The future is bright for The Southwicks, an indie/folk six-piece from Perth's eastern suburbs. The group have spent the best part of the last two years flooding Perth's stages with their raw energy and soaring vocals. The Southwicks aim to create music which inspires a yearning for adventure in even the most content of souls, with their textured layers and lyrics which sound beyond their years.

The idea behind The Southwicks began in late 2011, when aspiring songwriter Joshua Goodacre and high school friend Gareth Peach began writing music together. They soon realised that the songs they had crafted required a larger ensemble to carry their vision of creating a wall of sound in their performance. After a few initial changes in lineup, the band soon grew to be a six piece who collectively play nine instruments (including the violin and glockenspiel) as well as their voices. Together they create a sound that is often compared to the likes of Arcade Fire and Boy & Bear, with songs varying in style from gorgeous folk ballads to danceable pop tunes to grungey anthems.

The Southwicks are now set to release their long awaited debut EP 'Euphoria', recorded in mid 2013 at Poonshead Studio. The feeling of finally being able to share these much anticipated recordings is nothing short of euphoric.

"arguably the highlight of the night, a young six-piece indie-rock band (with) raw energy and power that encouraged a huge response from the crowd..."  - Drum Media

For Fans of Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, Carnifex and Aversions Crown.

Anavar brings an aggressive sound mixed with melody and groove. Taking influences from Death Metal, Deathcore, Melodic Death Metal and Thrash Metal, we bring a sound that is crushingly unique.

Our debut EP "I, Dominus" is available at anavar.bandcamp.com

Since our formation we have already shared the stage with some of Perth's best bands like Sanzu, Daybreak, Iconoclast, Xenobiotic, Dropbears, I am Zero, Surroundings, IMPALER, national bands Capture The Crown and Feed Her To The Sharks, and internationals REZUME and Chelsea Grin.

December 2014 saw the release of our debut EP "I, Dominus" with a lyric video for our track "Plight of Pawns", to much critical acclaim.

In December 2015 we released a video clip for our single "Cataclysm" which featuring a guest vocal appearance from CJ McMahon of Thy Art Is Murder.

THE MURDERBIRDS – IT’S NOT GOING TO KILL YOU

The Murderbirds’ long-awaited debut album, It’s Not Going To Kill You, is the product of love, loss and labour… and is all the better for it.

Back in mid-2016, the band released its first EP, Karma Crow, and preparations were already well under way for a full-length album to follow some 12 months later. The (then) trio had a significant amount of demo recordings to work from but lost the lot due to a computer malfunction. 

“For some reason I hadn’t backed them up,” s vocalist/guitarist, Matthew Pratt, “so we had to re-record a lot of stuff. In saying that, we were able to get much better recordings and the songs were actually rewritten quite a bit as well.”

It’s an obstacle that must have seemed pretty insurmountable upon discovery, but it reflects something of the band’s fortitude that they used the setback as an opportunity to improve in all respects.

“Getting over that hurdle was the biggest thing and it’s all about a learning curve at the end of the day,” Matt says. “Because it’s all independently recorded and produced, we’re really doing everything ourselves and learning a lot along the way. It’s a positive outcome to be honest.” 

As such, It’s Not Going ToKill You is both an advancement and a different kind of statement to what Pratt, Cale Blythe (bass) and Rhys Carroll (percussion) have made before, whether on the Karma Crow EP or the since-disappeared demo tracks of yore. The Closing track, Back About Dawn, was written some six years ago but shines today as a song given new light through an older window.

“I’m glad that we have held onto the songs because we have really worked on them over the years,” Pratt explains. “Particularly Back About Dawn, we were almost going to turf it, but I got my friend Elise Hudspith from The Wolfbats to do a duo vocal on it with me. It just gave the song new life and made it relevant to who we are now. Everything is come together now and all the songs seem to work perfectly with their arrangements.”

Other songs such as the attention-getting single, Dance In The Yard and the romantic psychobilly of Staying In benefitted from a high degree of endurance, stickability and maturity, as the songs were persistently refreshed, worked on in rehearsal and live-tested at gigs.

The recruitment of keys player, Timothy Smith, has also proved to be a sonic revelation.

“The songs have come to life with that extra element,” Pratt says as he prepares a hot bowl of soon-to-be soggy Weetbix. “Vagabond Blues has some really nice piano on it. Monster Is You has really nice organ-sounds coming through and Tale Told, which is a real psychobilly number, was pretty bland before Tim’s organ was introduced to the mix.” 

“When the organ came in, we had a lot of reworking in the jam room to do. But it all came together and sounds even better than what we first imagined it could.” 
While Pratt is the songwriter, he readily points out that the whole band hear and give feedback on the strengths of each song, which must be enhanced in order for them to rise to their greatest potential.

“The dynamic of the band is better than it has ever been, because we’ve learnt so much about each others capabilities and aspirations in terms of our own artistic expression,” he says.

Followers of Mandapants 101