The 1980’s is an often criticised decade of music, but one which seems to have influenced more bands than any other. The fact that its music still resonates 30 years later is testament to that, and the fact 80’s bands such as the Eurogliders are still going strong is further proof.
With hits from back in the day like ‘We Will Together’ and ‘Heaven (Must Be There)’, Bernie Lynch and Grace Knight are still playing these songs and more, and are still having at least as much fun.
“Oh Christ, we’re having so much more fun,” Bernie laughed, “and so are the audiences. Grace and I are singing better than we’ve ever sung before in our careers and I think it’s to do with having been in the industry so long we know our voices extremely well. The audiences are having a much better time now than they did back in the 80’s. It’s almost 75% women that are coming along in groups of four or five and making it like a girl’s night out and they are just going completely bananas! They’re singing along to most of our songs and they’re up dancing from the first song. It’s really an amazing experience and I think a much better experience than back in the 80’s”
When asked why the Eurogliders and their music are still around after so long, Bernie was genuinely at a loss.
“I don’t know how to explain it really,” he deadpanned.
“As much as people criticise the 80’s for bad hair and bad clothing and things, I think a large percentage of the songs actually had melody. They were songs that you could sing along with and I don’t think music of any other decade had that to that extent. Some people say to us you should stop playing and let the younger bands have their turn. It’s funny because it’s not like we are stopping them.”
Bernie says that despite all the trappings that come with long term success, it is still the little things that seem to matter.
“There’s a number of satisfying things obviously when you look back over our career,” he said, “but at the end of the day it’s really dumb things that stand out. For instance, shopping at Woolworths or a shopping centre anywhere and suddenly you hear one of your songs come over the speaker and it is quite the funniest thing. It always brings a smile to my face. I feel like I want to grab the person in Bunnings or wherever and go, ‘hey, I wrote that song’ haha.”
“Also, obviously getting the accolades of songs going to number 1 or charting successfully. Those kinds of things are enormously satisfying but the greatest thing is playing live. When Grace and I walk on stage it doesn’t matter if we’re tired, or whether our voices are tired or how the day has been. You walk on stage and suddenly it’s a whole different world and it’s just the most amazing experience. It’s so hard to describe to people but honestly, whether there’s 10 people in the audience or whether there’s 2000, you just get up there and play your heart out and have a good time.”
Being in the industry for so many years is something that Bernie says stands the Eurogliders in good stead, but he also says that a band still has to maintain its level of music and connection with the fans to remain viable.
“I think being successful still depends on whether you have some credibility in the first place and I think Grace and I are very lucky in the sense that we have quite a number of songs that people know and have lived to and gotten married to, even listened to when they have had a child! A woman told me a couple of weeks ago that she took a boom box into the birthing room and as soon as she had the child she played ‘We Will Together’. That’s just amazing! This woman was in her late 30’s and she would have been very young back when the Eurogliders released that song. So it gives some credibility in terms of the songs and the memories that people have of you and I don’t think it gets any harder. If anything it gets easier.”
It must be a great feeling to know that people still connect with something you wrote many years ago, and the fact that music you wrote when you were barely out of your teens would still be popular three decades later. While obviously happy that this is the case with the Eurogliders music, Bernie says neither he nor Grace had any inkling that their tunes would stand the test of time as they have.
“No I didn’t think…… when you’re young you don’t sort of think about tomorrow,” he laughed, “so to imagine we’d still be playing these songs many years later was something we didn’t even think about. I think we’re extraordinarily lucky really because not every band has had that longevity that we seem to have, and sometimes I feel sorry for musicians who sort of were successful but for whatever reason aren’t still doing it and I think those musicians probably feel a bit regretful about it because it is such a great life playing music and especially playing it live.”
Kris Peters
Eurogliders play at the Vertigo Bar at the Reef Hotel Casino on Friday 29 November and Saturday 30 November from 9 pm with free entry
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