but it’s exciting now playing in the UK because no one really knows who we are, so it feels we really need to prove ourselves on stage and be as electric as we can to try and win over the audience. Playing shows in the small pubs was some of the funnest shows we’ve ever had starting out in Australia, so it feels really cool to be doing it again somewhere new.
You recently released your first album ‚Flowers‘, what inspired you the most for your this record?
The inspiration for the songs on the record really just come from whatever is going on day to day, there isn’t to many hidden meanings. We’ve tried to write songs to a formula in the past, to what we think would make a good song, but we found if you’re just being honest with yourself about what you experience then people can relate to it a lot better because it’s real and we’re a lot more proud of the music as well.
What’s your favourite song on your new record to play live (at the moment) and why?
We haven’t played the whole album live yet, so for the moment I’d have to say ‘Leaving For London’ is my favourite. For some reason a lot of people can relate to their partners or loved ones moving over to London, it’s definitely a high point in the set.
Have you ever wanted to become musicians when you were younger?
This is all something we’ve definitely wanted to do since we were kids. We were never
going to cut it as athletes so music was always the dream.
Where did you meet? And what brought you together as a band?
Jack, Ben and Dom have actually been playing together for years and we’re in another band and I was playing just solo folky sort of stuff when I met Ben in a busking completion around the time we were finishing school, from there we just stared jamming together and pretty much straight away new that we wanted to be in a band and play shows.
What’s the best thing about being an artist and what’s the worst?
The best thing is being able to travel around the country, or more recently to us, the world, and have the chance to meet so many people, and have crowds somehow singing along to words that you wrote in your bedroom. Having people you’ve never met being able to connect to your songs and then have them singing them back to you is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever experienced. The hardest bit I would say, especially when you’re touring non stop, is not being able to spend time with your family and friends, it’s the best job in the word but that can definitely be hard.
In which way are you influenced and inspired by other artist?
We’re influenced in a lot of ways by other artists, whether it’s for their songwriting and style of putting lyrics together, or recording techniques and pulling certain tones that you want to replicate through your own music, or if it’s stage presence and artist’s ability to connect to a crowd, that’s the great thing is that you can try to blend what you love most about all of your favourite acts and try create something slightly new for your own style.
How would you describe your stage persona?
I would like to say electric. Playing live shows was the reason we wanted to become a band in the first place and is the most fun part about being in a band.
If you could place an advert for your band on TV what would your motto be?
‘Your friends rock and roll band they like, and they’re not that bad’
What is your favorite Triple J ‚like a version‘- cover and which song would you like to cover for them?
Favourite one would have to be DMAs cover of Believe, they took a classic song outside of their style and made it their own. And if we had to do one, maybe something like ‘edge of seventeen’ by Stevie Nicks.
What means fashion to you?
Fashion is one of the best ways you can express yourself, it’s the first thing someone notices about you, and has the ability to make you become whoever you want to be.
How would you describe your style?
A lot of flared pants and colour.
What influences you in the way you dress?
We take a lot of our style ideas from bands from the 70s, Particularly from the UK and the States.
Indispensable piece of clothing for you?
A good Leather Jacket. My manager actually gave me one that was his dads and the whole jacket is a Union Jack, and Freddie Mercury wore it.
How important is the way you dress (especially for your shows)?
I think it’s massively import to the show, since we started playing we wanted something to set us apart from other acts in our home town so decided dressing up would add to the performance. It’s a lovely way to express yourself and there’s a lot of clarity in feeling comfortable pushing the boundaries of the norm.
What did you pack in your suitcase – do you have any travel essentials?
A few jackets and good flared suit. Film Camera. A nice book. Journal for lyric ideas or to say where in the world you are. Deck of cards. Guitar picks.
Music is …
Lovely.
That’s a very sensual one – thanks so much for taking the time to have a chat with us! We are looking forward to hearing more from you guys in the future and can’t wait to catch another live show in the UK or Europe soon again.
Check out Pacific Avenue’s website for tour dates, merch and more! We hope you enjoyed our interview as much as we did talking to them and snapping those polaroids!
STAY TUNED!
xx smoke and echoes
FOLLOW PACIFIC AVENUE:
smokeandechoes.com 