“Dream as though you will live forever. Live like you will die today.”
The words of the late James Dean aren’t just full of wisdom – they were also the inspiration for the new track by Melbourne act BONJAH.
Speaking to member Regan Lethbridge, ‘Blue Tone Black Heart’ sees BONJAH venture into slightly new territory – something that might be a new direction for the band.
“We don’t want to lose the fans we’ve built up, but we don’t want to put something out that we’ve done before.”“We don’t want to lose the fans we’ve built up, but we don’t want to put something out that we’ve done before,” Lethbridge says. “I think deep down, all bands don’t want that.”
BONJAH started off across the pond in New Zealand, tossing around some “pretty shocking” band names like Untamed Soul, Flynn and Bonjah Bango before settling on ‘BONJAH’.
“BONJAH just worked,” Lethbridge says. “It means ‘good energy’. We thought it was great.”
They made the decision to move to Australia not long after: “We were having a jam with our drummer, and straight after we asked him if he wanted to come to Australia with us – he said ‘yes’ straight away. We were so young and stupid, but I’m so glad we did it.”
In the time they’ve been together as a band, they’ve played festivals across the world, raked in some views on YouTube and supported some big acts – including rock legends The Who on their last Australian visit.
“Supporting The Who was amazing,” Lethbridge says. “We didn’t get to meet them, but they [Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey] were on another level when it came to how awesome they were.”
The band graced Triple J airwaves with their Like A Version earlier this year – a cover of Lorde’s ‘Royals’, which Lethbridge described as a “total fluke”.
“We covered it when no one knew about it. Now it’s number one all around the world and our YouTube’s gone mental.” Mental indeed – the video has over 250,000 views.
With such ‘royal’ success, will BONJAH consider covering any more songs?
“I don’t think so,” Lethbridge says with a laugh. ‘It’ll be a part of the live show for sure, but we’re not going to become one of those cover bands or anything. “
JuWi Festival in Germany is also considered a standout moment of the band’s time together.
“We were playing after the headliner and were really worried,” Lethbridge said. “We thought no one would stick around, but just about all of them did. It was mental.”
BONJAH were recently signed to Live Nation, one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies – sparking interest in a return to Europe and the UK.
“We’re actually hoping to go back there to play in places like Germany and the Netherlands,” Lethbridge says. “Our London show sold out, and that was incredible.”
BONJAH are set to kick off a extensive Australian tour this summer – and Lethbridge seems pretty stoked.
“We don’t take anything for granted anymore. We’re all getting old – I’m feeling my 29 years of age!”“We’re excited and really looking forward to seeing everyone,” he says. “We don’t take anything for granted anymore. We’re all getting old – I’m feeling my 29 years of age!”
Supporting the group on the tour will be Remi and Jack Stirling – member of Perth rockers The Joe Kings. There was reason behind the choice of support acts, and it seems that it all came down to friendship.
“Remi’s actually an old friend. I started hearing him getting played on Triple J every week and decided to get in contact. It’s always good to hear a friend on the radio. And Jack – he’s one of the best vocalists I’ve ever heard.”
Although the hectic life of touring makes things a little difficult sometimes, the quartet likes to give something back. The Variety Children’s Charity, The Leukaemia Foundation and Make-a-Wish are only a few of the charities the band has supported.
“We’re always wanting to give and help out, even if it’s just a dollar a ticket, or singing with someone who’s really sick. I don’t want to say anything deep without being too cheesy.”
Expect the BONJAH bandwagon to travel around Australia until January, before their third album drops – and another tour follows.
BONJAH’s new single ‘Blue Tone Black Heart’ is out now.
BONJAH 2013 Australian Tour
November 2 – Ding Dong Lounge – Melbourne, VIC
November 7 – Beach Road Hotel – Bondi, NSW
November 9 – Djerriwarrh Festival (All Ages) – Melton, VIC
November 23 – The Setts – Mildura, VIC
December 28 – Sol Bar – Maroochydore, QLD
December 29 – The Northern – Byron Bay, NSW
December 30- Surfers Beer Garden – Gold Coast, QLD
January 2 – Westernport Hotel – San Remo, VIC
January 3 – Torquay Hotel – Torquay, VIC
January 5 – Barwon Heads Hotel – Barwon Heads, VIC
January 9 – Prince of Wales – Bunbury, WA
January 10 – Redcliffe On The Murray – Pinjarra, WA
January 11 – Mojo’s – Fremantle, WA
January 12 – Indi Bar – Scarborough, WA
January 24 – Rock Salt – KeriKeri, NZ
January 25 – Okere Falls Festival – Rotorua, NZ
February 8 – Spirit Bar, Taralgon, VIC
