Interview by Karen Murphy

“Probably like, jamming with Hendrix or something,” said Sebastian Astone of YOUNG REVELRY, when asked who he’d most like to jam with. “I probably wouldn’t mind travelling or something; think it would be, oh Bootsy Collins! Bootsy Collins would be pretty badass, maybe like a band with like Bootsy Collins on bass, Hendrix on guitar, me on drums—I think that’d be pretty bad ass, a pretty insane band; I don’t actually play drums…”

Astone and company have the world at their feet, with new EP ‘You and I’ being released last month. “There weren’t any music influences specifically,” he says, of writing tracks for the record. “We just got together and tried to write songs that came naturally, it’s just more about jamming and whatever comes out. One guy would bring a riff or something into the band and we would jam around it.”

Touring their first album nationally over the next two months, Astone says that “it’s nothing to compensate for seeing us live. We have tried to put that rawness in the music on the record, but it doesn’t make up for a live performance. I think being a rock band is all about being a good live band.  I know there are people that put all there focus on the album, but I don’t believe that. You need to be good live.”

An excellent example of live performance, he says, is SUGAR ARMY, a band the guys supported in early July.“Those were a good times,” he says. “We’ve also played for other bands like WASHINGTON. It’s always good to get the opportunity to play to someone else’s crowd. They are good guys, all of them, and it was a fantastic opportunity for us.”

Fortunately, the band isn’t going to let any of this go to its head. “We’re just going to be a band and that’s what we’re about,” Astone says. “We’re trying to keep our interest focused on the music rather than crap like pyrotechnics [at our shows]; keep it nice and simple.”

After two intimate Perth launches at The Bird, Astone says the best part of recording the EP was finishing it. “Getting sent copies of the EP was the best,” he says. “Holding it in my hand and seeing all the hard work was amazing. Although having finished a release and seeing it was a bit of a shock; it was never really something we thought would happen, so it felt really good to have it.”

If you want to catch Young Revelry on tour you can buy tickets at Oztix for their Perth shows in October.

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