While at Music Matters in Singapore, we had the opportunity to meet some incredible Australian musicians and get to know them a bit better, as they made some invaluable connections and impressions on a market that is in itself, very large and diverse. One of those bands was Bad Pony, a Sydney five-piece who are going to be heading out on tour back home this month and throughout November in support of their next single, “Bottles”.
As Larry found out from Jarred Young and Sam Thom
We’re here at Marina Bay Sands for Music Matters 2016 conference. You played a couple of shows last night as part of Music Matters Live. What are your first impressions of Singapore, and how did the shows go?
Jarred: The shows went really well and Singapore is really cool. It’s really different to playing in Australia. It’s a lot more humid, which we suffered from a lot in the second show, which was outdoors at like 80% humidity. We had to pack extra clothes for the gig! There has been lots of nice food, and the crowd has been really friendly, cool and receptive.
These showcases are often different to the normal gig, and you only get to fit a few songs in. But this is but a sideshow for your tour, which has been going on since May. So how has it been?
Sam: They’ve been the best shows of our lives so far. We have noticed people are coming to the shows knowing the songs and the lyrics. It’s more than just friends and friends of friends, it’s actual support which is so cool. Pretty much the majority of the shows are selling out, so it’s pretty amazing.
Jarred: It’s been so amazing! We’re also tired. We can’t wait for a break, but we love touring. We don’t get a break, pretty much because once we’re finished with this tour, We’ll be mixing our next single. That’s going to be out in October. Then straight after that, we’re doing a tour in late October and November, so there’s not really much time off.
So can we expect a larger release? Or would it be more singles?
Jarred: We are definitely enjoying the single release, but eventually it’ll be part of a bigger thing. Maybe an EP or an album next year? We’ve just got to take some time off from doing shows and spend some time recording songs.
The music that we are hearing, where is that going to end up, if it hasn’t been released (sound wise)?
Jarred: Most of the stuff that we are playing are off an EP that we released last year called Limbo, so that’s five tunes. There’s the three singles that we’ve put out since then, and there’s a couple of newbies in there.
Sam: Most of the time with new songs, they don’t get completed in the production stage. A lot of the time, Jarred and I write something and have the idea or the concept of a song, which we take into rehearsal to finish and then use live shows to see how audiences respond to it. On our latest single, we have played it a little bit here and there, but it’s completely different live to what it is recorded now. It’s nearly finished in production and it doesn’t sound anything like it sounded originally.
Jarred: So we’re going to have to relearn it. (Laughs)
Is part of that due to the fact that you guys are using the live environment to test songs, or is it like a matter of circumstance?
Sam: I don’t know, it might even be out of boredom that we just wanted to add in some extra bits now and then, but mostly I think it’s seeing the vibe. I mean, in a live show, straight away it’s really easy to see if the song fits with our current vibe and if the audience picks up on it. That’s part of our testing. We have some songs which we tested and we went, “Yeah, they might not be the best songs and don’t fit with our set.”
Jarred: But we might not just dismiss it, we might revisit (the song) in the studio, rewrite some stuff or come out with some new parts for that material.
Do you like that process?
Sam: Yes. I love writing music. It’s the best part. The reason we’re in this band is to write music; playing live is amazing as well. That’s the most satisfying part; being able to sit down and writing something that you really proud dig.
We’re sitting here outside in relatively cool Singapore, what made you decide to come here?
Jarred: I saw a few of the past lineups and checked out the festival. Being at BIGSOUND for the last few years and seeing how the music conference set up works, it’s just a really cool environment to be in. I really liked some of the bands that have played here before and I lived in in Singapore for a while, and I thought it would be cool to come here and try and expand into the Asian market as well.
Sam: I think we are pretty open to trying new stuff as well. If an opportunity opens up we will jump at it. We want to be part of it. Like Jarred said, we know that there are a lot of people in the industry here and also other bands – already we’ve met so many cool bands on this trip. And that’s what it’s about in the end. Sharing your music with other people, sharing their music, and being amongst all the people in this industry, it’s a really good environment to be a part of. We already knew that from attending BIGSOUND, so when we were asked to do this, we were like “Yup” Straight away.
Jarred: Our new best friends are The Souls from Switzerland.
That’s the amazing thing about events like this, there are over thirty bands here and there are lots of opportunities to connect with people in a way which you can’t somewhere else.
Jarred: Yeah exactly!
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“Bottles” is due out October 18th. The band is out on the road from the end of the month – catch them at any of the following venues!
BAD PONY TOUR DATES
October 28th | Moonshine Rum & Cider Bar, MANLY
November 5th | RAD Bar, WOLLONGONG
November 6th | Newtown Social Club, SYDNEY
November 11th | Night Quarter, GOLD COAST
November 12th | Milk Factory, BRISBANE
November 18th | Republic Bar, HOBART
November 19th | The Evelyn Hotel, MELBOURNE
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