A staple of Perth's indie music scene since 2014, Last Lions are building momentum in 2020 with the addition of a new bassist and the recent release of single 'In The End' that is the first taste of more new music later in the year.
The end of 2019 witnessed Last Lions reel of string of local supports with Press Club, Slowly Slowly and WA legends Gyroscope.
Now, with 'In The End' showcasing the band's expanded influences, frontman Mike Slitenbachs sits down for an in-depth chat about bleaching your hair while in iso, writing songs after a break-up, getting to support WAAX and cooking a mean chickpea curry. Serious.
First up, have you washed your hands prior to answering these questions… nah, more seriously, how are you and the rest of the Last Lions members coping in isolation?
Of course! Have you?
Isolation has been a real mixed bag for me. It sucks to not be able to sit in a little room and jam and vibe off the rest of the band, but it's been a blessing in disguise to now have so much time to take a step back from rehearsing for shows, and focus on songwriting and recording.
What's the best tip, suggestion or solution you've heard to ease the boredom feels we're all dealing with?
I've been reading Paul Kelly's autobiography ('How To Make Gravy') and it's so well written, I can get lost in the stories and songs for hours. Also my girlfriend and I did a really professional job of bleaching our hair.
The best suggestion I could give though, is to create something. You can only consume so much books, music and movies. Drawing, writing, exercising, cooking, singing – all that stuff has helped me not go too stir crazy.
How does the band's new single 'In The End', that you released last month, showcase Last Lions development musically since the band formed in 2014?
Good question. Our guitarist Danny and I formed the band when we were 16, so our musical taste stretched from Green Day to Blink-182, and that's about it.
'In The End' shows how our influences have expanded as we've grown up. The guitar style and overall groove was inspired by Hockey Dad's 'Blend Inn' album, and The Replacements' 'Pleased To Meet Me'.
Lyrically, it's sort of an ode to Modest Mouse's 'Float On', and the way that song's "stay positive" mantra helped me get through a dark time. Danny got me into them a few years ago.
This is also the last song our ex-bassist Ella Munro played on. She had a really diverse pool of influences, and you could tell. Everything she writes is so unique, and her bassline really transformed the song. We wish her the best for her solo project.
What's the response been like to the song from fans as well as new listeners to the band?
We've been playing it live for a little over a year, and people would always come up to us after our set and say 'When are you going to record that 'In The End' song?!'
Now that it's finally out, we've been blown away by the response. People have been messaging us saying it's made them cry, or that it's helping them get through the isolation of COVID-19, which melts my heart since writing the song helped me so much.
Is 'In The End' part of a larger collection of songs you plan to release as an album or EP?
Yeah! I wrote a collection of songs over the course of my last break-up.
It kind of follows the time arc of realising I messed up, got introspective and examined my flaws, got all depressed and thought life would never get better, then of course realised it would and saw the light at the end of it all. That's where 'In The End' sits, reassuring me that no matter how hard life gets, it'll always get better.
The band has a new addition, with Calum McLaughlin joining the ranks? What’s his background and how did he become part of the Last Lions furniture?
Calum also plays bass in my friend Synaed's band Girl From Mars. I joined GFM about a year ago, and really hit it off with him. When Ella left, it made perfect sense.
He's got loads of experience playing in bands before us (Stargazer, Holding Giants), so he's as easy to play with as he is to get along with. He makes it obvious that he actually gives a sh.t about the band he's in, which is just the best. He's also a great audio engineer; he co-recorded and mixed Spacey Jane's 'No Way To Treat An Animal' EP, and Great Gable's 'GG' EP.
Prior to the madness of COVID-19, the band had been slated to tour nationally March-April. You're like the rest of us, waiting for official statements re: when we can start getting back to normal; but does the band plan to get back out on the road at the earliest that is allowed?
Pretty much. We're working on rescheduling as many of the 'In The End Tour' dates as possible, but it's hard with a lot of venues not knowing when they'll re-open.
Either way, if things go to plan, we'll have our next release ready by the time iso is over, and we're itching to play as many shows as we can to get it out into the world.
With the extra time you’ve had on your hands, have you managed to channel that into any new creative endeavours for the band?
At the moment, we're finishing the last few songs of the aforementioned album remotely, sending demos back and forth between each other.
I've also been writing loads of new songs inspired by all the wild sh.t that's been happening this year. Bushfires, World War 3 scares, a global health pandemic, social isolation – there's been plenty to write about.
Plus I've got a big, box full of books full of old songs, so I've been busy sending as many demos as I can to the band so we can sift through the sh.t to find what we like.
The band is supporting WAAX on their rescheduled WA dates in October; something to look forward to, no doubt?
Yeah, big time. We've missed playing shows like crazy, so it's reassuring to have a few big ones on the horizon. We supported WAAX last time they came to WA on their 'I AM' tour last August, so it'll be fun to link up with them again.
The band also supported the likes of Press Club, Gyroscope and Slowly Slowly at the end of last year; they must've been great experiences as well as a learning adventure?
Definitely. Press Club are one of my favourite bands, so I was pretty nervous about that show.
Calum hadn't joined the band yet, so we had our mate Daryl from the band Homebrand filling in on bass. We had to rush down to Dunsborough (three-hour drive) straight after work on a Thursday, and the show the following night at a regional lawn bowls club had been cancelled to make way for a meat raffle. Despite this, we found our footing just before we played, and it turns out that Press Club like Last Lions too.
Slowly Slowly are a super inspirational band to see live, and I grew up listening to Gyros, so we couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up 2019.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us?
I make a pretty decent chickpea curry from scratch. Calum's a keen baker too.
No matter the expense, send me a case of?
I'm on a 150 Lashes kick at the moment, so probably that.
What's the one chore you dislike the most?
Washing the dishes. It makes my fingers all soft, so I can't play guitar for an hour or so after, and more dirty dishes always show up again before too long.
Do you have any phobias. . . please explain?
The eternal void of death, and paper cuts.
