With a new EP soon to be released, Steel City lads The Owls are bringing their snarling brand of raucous rock north for several live dates.
Drummer Matt McDonough shares their stories about drag clubs, waking to find bowling balls in the tour van and filming with a GoPro hungover.
Tell us about ‘Own The Streets’, the group’s latest EP... you’ve posted the album artwork on Facebook today... ‘Own The Streets’ has been in the works ever since we finished our last EP, ‘Swamp Love’, back in November 2012. The EP has evolved its own theme over the course of writing and we think the name encapsulates that.
'Own The Streets' EP artworkSonically, how would you describe the EP? A continuation of early Owls releases? I believe there's a bit of both. Taking the best of our past and also maturing our sound as we've grown. We are pretty chuffed with it.
To have an EP ready for public consumption... that must be a satisfying feeling? Well, actually we've had this ready since around September last year. So it's been a bit frustrating but I'm glad the wait is nearly over; starting to get that excited feeling.
The next step for The Owls as a band... have you planned out what the next six months will entail? Well after the EP drops, we will be going on an extensive Australian tour from August to October — the biggest we've done so far — then we will be back in the studio... hopefully.
The clip for ‘Ocean’ using a GoPro is pretty trippy... well once the disco lights come on. How much prep/ fun went into filming? Trippy and also free! Haha! To be honest, this single has kinda caught us by surprise. We didn’t expect this to be as well received as it has been. We were told we needed a video, and quick, so I bought the idea to the table and it was all we had. Got together that Saturday night, had a few drinks and did the shoot. The following morning though was terrible. Doing those daylight scenes at 6am was torture. None of us wanted to be there. But we needed to do it. I spent last week editing it and now it's out. I can't believe how well it came together, we are all pretty happy with it.
The Owls backstory... can you paint a picture about how you guys came together... Josh [Bailey, singer] and Lewis [Gillespie, lead guitar] initially started The Owls after playing together for a while; I was living in London at the time. Josh called me up and said: "when you come home, you're drumming in my band". I had never drummed before and three months later I was in the band. Joey [Bourke] has been with us for just over two years after we had a line-up change.
The Cribs, The Jezabels, DZ Deathrays and Ball Park Music have all shared the stage at some point with The Owls... did you grow closer to any of these bands while on the road? We've bumped into The Jezabels quite a few times since we played with them. They are awesome and really nice. Unfortunately we didn't grow closer with the others.
Straight after a set, what does The Owls’ band room resemble? Is it closer to quiet tiredness or more like someone let off a firecracker? It's usually a sauna. Haha! Well, I feel like I'm in a sauna. We tend to leave all our energy on stage, so a bit of quiet tiredness and beers probably best describes us after a show.
You’re playing The Bearded Lady in Brisbane... have any of the band members had any encounters with hairy ladies? We have stumbled into a drag bar before. Probably not the best place for pre-show drinks. Haha!
The Owls remedy for treating eager groupies... When we get our first I'll let you know.
After thousands of kilometres travelling around the country, what's been the strangest item/ thing/ person you've discovered in the tour van? We woke up with a bowling ball in our van. We didn't play at a bowling alley. Haha!
Banter with the crowd during shows... is it something you guys actively cultivate? It all depends. In foreign places, we tend to let our music do the talking. But give Josh a couple of scotches before hand and he'll let loose.
So beards are beginning to wear thin with our female cousins... what's the next trend men will fasten onto to remain trendy... could the Dunlop KT26 make a Lazarus type return? I think Lewis and myself will be rocking the beards for a while. It's not about fashion in winter. It's an extra coat. Haha! As for the new trend? Who knows these days. Trends start and a week later their gone. I did see a meme of a scene from ‘Back To The Future’, which suggested what we will be wearing next year. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the trend.
The Owls Tour Dates
Wed May 21 - Beach Road Hotel (Sydney)Fri May 23 - The Great Northern (Byron Bay)
Sat May 24 - The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)
Fri May 30 - The Standard Bowl (Surry Hills)
