The blokes from Beddy Rays have come a long way from where they first started making music together in primary school.
The self-described larrikins Jacko, Lewy, Brad and Benny kicked off 2021 by landing at #57 in the triple j Hottest 100 with their relatable tune ‘Sobercoaster’.
The track has now gone on to rack up over two million streams on Spotify alone, while their follow-up single ‘Wait a While’, reached #1 most played on triple j in April 2021.
As if that wasn’t enough, the band have been finalists for both the Queensland Music Awards held earlier this year and the upcoming National Indigenous Music Awards.
Showing no signs of slowing down, the lads have just released their latest track ‘Week on Repeat’, which features the punchy drums and unforgettable hooks we have come to expect from a Beddy Rays song.
To celebrate the recent release of ‘Week On Repeat’, we had a chat with Beddy Rays as part of our Get To Know series.
Check out ‘Week On Repeat’ by Beddy Rays:
How did your artist name come about?
We were all kickin’ around scratching our heads trying to think of band names when all of a sudden a lightbulb popped up above Brad’s head and he murmured the words “what about Beddy Rays? Like Reddy Bay with the first letters swapped around?” We were a bit iffy at first but after a while, it grew on us and we ended up keepin’ it! It pays homage to our hometown Redland Bay, which is where we all grew up!
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How would you describe your music to your grandma?
We’d be like “Nan, our music is pretty much Rod Stewart if he drank XXXX Gold and smoked like a chimney, except nothing like that at all.”
Tell us about a few of your tracks, their titles and what they’re about?
Well, our latest track ‘Week On Repeat’ sorta touches on the week to week mundane side of life that we all loathe. The getting up out of bed, tucking your shirt in, kickin’ yourself up the bum and getting on your merry way. We wanted the song to have some feel-good vibes to it, whilst touching on the not so feel-good topic and we’re stoked how it turned out!
Next up is our previous single ‘Wait a While’, which sparked when Jacko was on a road trip up in the Daintree. He stumbled across this vine called the ‘wait-a-while’ vine and that got his little songwriting mind ticking! That became the hook of the song but we touched on the topic of putting yourself first sometimes, especially when life’s got ya up against the ropes!
Lastly is our thoroughbred tune ‘Sobercoaster’. The lyrics speak for themselves in this one. We wanted a catchy, poppy upbeat track that you could throw ya arms around your mates and sing along to at a festival whilst spilling your beer down their back! A summer anthem, if you will!
What do you love about your hometown?
We love that it’s on the water, the bakery is absolutely off chops and the events the pub puts on are pretty stonkin! We’ve had some pretty big names come to play at the pub and there’s nothing better than loading up on schooeys a stone’s throw away from ya house whilst watching some live music.
Check out ‘Wait a While’ by Beddy Rays:
Career highlight so far?
There has been a few but debuting at #57 in the hottest 100 takes the choccys!
Fave non-music hobby?
Basket weaving with Nan!
What’s on your dream rider?
3 bottles of Jamieson, a carton of Stone and Wood, a slab of XXXX Gold, a seafood platter for eight (we’re all garbage guts so we’d need that much) and a couple of firecrackers.
Dream music collaboration?
Would be an absolute dream to collaborate with Billie Joe Armstrong!
Where do you see yourselves in 10 years?
Neck deep in a spa on the quarterdeck of a yacht, sipping daiquiris and smoking cigars that we hopefully will have purchased with Beddy Rays money.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
‘Take It Easy’ – Eagles.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
We were once told, as a band, that four people with the same goal giving it their all to achieve that goal is unstoppable and we’ve tried to live by that advice ever since!
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
Rummaging through the dump shop on a Saturday morning. You never know what you can find. Brad found brand a new huffy push bike for $5.
For more on this topic, check out the Indie Observer.
Check out ‘Sobercoaster’ by Beddy Rays:
