Midnight Youth
Fresh off the plane from the land of the long white cloud, New Zealand act Midnight Youth are taking their first big steps in the Australian scene. They’ve already started to win over audiences with performances at festivals such as Come Together at Sydney’s Luna Park, and will soon embark on a full Australian tour supporting Dukes of Windsor and Trial Kennedy.
To most of us, this latest group of kiwi exports are relative unknowns, but if predecessors like Evermore and Shihad are anything to go by, it’s likely we’ll soon be a lot more familiar with the music of Midnight Youth.
Rather than rattle off a list of artists and bands that we’ve never heard of, the group’s singer Jeremy Redmore cites mostly contemporary and commercially successful influences when asked to describe their sound.
“I guess we’re a product of the music we surround ourselves with, a mix of British rock including the likes of Elbow, Radiohead, Coldplay and American bands such as The Killers, Kings of Leon and Ryan Adams. What comes out is a rock sound that emphasises good grooves, melody and overall songs,” says Redmore.
One listen will confirm traces of all these artists, so much so that Redmore may be doomed to comparisons with Chris Martin of Coldplay for years to come. In his defense, upon listening to songs from the new album, The Brave Don’t Run, and the band’s previous releases, it’s clear that Midnight Youth are more than just the sum of their Brit-rock and American influences.
Thematically, the new album appears to cover a lot of ground. While reflecting on the process of writing and recording the album in New York, Redmore explains, “Some of the songs had their lyrics written during the recording process, so some songs relate to the process itself and just living on top of each other in one of biggest cities in the world. Other songs relate to my childhood, friends and lost loves, so like any first album; it touches on topics across a wide time-span.”
While Australian listeners are only just starting to switch on to the band, back in NZ Midnight Youth have reached some dizzying heights, topping the local charts and supporting the biggest and best international touring acts.
For Redmore, one homeland gig stands out above all others as being his favourite so far: “One of the best shows we’ve played was our album launch. We expected about 500 people but over 1200 turned up and about 100 had to be turned away. It was all pretty crazy, the venue was panicking. They doubled their security and booze supply! We played an awesome show in front of all the people who’ve supported us over the years and got us to that point, so it was a special crowd,” he says.
It might be a while before Midnight Youth are packing Australian venues to the rafters on their own steam, but Redmore is excited about the upcoming tour and the chance to reach new audiences across the country.
He says, “We’ve played three shows in Oz … But the three shows we have played have been great and the locals have really got into us, a band that they’ve never heard of before, so that’s encouraging. Basically Australia is one hell of a lot bigger, but that’s exciting for us because it means we can potentially reach so many more people.”
The band are far from novices when it comes to making a splash overseas, having put in solid performances at the ridiculously huge music industry feeding frenzy that is the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas. It begs the question; will Midnight Youth follow the migratory patterns of other upcoming New Zealander and Australian bands, and set up shop somewhere on the other side of the globe?
Redmore says, “I suppose many NZ bands move because there’s not much money to be made here; you can survive but not thrive. Or they move because there isn’t a big enough market for their kind of music. For us, we would like to see the world and spread our music by playing as many shows as possible. At the moment that wouldn’t involve settling anywhere new, just traveling and playing all the time.”
Midnight Youth are on tour in August with Dukes of Windsor and Trial Kennedy, playing the Annandale Hotel on the 14th of August. For more information on tour dates and to listen to tracks from the new album ‘The Brave Don’t Run’, visit http://www.midnightyouth.com
