One of the great things about Australian music is the abundance of genre defying and singularly undefinable styles . Aussie musicians seem to be much harder to pigeon hole or categorise than artists from elsewhere. Few bands exemplify his observation more than melbourne outfit, Kingswood.
Formed in 2007, they have carved out a solid footing on what has become the shaky ground of Australian music.
With a fanbase that is spread far and wide throughout alternative, indy , rock and country listeners, they have what could be most simply described as a niche sound with a widespread following. Almost a contradiction in terms, but a fair assessment nonetheless.
I recently had a chat with lead vocalist and co-founder , Fergus Linacre, regarding all things Kingswood, including their upcoming foray into Far North Queensland.
“We are travellers. We tour as much as or possibly more than most others, and we love visiting different parts of Australia and the world. We are entertainers. That’s what we love doing. We adore being on stage, and we love being in the studio and recording.”
“Our style chops and changes a lot. I guess we are rock n roll, but we are inspired by what happens around us, and what’s happening in our lives, and that dictates what kind of music we play. We don’t really choose. If there is a choice, I think it is not to deliberately fit into one genre or style of music. I think its just whatever you are feeling on the day, and whatever the artistic expression of that might be.”
This approach has made Kingswood welcome in the hallowed halls of country music, both here and in the U.S. They have played at the Gympie Music Muster, Tamworth Music festival, and have even played in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Alex and I write the songs. We write separately, and we write together, and we bring this to the band to flesh it out. Sometimes they don’t do anything, (because) that song is ok how it is, and sometimes they rip them apart, and take bits and pieces of songs and push them together. There are no real rules.”
The core of the band consists of Fergus and his childhood friend, Alex Laska.
“Its an honor to be in a songwriting partnership with Alex. I like to think that he makes my songs better. Alex is classically trained, and I’m not. I don’t have much formal training. Sometimes that chord that doesn’t make sense just sounds good, so it’s a good balance.”
“Alex and I have gone to school together since we were eight years old. We were in a band when we were eleven. We were mates through school, and started the band not long after school. We have, like a family of musicians around us. Because we tour so much, and everybody has their own lives , it can be difficult to have a steady line-up. At the moment, it’s the same band it has been for a while, and we’re very happy with it.”
The current lineup is completed by drummer, Josh Koop and bassist, Braiden Machetti. Fortunately, despite his last name, Braiden has not been banned in Victoria. I know. I asked. I also asked about how Fergus discovered his love for music.
“My Mum was a singer in a band, and we used to tour around, and my Dad was a great lover of music. He would read all the books and know all the stories, and my two older brothers were singers. I was kind of ‘the quiet one’ in that household . I think because I always sang the fourth harmony , I had to pay more attention to what I was singing.”
Kingswood’s song. ‘Golden’ was featured in the Australian film, ‘Runt’. I asked what impact this had on their career, and the experience of being a part of that world.
“I have always had an interest in film, and have a habit of taking note of the score , or what part the music plays in the overall mood of the film. We have had a few tunes included in commercials and films, so it’s always nice to get that recognition.”
As difficult as the industry is, every little bit helps. Touring is more expensive, there’s less to be made from selling hard copies, like C.D.s, and streaming services don’t pay as well as they could, so any artist’s main source of revenue is touring. As a band who has always toured extensively, I was curious as to how much the changes in the industry have affected Kingswood.
“It’s disappointing to see Spotify’s annual profits , for example, and see how little of that makes it back to the artist. There’s enough to go around and make everybody happy, but that’s not what’s happening. There is an advantage , though, and that is the relative ease with which anyone can make their music accessible. I think we will try to adapt to how the industry changes as time goes on, but we will do our best to stay with what we do now, which is touring as much as possible while ever we are lucky enough to have people who want to see us.”
“A lot of great festivals are shutting down , so there is less opportunity to sell tickets now, and the expected resurgence of people wanting to see live music post covid hasn’t happened like what was expected. We are playing ‘Savannah In The Round’ near Cairns soon, which we are really looking forward to. We love it up there. We feel very fortunate to be playing at these venues. We have a new tune out called “Lovin a girl”, and we will be playing it live at both shows”
You can catch Kingswood in all their live splendor at The Tanks Arts Centre on 19th June, tickets available through Ticketlink
Noel Keid
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