Hi and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology.
You have been getting some high praise from high places. How does it feel to receive peer recognition and hearing the great feedback from all your recent work?
In honestly means the world, I don’t think I’ll ever get over the feeling of someone you respect having a positive reaction to something you’ve poured your heart and soul into, it’s euphoric!
Having supported such great Aussie acts including; Harts, British India and Spiderbait. Were any words of wisdom spoken that really resonated with you and have made their way into how you approach your craft?
I couldn’t really pinpoint something in particular that one of the esteemed acts we’ve supported has said to us that has changed the way we approach our craft, but what I have found truly inspiring is meeting such iconic artists and finding that they are as kind, humble and down to earth now as you assume they would have been at the beginning of their careers. It’s taught me to never underestimate the value of kind things you say to others in these settings and the importance of uplifting likeminded artists!
You are about to hit the road again. This time playing alongside Ali Barter which seems like a match made in heaven. How did this come to be?
Ali’s team reached out to us earlier in the year to gage our interest in hopping on the tour as main
support and it took us all of ten seconds to decide that the answer was yes. We couldn’t be more excited!
Do you find touring to be inspirational whereby you get a chance to witness more things that ultimately find their way into new material or are you so focused on the task at hand that any song writing ends up taking a back seat?
In all honesty, this is our first tour so I can’t really give a definitive answer yet! However, we do tend to find signwriting inspiration at some of the most random times, which is why I often find myself ducking into a public toilet cubicle with my iphone voice recorder to capture a melody that’s popped into my head. I’m interesting to see if inspiration hits at random when we’re on the road!
What has been your most memorable gig to date and why?
Easily playing Laneway festival at the beginning of this year! When Lachie and I started this band our ultimate goal was to play a major festival, and to have been able to do so quite early on in our careers was surreal to say the least.
How would you describe IV League 2016 to IV League 2017?
We really have grown up so much. I think we’ve learned some invaluable lessons about the nature of being musicians in Australia as well as some insights to the industry in comparison to where we were a year ago. I think we definitely have the foresight to take our music to the next level this year and experiment with how far we can take our sound and aesthetic.
Back with your new single Sylvia, what subject matter does the song address?
I would describe it as an ode to the powerful friendships you form in your teenage years, and how completely consuming they can be, almost providing a sense of escapism from the tougher aspects of coming of age. To me it really encapsulates being a teenager experiencing an Australian summer.
What does the rest of the year have install for IV League?
After returning from the tour we’re hoping to be back in the studio, we’ve been writing a lot of new material that I would consider to be really innovative within our sound! You can definitely expect more new music from us.
TOUR DATES
Saturday April 22 Yah Yah’s Melbourne ** SYLVIA Single Launch **
Friday April 28 The Workers Club Geelong
Wednesday May 3 Karova Lounge Ballarat
Friday May 5 Northcote Social Club Melbourne
Saturday May 6 Jive Bar Adelaide
Thursday May 18 The Foundry Brisbane
Thursday May 25 Hudson Ballroom Sydney
Friday May 26 Rad Bar Wollongong