Skye Harbour : Exclusive Interview
December 26, 2009 by Lisa Dib
Filed under Interviews, Music
Skye Harbour have spent the past two years earnestly crafting their indie-rock-pop awesomeness, and boy, has it paid off. With the release of their 2008 EP “Houses”, the band secured an MTV Kickstart Award and nationwide praise.
The praise is not unwarranted; their live shows are quickly becoming a most sought-after ticket.
Lisa Dib cuts through the bright lights and stirring rock-lectro to get the skinny on Skye Harbour from drummer Frank Sweet.
Skye Harbour : The Next Big Thing
Tell us about Skye Harbour.
We are a four-piece pop-rock band that was once a five-piece. We downsized by one guitarist and popped a few noises in a backing track in his place. It’s given us a sparkly edge that we didn’t have before. We’re originally from Adelaide, but when ‘A-Town’ turned on us, we moved to Melbourne.
In 2008, we won a competition called MTV Kickstart. Now, we continue to write and perform our 80s- inspired tunes without trying to be painfully cool… or painfully 80s… just a bit 80s.
Besides winning MTV competitions, what does it take to get by in a local band career?
What doesn’t it take? I think if you have a lot of money and you’re Triple J-friendly, you’re probably gonna be okay. Otherwise, I’d say being friendly is of high importance, and being humble and so on. But there’s no guarantee that the latter two will propel you to fame.
So yeah, lots of money. Then you can convince Kingsmill to like you.
Who else do you like in the Aussie arena?
Lots of bands. We love The Temper Trap… but I guess they’re kind of in most arenas now. Yves Klein Blue are great, they were amazing at Splendour in the Grass. I rather enjoy The Scare’s new record, also.
One band that I’m looking forward to seeing more of is The Jezabels. I saw them for the second time the other night at The Corner [in Melbourne] supporting Bluejuice, though I’m sure it’ll be the other way around before long. Their live show is so intense and evocative and their new EP totally does them justice.
Skye Harbour : New Single Out Now
Why should I go see Skye Harbour?
Skye Harbour can offer you an honest and affordable deal on a fun night. We can offer you an original and eclectic array of songs to make you cry, dance, cry-dance, and sing. Don’t know the lyrics? You’ll make them up. Don’t know the moves? Neither do we. But we do know the most important move of all is to catch a Skye Harbour show when you’re feeling blue. We don’t claim to be psychologists, but with your help, we’ll all be painting the town red in no time.
What song do you always wish you’d written?
Rosanna by Toto. Mostly because of the drum part, but also because of all of it. We’re a fairly shameless ensemble and have, at times, been accused of perhaps taking things a little too far, but not that far.
No-one will ever take it ‘Rosanna far’ again. Even their moustaches were too far. It seems a shame that things imploded so drastically. The music you create when you’re not taking yourselves ridiculously seriously is always more rewarding and believable. Often it’s better, too.
Where to from here?
Touring and festivals. We already tour, now we just need some festivals. Touring internationally would be ideal, as would playing international festivals, but we’re up for most things at this stage.
We’ll be finishing our debut album towards the end of the year, so I guess we’ll have to see where that moves us. Hopefully to a bigger house. As long as we’re moving forward, we’ll be happy.
