Best friends, house mates, and musical duo Runaway Belles is everything you could want from the indie scene, plus so much more.
Released only yesterday, the Tassie duo Runaway Belles released their stunning music video for their debut single, ‘The Weekend’, filled with all the talents that Tash Parker and Emma Anglesey have to offer.
From piano, cello, and guitars recorded for the track just outside of Melbourne in Wally DeBacker’s studio, to having the vocals laid down in the beautifully fitting location of an 1800s bluestone cottage in Tasmania, the new track creates this harmony of indie-folk brilliance.
“When we recorded this song we imagined we were sitting around a campfire in a forest with a guitar telling the story,” Emma has explained. “We wanted to capture that intimacy in the verses.”
The new clip features the pair in nostalgic settings, with scattered moments of travelling on the road, making the video for ‘The Weekend’ perfect for capturing Runaway Belles, and the beauty the track holds.
With all this in mind, we though it was about time you got to know the music, friendship, and ins and outs of Runaway Belles.
Check out ‘The Weekend’ by Runaway Belles:
How did your artist name come about?
Tash: We had been playing under our first names (Tash and Emma) for a few years and had really struggled to find a band name that felt right for us. But, the perfect band name came to us when we were playing our last show on an Oz tour with The East Pointers (Canada). During our set Em accidentally kicked the collection of percussion instruments she plays including a set of bells. I made light of Em’s clumsiness said ‘Runaway Bells!’.
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Emma: Lol. After the show a guy came up to us and said, ‘You girls are great but you are never going to get anywhere if you keep calling yourselves Tash and Emma.’
Tash: Em and I looked at each other with that knowing look of – ‘here we go, unsolicited criticism and advice from a stranger straight after a show.’ But we were polite and let the man continue. He said ‘I’ve got the perfect name for your band and you said it on stage during your set. Runaway Bells.’ We both looked at each other again and had to admit that it was a great name. We settled on Belles for the spelling and that was it!
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
Two sisters singing in perfect harmony about the seasons, love, loss and small town life.
Tell us about a few of your tracks; their titles and what they’re about?
We’ve released two songs so far.
‘Dream’ is a B-side track we snuck out over summer just for our fans and it’s a song about letting go of perfectionism.
‘The Weekend’ is about that relationship you know isn’t right but you just can’t help being drawn to each other over and over again.
We have a heart-string tugger B-side track called ‘Don’t Forget Monday’ which is about a bad relationship and the hope that comes with each new week to break the cycle.
What do you love about your hometown?
Launceston has a small but incredibly rich community of artists and music makers. We are so lucky to have so many inspiring peers and collaborators in Tasmania. It’s also a small enough city to be able to live right on the edge of nature and still be only 5mins drive from the CBD. And, it’s freezing in winter so we never feel guilty about staying inside and working on music and art projects.
Career highlight so far?
Supporting Katie Noonan at the Princess Theatre in Launceston for Festival of Voices.
Fave non-music hobby?
Emma: For Tash it is gardening – Runaway Belles HQ was designed and built by Architect Paddy Dorney which includes an extensive established deciduous and flowering garden. Tash spends most of her time when not making or playing music talking to the plants (featured in the latest music video for ‘The Weekend’).
Tash: For the past four years Em has been making wild ferment apple wine with a group of friends. Every May they collect apples from a local farm and make 100L which is shared with the community at the annual autumn equinox celebration held at Runaway Belles HQ.
What’s on your dream rider?
- Em’s apple wine
- Em’s mum’s home grown figs
- Matching white fluffy robes
- A watermelon to throw out the window
Dream music collaboration?
We would love to write and record with Kings of Convenience. We love their songwriting arrangements and harmonies. We also love Norway. We travelled there in 2018 and it felt like an alternate version of Tasmania. We felt really at home and would love to explore more of that part of the world when/if possible.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
It’s uncertain times though the hopeful parts of our psyches imagine playing beautiful theatres all around the world filled with people who love our music. No matter what we will be making indie folk pop music and stunning music videos and photos to accompany these songs for our fans. Em will have won awards for her apple wine and Tash will finally be harvesting her first crop of homegrown mulberries.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac
What’s on the cards for the future?
We will consult the tarot deck and get back to you on that. More new music really soon is definitely on the cards.
