If the whole surfing thing doesn’t work out for Stephanie Gilmore, there’s a chance you might just see her fronting the next best supergroup on the Aussie music scene.
For years now, Stephanie Gilmore has been one of the most recognised names in Australian surfing. Having won her first world title back in 2007, Gilmore has since achieved that feat a further six times, making her equal with fellow Aussie surfing icon Layne Beachley.
This year, Gilmore is set to represent Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where surfing has finally been welcomed as a competitive sport. However, while the waves are where she’s made a name for herself, a recent conversation revealed that a music career might be on the horizon at some point.
Speaking to Rolling Stone Australia recently, comedian and philanthropist Celeste Barber opened up about Gilmore, who not only serves as her neighbour, but a close friend as well.
“Over the last five years she has become key in my life. She is the person I FaceTime when I’m drunk and want to talk about Fleabag, equality, the arts and what we are going to call our band,” Barber explained.
As Barber continued, she noted that their musical supergroup is tentatively named The Tits, and features herself on tambourine, Gilmore on lead guitar and vocals, while Spiderbait’s Kram join in on the skins
“Most people know her as an elite athlete, but she’s also a fucking incredible musician,” Barber continued. “She’s a passionate feminist and can throw together an excellent dance party playlist, too.”
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
As Gilmore herself added, she’s a massive music fan, having learnt how to play guitar at the age of 10 thanks to her dad. In fact, her musical talents even found her onstage with Kram and Powderfinger’s Bernard Fanning, covering Neil Young’s “Like A Hurricane” as part of a Byron Bay firefighters fundraiser recently.
“I never got formal lessons, but love it,” Gilmore noted. “I’ve been on stage with a few bands from Taylor Hawkins’ side project Chevy Metal to Jimmy Buffett and Kelly Slater, to The Alive – a metal band.”
No word yet as to when The Tits might find themselves gracing a stage near you, but you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll be a star-studded affair if and when they do.
Check out Stephanie Gilmore performing with the Sunnyboys:
