Soon to be embarking on the country-wide Tone Deaf presents tour alongside Immigrant Union, Melbourne’s Royston Vasie are already turning heads with their polished rock and roll sound.
On the eve of a showcase set at Brisbane’s BIGSOUND Festival, frontman Leigh Hardiman caught up to discuss influences, life and of course – that band name.
Although very much rooted in the present, Royston Vasie’s sound echoes the blues riffs of some of the best classic rock, is that a deliberate influence?
“Although we only began properly in 2008, me and my brother grew up in a very musical household,” begins Hardiman. “Dad was a guitar player and singer, and having four boys we were all given guitars early on and told to get on with it. Dad was a great influence teaching us Beach Boys and Stones whilst we were still at school.”
That’s a pretty strong pedigree for any band, and progressing from there was a case of letting it go where it went.
“In that environment you naturally grow up writing and playing and the next step was to obviously try and form our own group,” says Hardiman.
“We spent a few years mucking about until Brad came about,” that’ll be bassist Brad Hardingham. “We had known him for ages but when we graduated from just talking about music to actually doing something about it, Brad was the obvious choice to get involved.”
“Nothing happened for a few years apart from a few little demos,” continues Hardiman, “but we soon decided we needed a drummer. Auditioning drummers is not much fun, but a guy we knew for ages kept hassling us.” The man in question was one
“None of us wanted to be the one to tell him he couldn’t play with us, but he just really clicked and at that point, the band was formed I suppose.”
The Vasie sound is a real mix of three chord classic riffs and energy mixed with a mature sensibility as debut EP Welcome To The Pop Boutique demonstrated. Despite the obvious early musical influences, what else was it that drove the band’s sound?
“After Dad had played us his complete record collection we all started to discover bands for ourselves. Early Velvet Underground – of course Nirvana and the Dandy Warhols. We are really into that sleazy rock vibe, but we like to keep it upbeat, bringing the energy with us as well.”
With an EP for Shock already under their belt, the band is busy rehearsing and recording their mainly self-funded debut LP. Life is tough for up-and-coming bands, but do the guys of Royston Vasie see it as a real ongoing concern?
“Look it’s a tough question for sure. We logged into our Spotify account the other day and about 10,000 plays gave us about ten bucks, so that’s not going to pay the bills. But if you work hard and get out there gigging and building the fan base, then I reckon it can be done,” says Hardiman hopefully.
“We are all still working our jobs, despite trying hard to get fired, but I see the second and third albums as where we start to make money. We are obviously really excited about the Tone Deaf presents tour and we are playing Peats Ridge and a few other festivals this year so the word is getting out there.”
“Australia is never going to be a great place to make good money from gigging,” he continues, “with only a few major capital cities to support the scene so we need to set our sights higher. I see us in Asia, the US and Europe – that’s where I think we can start to make a real go of this.”
Coming from Melbourne, Royston Vasie are the latest in a long line of great rock and roll acts, after all, “Melbourne has always been a strong musical tow,” says Hardiman enthusiastically. “Much as we love playing in Sydney and around the country, it’s our town and we really identify with it. The thing is there are lots of smaller scenes but we all tend to hang out together.”
“We are friends with Immigrant Union, The Merry Creek Pickers and Money For Rope – all those sort of guys, as we often play the same venues and support each other. Is there a scene? Not so much but there are plenty of people in Melbourne who want to come out and see a good rock and roll show, so we have been lucky.”
With a name that references classic English psychedelic comedy The League of Gentlemen, do the band associates themselves with that offbeat type of vibe?
“The name came about when a friend of ours who messed about with the band introduced us to the series and it kind of stuck. Are we massive fans? probably not, but its pretty weird and that suits our vibe at times.”
With a strong fanbase under their belt, or at least a growing one, what’s next for Royston Vasie?
“We are playing the BIGSOUND Festival in Brisbane… I suppose it’s like a mini SXSW, and that’s hopefully going to give us some good exposure,” explains Hardiman.
“Next up it’s the Tone Deaf supports tour that pretty much covers the whole East Coast. After that the albums out and who knows? I’m just happy we are lucky enough to be doing what we love, and there seems to be a people out there who appreciate and dig it so let’s just take it from there?”
Royston Vasie hit the road with Immigrant Union throughout October. Full dates and details here.
