They say necessity is the mother of all invention – and out of the need for a consistent alternative rock and roll band night comes Gunslinger Nights.
The once a month show will be held at the Sydney’s iconic Annandale Hotel, starting off with a bang on Saturday the 30th of April and continuing on the last Thursday Night of every month. With a massive four-band line up, Gunslinger Nights are set to take Sydney by storm and leave punters craving more.
Headlining the inaugural night will be Kotadama (Japanese for ‘Spirit of words’). Formed in 2009, the band has had success after success. Following the release of their album ‘Dichotomy’, Kotadama played shows in Japan and was included in the Kansai Music Conference in Osaka. ‘See you tonight’, the first single of the album was picked up by KISS.FM
Main support for the night We Are Grace. Hailing from New South Wales’ Central Coast, the five-piece band brings its own unique twist to the Alt Rock genre, lead by lead vocalist Laurian, after joining with one of Australia’s top booking agencies Artist Voice, We Are Grace have toured relentlessly in 2011, playing Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory, as well as the Esplanade Hotel, and Miss Libertines in Melbourne. This band has shown no signs of stopping and continue to progress at a rapid rate.
Also supporting Kotadama will be Lovers Jump Creek. Showing talent of musicians twice their age, Sydney’s Lovers Jump Creek has secured a loyal fan base through consistent live performances and new releases. Letting nothing get in their way, the band has played festivals including ‘Lovejam’ and ‘Hopscotch Festival’, gaining critical acclaim and many a fan along the way.
Opening the night for what will be their first show, coinciding with the release of their self-titled debut EP, will be All My Alien Sex Friends. Having already secured a solid fan base, AMASF brings a deeply honest, somewhat foreboding sound similar to that of influences Violent Soho, but with the youthful, twisted take on life not unlike Blink 182.
We caught up with the curator of the night, Mike Hohnen, to learn more:
Where did the “Gunslinger” name come from?
I’ve always liked ‘Gunslinger’ as a name, not for my children but for business. It doesn’t subscribe to any particular genre. It has good connotations and invokes a great mental image.
How would you best sum up what we should expect from the night?
Awesome tunes and a great atmosphere. People should expect to walk away from there with 4 new favorite bands
How did the bands come together for the opening night?
I buckled down and did some research on bands that were making a lot of waves. There’s been tones of hype around We Are Grace and Lovers Jump Creek lately. All My Alien Sex Friends are young and just starting out, and I want to make a trend of having an opening band who is playing their first show, and Kotadama slid in perfectly, they’ve done the US, Japan and UK, I think its time they did Australia. And it doesn’t hurt when all the bands are full of awesome guys!
What are some tracks we should check out from the bands?>/b>
Kotadama’s ‘See You Tonight’, ‘Get Out Of My Head’ is my favourite by We Are Grace, Lovers Jump Creek have an awesome song called ‘Sugar’ and everyone should check out ‘Dress Black’ by All My Alien Sex Friends
What is planned for the future of Gunslinger Nights?
More and more rocking shows! Maybe some bands from abroad? Time will tell!
What would be your dream Gunslinger Night lineup?
My dream line up would have to be Blink 182 as headliner, Brand New as main support, Tonight Alive for some Australian flare and probably my friends from I’m No Thief to open, they would love that. I wonder if this is possible…
How important is the Annandale Hotel to the Sydney scene? There is of course concern we’ll lose the venue…
I think the Annandale Hotel is very important to the scene in Sydney. It’s always been around, it’s consistently had good shows, and it’s a great environment for music! I also think its largely taken for granted. If we loose it, there will be a big hole in the scene here.
