Fresh off the western leg of a national tour to support their latest EP release, 'Vol. 2', nothing has stopped the larger than life duo This Way North; although some have tried.
Leisha Jungalwalla, one half of of the band, earned herself the bad-ass nickname ‘Stingray’ after she suffered stingray stings to both ankles at Cervantes beach in Western Australia.
In true rock & roll style, Leisha shredded at the band’s next gig in Scarborough – even though the injury stopped her from being able to stand up. “It was pretty nerve-racking at the start, but I’ve recovered quickly so that’s fine,” she says.
“[The #MeToo conversation] needs to come from the audience members, the hosts, the artists themselves and from the male artists supporting female artists’ equality.”
Leisha and Cat Leahy, the other musician in This Way North, are pretty much on the road constantly, and it’s clear that touring, performing live and vibing with the crowd is what they enjoy most about music.
“We’re not very good at hiding that fact, we’re pretty happy and smiley,” Leisha says.
“We team up together to really think about the show and how we’re going to perform for everybody.”
For 'Vol. 2', the duo stepped away from their roots background, maintaining a rock element in their tracks but also “branching out” into a new alt-pop sound that Cat and Leisha have been digging.
“I think we’ve progressed in the way that our music tastes have changed, which I think is a natural change for an artist,” Leisha says.
Amid the continuing #MeToo conversation, the duo were inspired to launch Sass The Patriarchy, a month-long residency at the Northcote Social Club(in Melbourne) focussed on spotlighting issues that face women in the music industry.
Each week, This Way North were joined by another musical act and a host who facilitated discussions about change and equality with pub-goers.
“We really wanted to see some action happening, so people could walk away with actual strategies they could use to bring about more equality,” Leisha says.
“It comes from everyone in all the record labels in Australia making the change, but it also needs to come from the audience members, the hosts, the artists themselves and from the male artists supporting female artists’ equality.
"It needs to come from the venues, it needs to come from the festival directors, [and] it needs to come from women.”
Cat and Leisha push forward more and more with each release, and are a stronger team because of their differences. “I’m not really good with the technological things,” Leisha says.
“I play by ear a lot, including the harmonies and vocals, and I’m not trained, so I can move outside the box.”
Cat has a formal, music background and approaches songwriting from the perspective of a drummer. “A drummer writing music is a really beautiful thing, because they often write with the beat, not the melody in their head,” Leisha says.
“You know, Mick Fleetwood wrote a lot of Fleetwood Mac’s songs; drummers who write songs just come from a different place... and it creates a really interesting sound.”
This Way North are hoping they’ll have time to write a full-length album sometime this year, between the eastern leg of their national tour, shows in New Zealand and Canada.
“We focussed on releasing ['Vol. 2']... and now we’re in the midst of touring and we’re starting to have little inklings to settle down and do a little bit of writing,” Leish says.
“As a musician, you want to be present on stage, and then off stage, you’re often six months ahead to a year ahead. It’s the strange combination that comes with the life.”
This Way North Tour Dates
Thu 26 Apr - Oxford Arts Factory (Sydney)Sat 28 Apr - Paddock Sessions (Hunter Valley)
Thu 3 May - Beach Hotel (Byron Bay)
Fri 4 May - The Bearded Lady (Brisbane)
Sat 5 May - Solbar (Sunshine Coast)
Fri 11 May - Hamilton Station Hotel (Newcastle)
Sat 12 May - Burradise Festival (Currawong)
Sat 19 May - Tanswells Bandroom (Beechworth)
Thu 24 May - The Workers Club (Melbourne)
