.png)
Australia's best new indie rock export: Backstage with The Belair Lipbombs
- Evan Johnson-Charteris
- 17 minutes ago
- 7 min read
A couple weeks ago we had the awesome opportunity to sit down and chat with Australia's hottest new indie rock export, The Belair Lipbombs. Peeking behind the scenes, this MoveOnUp exclusive comes all the way from VEGA, Copenhagen...
Hailing from Frankston, near Melbourne in sunny Australia. The quadruplet embody the very best of what Aussie Indie Rock has to offer right now. Made up of Maisie Everett on lead vocals, Mike Bradvica on guitar, Jimmy Droughton on bass and Daniel Devlin (aka: Dev) on drums; the band lineup has evolved over the years but their new release 'Again' draws together their separate tastes and influences into one cohesive body of work.
Recently featuring on the cover of NME, Triple J and in many more media outlets - it's clear that the Lipbombs have truly shot up into another world from the band who put out Lush Life in 2022.
Currently on their UK tour after completing the European leg, albeit with a few knocks to deal with along the way (our thoughts go out to Mike's foot). It's clear that wherever the band go that they aren't letting the hype get to them and their friend group dynamic remains throughout.
From their interviews, to their live shows, to sharing beers in their green room - what strikes you about the Belair Lipbombs is just how likeable all of them are. For a band who is clearly rocketing up the charts and writing with such poise, it would be understandable for their egos to inflate, but instead their effortless cool remains.
On the topic of the band's writing, between Lush Life and Again, it is clear that there has been remarkable growth in the polish the songwriting. Although Lush Life is a fantastic debut, with it certainly having a place in your punk/indie playlists. Each track of Again has a certain distinctive feature that earworms into your head. From the Irish flute in the title track, to the keys in Cinema, to the rawness of Burning Up; the album is a perfect example of indie rock that branches out and dares to be different.
One of the two tracks that particularly standout from the release is Hey You. Truly captivating from the indie sleaze melody to the nighttime rooftop music video, Hey You really captures the imagination but also sums up the band's approach to music. When asked what the band want audiences to get from their music, Maisie simply said it's just to make music that they love and that can evoke an emotional response from people. Whilst Jimmy added on to say that the band make music for everyone, but mainly for themselves to look back on. With the Hey You music video, stepping away from acting scripts into fully embracing just the music - Lipbombs have elevated themselves into a league of their own. Emulating the Beatles with the rooftop, dressing up in suits and filming at night may seem like a cliche; but simply put, Lipbombs do it so well that you can't help but love it. Music sometimes doesn't have to be overcomplicated, it just needs to have character, and Hey You has an abundance of that.
The second standout track Don't Let Them Tell You (It's Fair) also features a rather remarkable music video (linked below). However, it also embodies the strength of Maisie's vocals and how the band tackles topics such as self love, whilst offering commentary on their perception of the wider music industry.
A more serious example of this writing prowess comes from Price of A Man, which tackles sexism, toxic masculinity and showbusiness. This shows through some really poignant lyrics such as "Try to give your lover a chancе. Do the opposite, it'll make you a man" in the second pre-chorus, as well as in the extended chorus:
I love Paul, 'cause he's a big boy
Saying things that I don't understand
Look at Robbie, he's got no choice
He'll show you what it takes to be a man
And he'll love all the good girls
God help them if they ever talk back
He's a champion of the modern world
And he'll show you what's the price of a man"
Despite her personal substack candidly discussing her imposter syndrome, Maisie's craft has continued to develop with each release, and can only get even better from here. Although Again might not be 'perfect' lyrically to some commentators, there are plenty of highlights that show real distinction and keep you coming back again and again.
Meanwhile the rest of the band really shine on a number of tracks, with some excellent backing drums, bass lines, and absolutely gorgeous guitar solos on top synthesising with the lyrics to create some really impressive indie rock tunes. It is obvious that Again as a whole project is a level up from Lush Life and that each member has stepped up their performance along the production.
That being said, despite the band's individual talents, it is clear from talking with them that each track is truly made altogether as a team effort. A shining example of this is Cinema, which originally started as very similar to Charli XCX's 360. After months of writers block after getting the golddust of the first two lines, it's from their collective head scratching in the studio and an eventual moment of magic with Mike's funk guitar line, that the track made it onto the record. The way which both Jimmy and Dev both glowed as they described the way in which that moment of magic happened, and Maisie's reaction to it; it's really clear that all four truly enjoy making music together.
Similarly with Burning Up, Maisie talked about how the lyrics took a long time to write and as hinted to earlier, contain some quite raw & personal lyrics compared to the other tracks on Again. Although Maisie says that it is the song probably most closely aligned to her and her influences, it's clear that the vulnerability of the track is felt from all the band members - with Devlin describing a duty of care to get the song right and especially do it justice when they play it live.
Furthermore, Burning Up also shows how the band has both strayed from and stuck to their roots on the recent album. Whilst Jimmy jokes that tracks like Smiling are closer to the "average joe Lipbombs song", there are clear different reference tracks across the album that make sure it doesn't fall into the trap that befalls some rock bands whereby each track ends up sounding extremely similar. That being said, there is a clear "Lipbombs mold" that runs through every track on Again and into Lush Life. Both Jimmy and Dev described how there were some songs that sounded really great but didn't fit the album, from Mike's more post punky influences to them hilariously accidentally rewriting Obstacle One by Interpol. Those songs were shelved in the pursuit of maintaining album consistency, with a constant key sound that ties the project together.
Nevertheless, throughout every discussion we had about the tracks and musical influences, it is clear that the foundation of Lipbombs comes from the Melbourne and Frankston grassroots scenes. Some may say that "the poetry's in the streets", and in the case of The Belair Lipbombs, it absolutely rings true, as they truly live and breath the music of the people. Whilst the band strive to move others with their own music, the passion that they have when discussing their influences make it obvious why they're in the music business in the first place. From Gorillaz to Beastie Boys for Jimmy, to Madchester and OK Go's music videos for Dev, to Uncut by Rice Wine and oh baby by LCD Soundsystem for Maisie - their influences ignite their passion to create.
Despite the enduring flights across the world and the purgatory of Melbourne airport (do not get them started on that); The Belair Lipbombs carry their hometown with them wherever they go. Regularly going back to Singing Bird Studio in Frankston where they recorded their first songs, the band all met in their local music scene between school, working at a guitarshop and being on the local band circuit to produce this current lineup. Whilst there is a distinct difference in Frankston's and Melbourne's scenes, with the latter being considerably bigger and more genre separated compared to the former where bands of all different ilk play on the same bill. The cross influences between Frankston and Melbourne have given the band the best of both worlds, with the genre blend of tight knit communities in Frankston to the multiple platforms that Melbourne provides, giving the band the mixture of hometown support and international recognition that has allowed them to grow so quickly in their young career.
A shining example of their growth, aside from their recent extended media coverage, is their North American tour with Spacey Jane. One of Australia's premier exports at the moment, a Spacey Jane support slot is understandably highly coveted and it's a testament to Lipbombs' prowess to get it. Travelling over 17,000km for 25 shows in six weeks in a tour van is not for the faint hearted, yet alone doing it all over again in Europe just three weeks later with the small matter of a pivotal album release in between. Nevertheless, they embraced the challenge and created some brilliant memories (some not appropriate to share here), whilst remaining remarkably humble in the face of their continued success
That really sums them up as a band, humble yet increasingly distinguished. If You've Got The Time, definitely check out a show near you on their upcoming UK tour, or even their Australia shows in the New Year...
Comments