There probably isn’t much left to be said about Aussie rock legends Kingswood that we haven’t said already. But the guys, one of the most talked-about rock and roll success stories of 2014, garnering countless accolades and even ARIA Award nominations (‘best rock act’) for their swaggering brand of Aussie rock. Now, the band are channeling that unstoppable momentum into a new national tour, which is set to kick off this January.
In the past few years the guys have accumulated a huge number of achievements including debuting their album at #6 on ARIA chart,being awarded feature album on triple j, recording with three-time Grammy award-winning producer Vance Powell, performing at ever major festival in Australia including Splendour in the Grass, Big Day Out, Falls Festival (just to name a few), supported Aerosmith, and sold-out headline tours of Australia, ahead of embarking on their biggest tour yet, including venues such as The Forum, Metro Theatre.
In a special edition of our ‘How To’ series, we chatted with Kingswood members Ferg Linacre (vocals) and Mango Hunter (bass) who humbly explained “it’s a hard slog making it in Australia, one that I still believe our band to be in” about the six qualities that have helped them achieve the level of success they have gained so far.
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Dedication For Rehearsing
“We have been playing music together for nearly 10 years. Our first gig was at Ding Dong’s Kashmir Nights back in 2005. Our first track that was played on triple J was ‘Yeah Go Die’ in early 2012. We played around Melbourne pubs for a good 5-6 years before getting any real traction.
We have always been very dedicated and diligent with our rehearsal regime. Since the inception of the band we would rehearse 3-4 nights a week, sometimes more if we had a recording booked or a big gig at the Espy on a Friday night. This probably seemed excessive in the early days considering that we all had university degrees, part time and or full time jobs and were only playing at pubs in Melbourne. This work ethic made us all better players and made us play better together. Learning intricate details about one another’s playing styles, nuances and feeling was invaluable for us progressing from the Melbourne pub circuit to touring Australia and abroad.
The last 5 months has been the only time that we have not been rehearsing two-four times a week. Thankfully, we are just about to move back into a rehearsal space to rehearse for the next tour and to start writing some new tunes.”
Insensitiveness
“This only relates to internal criticism. You don’t really need to have a thick skin for external criticism as it mainly comes from critics, other bands and scorned ex-lovers leaving nasty messages on youtube clips. It’s always going to be there and unless there is a theme or a string of bad reviews do you actually need to take any notice. That’s just my take on it, I am sure there are egomaniacs out there who would take it seriously and get all hung up about it.
You need to be able to handle criticism from within the band. Whether it be criticism or disapproval of a song, a section or a part that you have written, or the streamers that, Fergus, used to put on his microphone stand circa. 2006. You need to be able to take the criticism on board and just get on with it. Music is very subjective and we all have different backgrounds so there will always be differences of opinion, but it’s all for the betterment of the end product.
By the same token, you also have to be able to provide criticism to fellow band members in an appropriate, respectful manner. This is something that I often struggle with given that I am the kind of person that calls a spade a spade, quite bluntly at times. We have always been quite open, honest and critical of one another right from the get go.”
Passion
“I am not talking about passion for music or for your instrument. You need to have the ability to stand up for what you believe in. Everyone in the band is invested in the band and everyone should be as equally as passionate about everything related to the band. Otherwise, what’s the point? If you are not passionate about what you’re doing it isn’t going to work.
Luckily, we have a fantastic democratic system within our band and we are all quite opinionated, passionate and forthright. There are still nights when we will argue well into the night. A lot of the time it is over something as ridiculous as a tour poster or song title.
No one likes yes men or passengers, say what is on your mind and fight for it passionately if you have to.”
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An Income
“There are very few musicians, in a band format, that can actually survive inAustralia without another source of income. Bar from a few established bands, pop stars, hip hop artists and solo artists who have small to no touring parties, it is nearly impossible to survive on an income from being a musician.
We currently have nine people in our touring party. Therefore that’s flights, accommodation, food, vehicle hire and other incidentals for 9 people. That doesn’t leave much left over for a wage for band members.
All of us still have/ are required to have part time jobs in order to take care of rent, living expenses or buying new gear. Punters are often dumbfounded when we say that we all work out of necessity. In a way I guess that they aren’t used to modern musicians/ bands that don’t move large units of records in the digital age.
We have always been reluctant as a band to withdraw money from the band account, as it would hamper the progress of the band. Up until recently we were paying for everything related to the band like rehearsals, food, petrol as well as our own equipment. If we had of been taking a regular wage all these years we wouldn’t be where we are today. It’s true what they say about the being a musician.” Everyone makes money, off you!””
Make Sacrifices
“These are the additional sacrifices that people ultimately make to achieve success. Many sacrifices that you make you won’t even realise that you are making at the time. Career and finances aside, there are many sacrifices that you need to be willing to make it as a semi professional musician. From busy rehearsing, touring schedules and gigging at night. Here is a brief list. Relationships – Being in a band and having a relationship is like having two girlfriends. It’s quite hard to find the right balance and many relationships have suffered over the years due to our dedication and work ethic towards the band.
Friendships – rehearsing and touring means that you will miss a lot of functions including weddings, engagements, milestone birthdays of close friends or family members. On nights off you are catching up on sleep or maintaining relationships, so you see your old mates rarely. You do make a lot of good mates in the industry though.
Holidays – None of us have really had a holiday over 13 days in length in the last eight or nine years!”
Don’t Stop
“As much as being in a band is tremendous fun, there are times when it’s tough. You can lose believe in what you are doing, sometimes you don’t all get along, there can be long stretches of time passing by without any little wins, and need little wins along the way to keep reminding you that you are on the right track. Far more artists than the ones you have heard of, have at some point decided to give up. For some maybe it’s the right decision, but no one who ever gave up at music, ever became a success at music. So it’s simple, if music is what you want to do with your life, then don’t fucking stop.”
Kingswood National Tour Dates
Thursday, 22th January 2015
Beach Hotel, Byron Bay NSW
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Friday, 23rd January 2015
Racehorse Hotel, Ipswich QLD
Tickets: Ticketmaster | 136 100
Saturday, 24th January 2015
Oz Fest, Miami Tavern, Gold Coast QLD
Tickets: Ticketmaster | 136 100
Sunday, 25th January 2015
Oz Fest, Waterfront Hotel, Sunshine Coast QLD
Tickets: Ticketmaster | 136 100
Friday, 6th February 2015
Chelsea Heights Hotel, Chelsea Heights
Tickets: Ticketmaster | 136 100
Saturday, 7th February 2015
Village Green, Mulgrave
Tickets: Ticketmaster | 136 100
Sunday, 22nd February 2015
Paddy’s Albury, Albury VIC
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Friday, 27th February 2015
Hellenic Hall, Hobart TAS
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Saturday, 28th February 2015
Mordialloc Food Wine & Music Festival, Mordialloc VIC (All Ages)
FREE SHOW
Thursday, 12th March 2015
Black Swan Hotel, Bendigo VIC
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Friday, 13th March 2015
The Forum, Melbourne VIC
Tickets: Ticketmaster | 136 100
Saturday, 14th March 2015
Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Tickets: Ticketek | 13 28 49
Friday, 20th March 2015
The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide SA
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Saturday, 21st March 2015
The Triffid, Brisbane QLD
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Thursday, 26th March 2015
Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Friday, 27th March 2015
The Capitol, Perth WA
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Saturday, 28th March 2015
Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough WA
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
Sunday, 29th March 2015
Newport Hotel, Fremantle WA
Tickets: Oztix | 1300 762 545
