With The Farmer and The Owl Festival kicking off in Wollongong tomorrow, plenty of talented musicians and artists will be showing off their goods, and we’ve got another band to introduce you to. Meet Scarborough, the Kiama trio who are currently making waves and will be bringing them down to The Farmer and The Owl.
Who are you and where are you from?
Scarborough are a three piece band from Kiama, NSW. We have an eclectic range of influences spanning many genres; the band harnesses a raw, heavy groove, complemented with powerful harmonies to create songs which erratically move between dark, lyrical ballads and intense, energetic frolics. We started the band halfway through the year, since then we have been gigging and writing many songs. We recorded a few demos for the Unearthed High competition when we formed, but these are more of a snapshot of the band in its foetal stages.
Tell us about your latest release(s): where we can find it and what we can expect from it?
We haven’t had the opportunity to record properly yet, but we are planning on getting some of our many songs onto an EP during the summer holidays. We had some demos up on Unearthed, but these have been taken down as we have had a change of line-up and general sound. We will hopefully have some demos up soon as we have just recently gained access to some cool recording facilities.
Where did you record and who did you work with?
Jamie Fletcher, the father of one of our bandmates owns a small home studio where we recorded our demos and will be recording the EP.
How do you and your band generally write your music? Is there a head songwriter, do you collab together etc?
Both Max and Robert write the songs, in co-operation or independently; these are then taken into rehearsals, expanded and manipulated to suit our whims.
What can we expect from your performance at Farmer and the Owl?
A groovy set which is at times heavy, energetic, melancholic – but always fresh and varied. The addition of vocal harmonies on many of the new songs is something which we hope will come across well!
Who are you looking forward to seeing at the event?
The Drones, Dappled Cities, The Laurels, Nuclear Family, Surf City.
How important are events like this to areas like Wollongong?
They are essential and too few between. Yours and Owls have been incredible as an opportunity for us and many other bands like us to get a start playing gigs locally. A larger event which still includes newer bands is great as it gives us a chance to play to an audience who we would otherwise not reach. From a non-musician’s point of view, local music is rather sparse and to have an event of this size, which includes both local bands and international ones is fantastic – gives people something to do!
Talk us through some of your highlights from 2013!
Forming the band, gigging with local bands who we have a great deal of respect for, getting into the scene, and just generally receiving support from so many people we didn’t expect to have on board. However, we believe the best is still to come, and that the Farmer and the Owl will be a highlight indeed.
What can we expect from you in 2014?
A fresh EP/album (we certainly have enough songs!), a more prolific gigging schedule, and, as we will all be over eighteen, appearances in a much larger range of venues, hopefully creating a bigger fan base.
What’s your favourite Australian release of 2013 (so far)?
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Push the Sky Away.
Your favourite international release of 2013?
Swan’s live album Not Here/Not Now – it is insane.
—
Get along and check Scarborough out, as well as many other talented acts, when The Farmer and The Owl takes place tomorrow. Set times are up at www.thefarmerandtheowl.com!
