We caught up with Sydney-based rockers-on-the-rise Big Wheels as part of our ‘Get To Know’ series to find out more about their lives and music.
Big Wheels are a band many in Sydney’s grassroots rock & roll scene are already familiar with; their tight musicianship, knack for addictive hooks, and soulful vocals have already propelled the band onto live stages in support of Australian indie staples like San Cisco and Pacific Avenue, and they’re are just getting started.
The band continue their rise into the mainstream with their latest single ‘Colourblind’, a Fleetwood Mac-esque anthem of empowerment that’s equal parts catchy and cathartic.
To mark the release of ‘Colourblind’ we caught up with band members Cass, Lawson, and Dale as part of our Get To Know series to find out more about their lives and music.
How did your band name come about?
Lawson: A lot of people ask, is it from Proud Mary and the answer is ‘kinda’. Back in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic fuelled existential crisis, I was at a real crossroads as to what to do with my music and where to take it next as my previous project had fallen apart. In between border closures, I made a trip from QLD (where I was living at the time) to Sydney and it was pretty much then that I decided to move interstate. It was a huge decision at the time. I drove back to QLD to get my affairs in order and there was this picturesque moment on the drive home that totally struck me. I was in my tiny little hatchback wedged between 2 massive trucks on the highway, right on sunset, and Proud Mary came on shuffle. As I looked left and right I see these massive wheels either side of me as these trucks are just powering along and the line “big wheels keep on turning” just seemed all too perfect at that moment.
Dale: ‘Big Wheels’ was already implanted deep into Lawson and Cass’ mind by the time I met them, and as a fan of Creedence I was all for it. For a short time there I had the idea we should call the band ‘Kite Weather.’ Needless to say I’m happy we went with ‘Big Wheels’: no one enjoys a windy day let’s be honest.
Cass: Lawson paints the picture perfectly. I was sold on ‘Big Wheels’ pretty quickly. Dale really pushed hard for ‘Kite Weather’ but then we all learned how unfun a windy day can be when you have long hair.
How would you describe your music to your grandma?
Lawson: soft and gooey on the inside, then coated in a shield of shining armour
Dale: ‘I like it nanna, so I think you would too.’ Nanna has been the MVP front and centre at a couple of our QLD gigs now, so I hope our music reminds her of her good old days.
Cass: It’s like when you race back to your car accepting the fact that you’ve probably got a parking ticket but when you get there.. no ticket!! Exhilarating but comforting at the same time. Gma knows we’re no Edith Piaf but she’s still a big fan and she loves fashion.
Tell us about your new single ‘Colourblind’, what’s it about?
Cass: It’s the perfect brew of sass and cya later. I wrote this song about that person who is just always up on their high horse and nothing you do or say is ever good enough in their eyes. It’s empowering to realise you’re better off walking away sometimes.
Lawson: this one might be more of a Cass question but for me, ‘Colourblind’ is a song of empowerment without bitterness. It’s about standing up for yourself and your beliefs whilst also not being afraid to leave behind something that doesn’t serve you anymore. That opening chorus line “I’ll be going on my way” is a real testament to that I think.
What do you love about your hometown?
Lawson: I was born in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane so it’s hard to say which one is technically my hometown but there’s things I love about both. Brisbane has a beautiful sense of community about it. No matter what industry you’re in, you can always meet someone who’s willing to lend a hand (or an ear) to help. Sydney, I would have to say, is just really a magic place. There’s a lot of parts to it that are hard, but it has to be one of the most rewarding places to live, work and create. We’ve made some great friends in the short time we’ve lived here. It’s a very beautiful city in many ways, it’s got everything, mountains, beach, parks, rivers. The inner west also is such a multicultural explosion of art and expressionism. I think you could honestly cross paths with every walk of life in a place like this. Totally magic.
Cass: I’ve moved around a hell of a lot so I’m not even sure if I can say I have a hometown? Brisbane is where I was born and where most of my family lives so it’ll always hold a special place. Also growing up in England, the countryside was breathtaking but I always missed how clear the night sky was back home.
Career highlight so far?
Lawson: For me, it would have to be opening for San Cisco at Dreamworld Night Market last month. It was probably the biggest crowd we’ve played to yet but also it was just a stellar night of great bands. Our booking agent Callum Grady from Interstellar music put on the show, and I think it was a big achievement for him to pull it off, so all round, just a top night.
Dale: A few years ago my housemate and I had one of my favourite bands Peach Fur play in our backyard in QLD. I was chatting to the guitarist, Benny, about a band I had thought I started at the time and he mentioned we should play together. That band never came to fruition and in September last year we got to play with Peach Fur at Waywards in Newtown, and on my train ride there I remembered my conversation with Benny about playing together. For me that was probably the most special musical moment I’ve had: just realising I’m actually playing with a band that I’ve been a fan of for so long.
Cass: Every show we’ve played so far, every time we get to sing our own songs to other people just fills my lil heart with joy.
Fave non-music hobby?
Lawson: Bike riding or swimming. I’m not much of a surfer but I am a big water baby, especially now that I live in a city with beaches. And I say bike riding not cycling because I love going out to the bush or up a mountain and just being able to speed through to parts of nature.
Dale: As an avid peacekeeper, it’s ironic that I have a keen interest in Military History. Believe it or not I have some artificers from WW1 that I found on a farm in France on display at the ANZAC museum in Meandurra, QLD.
Cass: Photography and I do love a picnic.
What’s on your dream rider?
Lawson: Oysters, Nandos Peri-Peri hot sauce, Gin & Soda and coca….cocoa powder.
Cass: Definitely not oysters.
Dale: Pizza and beers please. Always pizza and beers.
Dream music collaboration?
Lawson: Noel Gallagher. I would love to write a song with him. I don’t really know how it’d go, maybe his ego would be too big, but he’s a genius, so it’d honestly be inspiring just to watch him work.
Cass: A co-write with The Chicks or playing on a festival somewhere with Stereophonics.
Dale: I’d die a happy man if Matt Helders from Arctic Monkeys could show me a thing or two on the tubs.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Lawson: Somewhere I’m happy. As long as I’m still writing and performing. I’ll be happy. Oh and of course in my own ritzy holiday island villa just off Spain.
Dale: Playing music with my friends, only slightly dishevelled from playing music with my friends for 10 years.
Cass: I’d like to say still rocking and rolling with the Big Wheels fam. Probably a few more cats will have found their way to me by then and I’ll be out on the balcony of my 70s beach shack, incense burning, beaded curtains rustling in the wind, and Creedence still playing somewhere in the background.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Cass: It would probably have to be a bit of ‘Spooky’ by Dusty Springfield or some Lily Allen so I can fully unleash the British accent.
Lawson: This changes every week, but at the moment ‘You Make my Dreams’ by Hall & Oates
Dale: ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley. Don’t worry, about a thing.’
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Cass: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle… And a favourite Dave Matthews Band lyric ‘what’s the use in worrying, what’s the use in hurrying’.
Lawson: I got given this postcard from a Native American gentleman I used to chat to at a market I was busking at in Brisbane. It said on it “it’s not about the beginning of the journey, it’s not about the end of the journey, but it is about the journey itself”.
Dale: ‘Don’t worry about it’ – Cass Ford & Lawson Doyle
What’s one obsession you have that no one would guess after listening to your music?
Lawson: When I was in my early teens, I was obsessed with Skrillex. That ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ album was absolute fire. Everything else I listened to was contemporary rock but Skrillex somehow coerced me into liking dubstep! Oh and I love learning about new tech breakthroughs and innovations, that shit has me fascinated.
Dale: Bears. I just can’t wrap my head around how such a beautiful animal can be so scary. I have an oversized photo of a Polar Bear in my room that says ‘Bad Boys of the Arctic.’ They really are the bad boys of the arctic.
