After a recent tour of the UK in support of their latest album, 'Creatures Of Leisure', Sunshine Coast reggae-funk rockers The Floating Bridges are preparing for a very busy festive season.
Vocalist and percussionist Dale Mallett says the band's recent foray overseas saw The Floating Bridges attain a level of international exposure that had eluded them. “We touched down in London for our first weekend of shows; our expectations were high I guess, being that we were going over to the other side of the world, but it actually went better than expected.
Image © GT Photographics“We teamed up with a couple of other bands while we were over there and the shows in London were just awesome. The fact that we played at three festivals, two of them being two of the bigger festivals in the UK, it was just awesome, sweet as.”
Dale says the way reggae is embedded in England's culture suited The Floating Bridges perfectly and equated to a greater appreciation among the audience for their nuanced style. “The reggae scene was quite big over there as well and we've met a lot of reggae bands that work that straight-down-the-line reggae influence but our style is a bit more funky, regged-up rock.
“Someone described us as that when we were over there: regged-up funk rock, and I think they really clung to that stuff because it was a bit more upbeat, a bit more happy, a bit more vibrant than just the old two-step for 45 minutes.”
The Floating Bridges financed the tour using a Regional Arts Development Fund grant from the Sunshine Coast Council. “It was a real base of money and support,” Dale says, “knowing that our Sunshine Coast Council was behind us in getting opportunities to actually put our music out into the community over in England and back here in Australia.
“So for us as an independent band, it was priceless. This was a great opportunity for us to really take the next step with our album instead of hitting and hoping... I really want to thank the Sunshine Coast Council, they've provided us a lot of support over the years.”
The Floating Bridges have now returned to the Sunshine Coast and are currently preparing for what is sure to be one of the busiest festive seasons for any local band, including their signature Christmas party at Solbar. “For the last two years we've had our annual Floating Bridges Christmas party the weekend before Christmas,” Dale explains.
“So it's happening again this year; we've got All Strings Attached supporting, they're another local [Sunshine] Coast band who are kicking goals at the moment, and some good friends of ours from out at Agnes Waters, called Agnes Blue.
“We invite everyone to come out, celebrate the festive season with us and the crew, and hopefully have a good night of dancing and good times. It's just before we head out to Woodford [Folk Festival], so we're always in high spirits come Christmas time.”
The Floating Bridges Christmas Party takes place at Solbar 19 December. They also play Woodford Folk Festival 27 December until January 1.
