Page 40 - Black Velvet Issue 93

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Fighting to fly

hen a young bird flies from the nest or a young person leaves home, it’s a big, often daunting,
Wstep, but it can also be one that brings huge rewards. This has been the case for Aussie band
Tequila Mockingbyrd, who last year made the bold move to fly from their home and relocate in the some-
what less sunnier climates of the UK to try and raise the profile of their band. The worldwide release of
their debut album, ‘Fight And Flight’, was a particularly satisfying step, which then was followed by the
trio supporting Bonafide on their UK tour. Since then, there’s been a line-up change, with drummer Josie
O’Toole now being joined by bassist Jacinta Jaye, who has taken over from Jess Reily, and new vocalist/gui-
tarist Louisa, who has stepped into Estelle Artois’s shoes. A new and extensive UK and European tour an-
nouncement shows that this new line-up is now raring to go and nothing can hold them back.

quick look into the history of the band level and actual, sustainable band level.” ances at Hard Rock Hell and Planet Rock
Awill show it’s been a tough slog for For those not familiar with Australian geog- Stock, as well as supporting Richie Ramone on
Tequila Mockingbyrd to get to where they are raphy or the live music scene Down Under, the tour.
now. Josie is actually an adopted Australian biggest issue bands like Tequila Mockingbyrd
and is in fact British born and bred, born in face in their homeland is that there are essen- ith Tequila Mockingbyrd’s album
Wimbledon in London, so when the band de- tially three main cities for them in which to ply Wbeing titled ‘Fight And Flight’, Josie
cided to move to the UK it was actually some- their craft, which offers limited opportunities tells us, “There’s that phrase; ‘fight or flight’ is
thing of a homecoming for her. Although you and with around half a day of travel involved in the general phrase. Well, we’re doing both.
sense being in the band is actually where she getting from one to the other, it makes things Originally the album was going to be called
calls home, regardless of the town or country especially difficult. ‘Fight Or Flight’, but then we were like, it’s
they are in. Josie tells Black Velvet, “I was born Josie says, “There are only three cities to about a bit of everything, so you know what, it’s
in Wimbledon but we moved around. I lived in do so what do you do after you’ve done a not either or, it’s both. You’ve got to fight to fly!”
Buckinghamshire for a while and also Lin- tour?” The girls have put a lot of hard work into
colnshire. I finished uni (where she studied Eventually, the girls decided that heading the band. Josie adds that it hasn’t been un-
Human Sciences) and thought, ‘Well, that was to the UK might be in their best interests. They common for them to work in cafes in between
a whole load of balls, let’s go and have some put feelers out to test the waters “and got really, tours to keep things on track.
fun now,’ and I decided to take a gap year and really good reactions, a load of support from “It’s tough, juggling everything; we can all
eight years later I came back with two friends Team Rock and Planet Rock Radio, so that burn the candle at both ends for so long but
in tow.” was kinda cool.” when you are burning it in the middle as well
Josie also notes that she wasn’t always a Josie continues, “We got booked for a sometimes you can get just a little bit burnt. But
drummer, explaining, “I only started when I was string of dates that meant we were going to the awesome thing about now is I feel for the
16 and still in the UK. I have three brothers and have to leave our jobs in Australia anyway if we past two years we have been working just as
they were very noisy and annoying, so I were going to come over here and do it, so we hard as we are working now but the world has-
wanted to make noise and annoy them back!” ended up just booking a one-way ticket and n’t seen what we’ve been doing.
thinking, ‘We’ll just see how it goes. We’re only “We’ve been writing the songs, we’ve been
lthough Josie had a great time over on ever $500 from home. What’s the worst that every weekend going to record the songs,
Athe other side of the world, she says can happen?’” record a video or whatever, so you do all this
the band, who formed in 2012, were, “banging The band then relocated to the UK in Sep- work, you kind of don’t even know if it’s worth
our head against a brick wall at times in Aus- tember 2016 and followed that with a 40+ date it, no-one is giving you any feedback, positive
tralia. There is a big gulf between local band tour of the UK and Europe, including appear- or negative, on what you are doing. You are

TEQUILA MOCKINGBYRD