Down At The Waterside

Infobox musical artist | Name = Down At The Waterside
Landscape = yes
Background = group_or_band
Origin = flagicon|Australia Melbourne, Australia
Genre = Indie rock
Punk
Garage
Years_active = 2006-present
Label = Glass Head
Current_members = Brandon John
Adam Rubenis
Rob Sinni
Matt Taylor

Down At The Waterside are an Australian indie rock band formed in Melbourne in late 2006. Their first release 'Regrets II EP' was released on June 27th, 2008 through the band's own record label "Glass Head".

Rooks: 2006-2007

The band formed in late 2006, when its three original members were finishing their education. Originally named "The Rooks", the name was changed early on to simply "Rooks", meaning "swindlers or cheats". In the early days, the band had no drummer, and early demos used computerised drum beats. In early 2007, friend Alan Campbell joined the band as drummer, and the band started playing gigs at various Melbourne venues. As they continued to record new material for their planned EP, a creative rift arose between Alan Campbell and the rest of the band. As a result, in late 2007, he left the band, and they were once again without a drummer. They continued to write and record, with John taking up drumming duties, and they entertained the idea of becoming a three-piece.

Down At The Waterside: 2008

The band changed their name in early 2008 to 'Down At The Waterside', a name that supposedly came to frontman John in a dream, where it was tattooed across his stomach. "We'd been looking to change the name for a little while at this point, I liked 'Rooks', but there were a few going round. We weren't having any ideas, though. Then I had this weird dream. I was at a place with all these mates, in the dream that is, and all of a sudden I was lying on the floor, slumped against a couch. And I open my eyes, and lift up my shirt, and there it is... It's this really intricate logo, with sort of compass points and, well anyway, it says 'Down At The Waterside' right on my stomach. And I remember thinking "Well, if I was going to get something weird tattooed on me when I was drunk, at least this is sort of cool. But what the hell does it mean? Then I woke up, of course. I told the guys, and Adsa's first response was "You know what? That'd be a great name for the band." and I agreed, and there it was, our new name." [Beat Magazine, April 2008] After writing some more material as a three-piece, the band were approached by close friend Matt Taylor, who offered his services on drums. Sinni and John reverted to their former roles, thus forming the band's current lineup. It was with this lineup that the band really kicked into gear, as John told 'Beat Magazine' "I was getting tired of worrying about finding someone to drum for us, so I thought 'Hey! We may as well just bite the bullet and become a three-piece. I figured we could all just swap around with our instruments, and have this really organic setup, but pretty soon I realised that it wasn't going to work. There were some things that we wanted to do that just weren't possible with just three band members. Plus, there was just no way I could sing and drum at the same time."

Regrets II EP and Untitled Album

The band's first single, 'Silent Animosity' was released via digital distribution on April 20th, 2008, and their debut EP 'Regrets II' was released on 27th June, 2008. 'Silent Animosity' gained substantial airplay on community radio stations, and boosted by this relative success, the band were booked to play at several high profile venues, and many independent music festivals. 'Regrets II' contains four tracks: First single 'Silent Animosity', 'Blood Red Blood', 'Drifting' and 'Bury Me At Safety Beach'.

The EP received generally positive reviews, with 'IndiePress' describing it as "energetic and enigmatic" [IndiePress, 2008] and rating it 3 1/2 stars. Punk magazine 'Ruckus' did point out some weaknesses, describing the EP's low-budget production as "messy". [Ruckus magazine, 2008]

Following this exposure, the band set to work on their first album, rumoured to be titled 'Self Titled', with lead singer and guitarist Brandon John quoted in an issue of Inpress as saying: "It was great to get the EP finished, these tracks have been building up inside for too long. We're hoping for a mid-09 release for the album, but we're just happy to have the EP done and to be playing gigs right now, it's been a long process." [Inpress magazine, 2008]

Reception

The band have devoted much of their time to rehearsals and recording, but have also been committed to playing many of Melbourne's smaller venues, linking themselves closely with the underground indie scene. Some members of the music press have applauded their extravagant onstage theatrics and energetic performances, while others suggest that their often dangerous antics detract from their performances rather than enhance them. One show had to be halted halfway through after guitarist Adam Rubenis cut his arm open while smashing his guitar mid-song. Yet another show was stopped when a verbal stoush between lead singer Brandon John and a heckler developed into a moshpit brawl in which John dislocated his shoulder. These antics, as happens with many punk bands, have served to endear them to a particular segment of Australian concert-goers.

Musical Style and Influences

The band carry strong British influences, drawing their inspiration from a wide pool of British indie, punk and garage groups, with classic rock groups such as The Beatles also an obvious inspiration. First single 'Silent Animosity' unashamedly draws inspiration from bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Libertines, as does 'Your Queen Of Spades', while 'Birds Falling (From A Timepiece)' is more akin to an Arctic Monkeys release. 'Blood Red Blood' draws inspiration from goth-garage band The Horrors, and tracks such as 'Bury Me At Safety Beach' and 'Le Loup de Chazes' show more of a Kasabian influence. Other bands such as Oasis and The Verve have also been noted as big influences. "We're not setting out to sound like a particular band, especially considering most of our favourite bands are so fucking amazing" claims John, "Nobody can ever match The Beatles, not even Oasis. And even then, nobody can ever match Oasis, either. So why would you try it? We're just trying to learn what we can from great bands like The Libertines, INXS, Oasis and a stack of other bands, and hoping to come out the other end with something that describes us." Following on, he states more influences: "The White Stripes are brilliant. When we were considering being a three piece, I was thinking about what they can do with just two members, but that's only possible because Jack White is such an incredible guitarist, and they have such a great presence about them, so I knew we couldn't get away with it... I love Kasabian for their inventiveness and sheer balls. The Verve are a brilliant group, the detail and thought that goes into their songs is what we should be shooting for, it takes a great band to make an 8 minute song remain engaging, even Oasis have failed that test a few times. Dirty Pretty Things and Babyshambles are like two sides of a coin, and we try to take a few lessons from both of them. And we'll always be hoping to write the next I Wanna Be Adored, without a doubt."

They use a wide array of guitars, of varying makes and models. Brandon uses mostly Epiphones, such as a cherry red vintage SG, a Dot with a natural finish, a black Junior, and several Les Pauls. Adam usually plays an electric blue Schecter with dual humbuckers, but occasionally replaces it with a red Samick Stratocaster, or an Epiphone Les Paul. Rob will usually be seen playing an Epiphone Les Paul, and they all make use of a black Ashton bass guitar.

Band Members

*Brandon John - Lead vocals, guitar, keyboards
*Adam Rubenis - Lead guitar, Bassist
*Rob Sinni - Guitarist, Bass, backing vocals
*Matt Taylor - Drums

Former Members

*Alan Campbell - Drums

Discography

Albums

'Untitled' (Unreleased, due 2009) Glass Head

EPs

Regrets II (27th June, 2008) Glass Head

ingles

References