Australian Kingswood Factory
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

Australian Kingswood Factory

australiankingswood.jpg

“For us [playing live] is the be all and end all,” says guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Bush. “Even if we’ve gotta work crappy servo jobs or at a bar, we will do that because we absolutely love doing it. The energy and reaction we get from the crowd is everything to us, and I know we’re going to be doing this in one form or another for the rest of our lives.”

Originally from Canberra, AKF formed in the mid-’00s. “Our current lineup has been together for two years, but the band has been around for 11,” Lindsey says. “I’m the last founding member, but our bass player Chris [Keogh] has been with the band for nine and a half years. Carl [drums] is only a recent addition.”

Now operating as a trio, the band have become a favourite on the Melbourne pub and club circuit as well as drawing large crowds at shows up and down the east coast. They’ve been hand-picked to support bands such as Hell City Glamours, The Meanies, Airbourne, The Meteors and, one of Bush’s main influences, The Angels.

“We’ve played some amazing shows, and we’re one hundred and ten per cent crowd-fed – although obviously alcohol helps,” Bush laughs. “But the main focus for us is getting the crowd worked up and excited, and having as much fun as we are.”

To celebrate the release of their debut record, 245 (out now),the loveable larrikins have loaded up the Holden for a run of shows this month, including a hometown romp at the Brunswick Hotel this weekend.

“We wanted to make the Melbourne show a mini festival and have a big hurrah, so we thought what better way to do that than to put all of our mates’ bands on?”

The lineup for the mini-festival/album launch features Muscle Car, Dixon Cider, Glen and the Peanut Butter Men, Damn the Torpedos, Rumblin’ Wolf and The Balls. “They’re all bands that we’ve played with before, that have helped us along the way or that we’ve helped along the way, and that we’ve become friends with over the last two or three years. Especially the guys from The Balls. We’ve done a few tours with them now – they’re very good friends of ours. In fact, both of our drummers used to work together in the same call centre. We love partying with those guys – they’re great fun, and we’ve been all up and down the east coast with them now. We’d like to get them on the road as much as possible. That’s why we’re taking them to the Bendigo show as well.”

While Bush says life as a touring musician is a dream come true, he’s the first to admit that playing in an independent band today is a hard slog. However, he wouldn’t change a thing. “As long as I’m able to hang up my work boots at five o’clock on Friday afternoon and go to a rock‘n’roll show and play some guitar, I will die pretty bloody content.”

BY NATALIE ROGERS