Since the 1970s, countless Australians have rocked out to AC/DC in a Kingswood. Next month, they’ll be rocking out to AC/DC with Kingswood.
The Melbourne band has been announced as one of the support bands for the Australian leg of the highly-anticipated ‘Rock Or Bust’ AC/DC tour. For guitarist Alex Laska, it’s a dream come true. “We found out a couple of weeks before the official announcement, but everyone’s still pinching themselves obviously, because how often does that happen?” he says.
“We’ll do full-production rehearsals with something that will allow us to run what we do on a big stage in a smaller environment… when you open for AC/DC you have restrictions, you don’t get the full PA, but we’re going to go all-out, of course, as we would.”
“That’s where we started, as an AC/DC-tribute band.”
It seems fitting that Kingswood were selected for the coveted support slot, with much of their sound and Alex’s guitar technique shaped by AC/DC and, in particular, Angus Young’s playing style. “A lot of my early guitar-learning days were spent trying to imitate Angus’ lines and lead lines,” Alex says.
“That’s where we started out, as an AC/DC-tribute band back in the day.”
From stadium shows, to coastal clubs and back again, Kingswood’s AC/DC support performances at QSAC on November 12, 14 book-ends a busy three days for the band, which includes their own, headline show at Helm Bar on the Sunshine Coast. “It’s not often you go play a smaller gig in between opening for AC/DC,” Alex says.
“We’ve toured our arses off touring around playing similar venues [to Helm Bar] so that’s what we know and that’s what we love, and it means we can get out to the beach which we also love. So I feel like it’ll be a nice little break away from the city life.”
Kingswood are currently on tour in the United States, with Alex taking a commanding lead in promoting and establishing the band in the country’s notoriously competitive, music market. “I’ve been here about three months taking meetings, setting-up networks, doing publicity services and radio services and starting to get enough people interested and know that we’re committed to being here.
“Because so often it’s the case where someone will come over and just go, ‘yeah, yeah we wanna play in America and we wanna release a record’; but they’re not going to bother investing with you when you’ve got to go back to Australia every couple of months.”
Also in the works is a follow-up to their 2014 album, ‘Microscopic Wars’, which Alex says will cover new musical terrain for Kingswood. “It’s all in pre-production, there’s a couple of finished tracks I’m really excited about; they take off from where we left ‘Microscopic...’ but not to restrict any musical or creative direction it wants to go in, and obviously we put in the city and town and life influence…new territory, you know.
"I just want it to be another facet in the multi-dimensional world of Kingswood, not like it’s ‘Microscopic Wars Volume Two’, I want it to be different.”
Touring America and playing support for arguably the world’s greatest rock band is one hell of a grand leap for the quartet who, a mere five years ago, hadn’t released a record and were scrambling for gigs on the Melbourne pub-circuit. “When you put it like that it is a very big bar to think where we were five years ago, because when you’re in it you’re just constantly slugging away and you don’t step back and go ‘holy shit, five years ago we were playing the basement at the Espy!” Alex laughs, “it’s crazy.”
Kingswood Tour Dates
Fri 30 Oct - The Grand Hotel (Mornington)Thu 5 Nov - The Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Fri 6 Nov - Waves (Wollongong)
Fri 13 Nov - The Helm (Sunshine Coast)
Thu 26 Nov - Settlers Tavern (Margaret River)
Fri 27 Nov - Jack Rabbit Slims (Perth)
Sat 5 Dec - SS&A (Albury)
AC/DC Support Tour Dates
Wed 4 Nov - ANZ Stadium (Sydney)Sat 7 Nov - ANZ Stadium (Sydney)
Thu 12 Nov - QSAC Stadium (Brisbane)
Sat 14 Nov - QSAC Stadium (Brisbane)
Sat 21 Nov - Adelaide Oval (Adelaide)
Fri 27 Nov - Domain Stadium (Perth)
Sun 29 Nov - Domain Stadium (Perth)
Sun 6 Dec - Etihad Stadium (Melbourne)
Tue 8 Dec - Etihad Stadium (Melbourne)