17 October 2011
Seated on Sony Music’s delegated interview couch in Sydney, Tonight Alive’s self-assigned promo duo, Jenna McDougall and Whakaio (say it as if you’re about to cuss the F-word) Taahi look as though their smiles might emit an explosion of rainbows and Skittles at any given moment. They’ve just finished hosting a slot on Channel [V] and their debut album What Are You So Scared Of? is mere hours from dropping – probably not the best moment to bring up the plethora of Paramore parallels that have been following the five-piece since forming in 2008.
“I think it’s a lazy comparison,” says 19-year-old McDougall, a little irked. “It’s easy to say that. Especially when journalists write something about us and that’s the first thing they say; you wouldn’t really say that about a male fronted band.”
“I think it’s a lazy comparison,” says 19-year-old McDougall, a little irked. “It’s easy to say that. Especially when journalists write something about us and that’s the first thing they say; you wouldn’t really say that about a male fronted band.”
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| Photo credit: Ken Leanfore |
But for McDougall, guitarists Taahi and Jake Hardy, Bassist Cam Adler and drummer Matt Best Tonight Alive was always going to be a femme-fronted pop punk band. After Taahi joined Hardy and Adler’s cover band in Year 11 he spearheaded the auditioning and forming of a band powered by jovial angst and unabashed pop punk referencing.
“I kind of kicked out the singer,” laughs Taahi, 21 “Then we got Jenna in and I kicked out the drummer, and then we got Matt.”
Undoubtedly still completing their green years, the band’s bright-eyed and baby-faced disposition garnered them a major label record deal this year, globetrotting support tours with their genre’s luminaries and a six-week recording stint in L.A. with producer-great, Mark Trombino (Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World). While it may seem like every kid with aPunk-O-Rama boxset’s wet dream, Tonight Alive are a long way from gaining any kind of independence.
“I guess the only hard thing is money, ‘cos we can’t work while we do this,” says Taahi, oblivious to the fact he actively doesn’t consider Tonight Alive work. “We all have nothing in our bank account at the moment but this is what we love doing.”
Unfortunately it’s the parentals that have been funding the band’s dream since they collectively decided to forgo HSCs and university degrees to make Tonight Alive top priority. “It’s tough having to always borrow money off my parents,” says McDougall. “But it’s all I have right now.” Desperate times did indeed lead to desperate measures whilst in Brisbane touring with Simple Plan recently. “Since we’re all broke the band made a bet with Whakaio,” begins McDougall before Taahi cuts her off to explain the wager in between chuckles.
“When I’m onstage I always stand in this massive power stance like an idiot, and all my jeans are split in the crotch. Before we were gonna go on [stage] they said ‘why don’t you just cut the leg off, we’ll give you 70 bucks.’ “So I just had one full leg and one booty shorts leg, my undies were out and everything, and I went out and played to a sold out Tivoli.”
The band sold out a few venues of their own this year; while touring their Starlight EP Tonight Alive played two back-to-back shows at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel this July, a moment which Taahi says marked the point where he realised Australia was listening. “I remember just looking over at our drummer Cam and we both knew what we were thinking: ‘what the fuck did we do to deserve this?’”
Unfortunately it’s the parentals that have been funding the band’s dream since they collectively decided to forgo HSCs and university degrees to make Tonight Alive top priority. “It’s tough having to always borrow money off my parents,” says McDougall. “But it’s all I have right now.” Desperate times did indeed lead to desperate measures whilst in Brisbane touring with Simple Plan recently. “Since we’re all broke the band made a bet with Whakaio,” begins McDougall before Taahi cuts her off to explain the wager in between chuckles.
“When I’m onstage I always stand in this massive power stance like an idiot, and all my jeans are split in the crotch. Before we were gonna go on [stage] they said ‘why don’t you just cut the leg off, we’ll give you 70 bucks.’ “So I just had one full leg and one booty shorts leg, my undies were out and everything, and I went out and played to a sold out Tivoli.”
The band sold out a few venues of their own this year; while touring their Starlight EP Tonight Alive played two back-to-back shows at Sydney’s Annandale Hotel this July, a moment which Taahi says marked the point where he realised Australia was listening. “I remember just looking over at our drummer Cam and we both knew what we were thinking: ‘what the fuck did we do to deserve this?’”
Since then, Tonight Alive have become the poster kids for follow-your-dreams inspiration arrangements, even landing the Ambassador position for My School Act, an online music and talent competition for high school students. “We were in high school when we started the band and we did stupid little competitions to try and get ahead,” says Taahi. “But this one is a really good opportunity that we would have loved to have had when we were in school.”
The band understand they were flown into the spotlight and were developing their own sound before they’d even fully developed themselves. “I think I’ve been experiencing things that a lot of kids my age won’t experience for a long time,” admits McDougall. “There’s expectations that you put on yourself, adult expectations,” adds Taahi, “We’re in an adult world,” McDougall tells her bandmate.
They may be small fish in a big pond with media endeavouring to pigeonhole them at every turn into boxes they think the public can handle, but Tonight Alive are determined to stand their ground and carve their own path using stern revolt and an integrity moulded since their early teens.
“We just concentrate on our own sound and playing shows,” says Taahi. “Hopefully with the release of this album we’ll go in our own direction.”
What Are You So Scared Of? is out now through Sony Music.
The band understand they were flown into the spotlight and were developing their own sound before they’d even fully developed themselves. “I think I’ve been experiencing things that a lot of kids my age won’t experience for a long time,” admits McDougall. “There’s expectations that you put on yourself, adult expectations,” adds Taahi, “We’re in an adult world,” McDougall tells her bandmate.
They may be small fish in a big pond with media endeavouring to pigeonhole them at every turn into boxes they think the public can handle, but Tonight Alive are determined to stand their ground and carve their own path using stern revolt and an integrity moulded since their early teens.
“We just concentrate on our own sound and playing shows,” says Taahi. “Hopefully with the release of this album we’ll go in our own direction.”
What Are You So Scared Of? is out now through Sony Music.
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