Melbourne band IV League are heading to Shakafest next month and they're bringing their unique live energy and new music with them for the ride.
Hot off the back of their BIGSOUND performance in September, and gearing up to release a new EP in the coming months, IV League vocalist Bella Venutti says she’s eager to head north with the band and experience Shakafest for the first time.
“This is actually the first time I’d heard about the festival," Bella says. "A few friends and colleagues of mine had said they’d been the previous year and said it was really fun. I’m really keen to check it out. Especially because it isn’t a festival that occurs in Victoria. I hadn’t caught wind of it, but I’m very excited to play.
“I think it will be a nice little holiday show for us as well. We’ve never been to the Gold Coast as a band so that should be really great. [We’re also] playing alongside some bands I really loved when I was younger like Last Dinosaurs, [which] should be really fun.”
Through years of practise, IV League have achieved a unique live energy that fans admire. Bella explains this experience of performing live offers a fulfilling sensation that she’s eager to experience at the festival.
“I think we will be bringing our live energy that we’ve been working on for the past couple of years. I think it’s at its strongest point yet," she says.
“Our set has a lot of variation I think. We kind of start as a mid-tempo energy, slow it down in the middle, and then play most of our hardest songs at the end. It’s a really fun way to close it off.
“Anyone that’s a live performer will probably tell you it’s the most fulfilling thing you can do. I was speaking to a friend about this recently and when you perform in front of an audience it’s almost like – I don’t think of it as me giving a performance to people, [but rather] participating in the entire experience with the crowd and everyone. It’s just a cool thing that’s occurring and it’s amazing to be a part of.
“I think what we are doing is quite different within the Australian indie music scene, which is cool. A lot of people say we have either a very American or UK sound. Adherence to our original style is something about our live sets that peers and friends tend to enjoy.”
Bella says that aside from their well-practised live energy, Shakafest punters can look forward to hearing a collection of new music from the band’s upcoming EP. “We’re going to be playing lots of new material as well, which is exciting," she says.
“It’s always good playing our most recent single, ‘Superstar. It’s really cool. We’ve had a really positive reception with that. Playing it live at shows is always great and I think it really gets the crowd going.
“We’re going to be playing a couple of songs from our upcoming EP [as well], which doesn’t have a release date yet. We will be releasing the first taste of that in the coming months.”
IV League Tour Dates
Fri 16 Nov - Loch Hart 2018 (Princetown, VIC)Sun 18 Nov - Civic Sounds Laneway Festival (Melbourne Music Week)
Sat 24 Nov - Shakafest (Gold Coast)
29-31 Mar - The Hills Are Alive 2019 (Krowera, VIC)
