WHEN: Wed 25 Jan, doors open 9pm
WHERE: The Ed Castle, 233 Currie St, City
HOW MUCH: Free entry!

Fringe Benefits are proud to be supporting local band, Steering By Stars in Adelaide’s first Alleyway Band Competition. The boys will play in the finals event at The Ed Castle on January 25 for their chance to win a live set onstage at 2012 St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival in Adelaide.

Steering By Stars will compete against Archie, The Amcats, Old Mate and Big Richard Insect in the finals who have been selected by the other media partners, Db Magazine, FasterLouder, Fourwords and Format Collective.

We chatted with Steering By Stars recently about their upcoming album and how they plan to win the finals…

So you’re recording your new album in a few weeks. What kind of sound can we expect to hear from you next?
I think we’ve tightened up our song arrangements and have shed a lot of the whimsy that was in our previous material. The songs feel more focused, driving and rhythmic. Lachlan’s vocals have also crept their way up into the higher stratospheres of our songs.

Do you draw inspiration from any other bands?
Definitely. Inspiration often comes from the rhythm section of 80’s post-punk bands like the Chameleons, the Sound and Echo & The Bunnymen, and the atmospherics of bands like Snowman, Liars and Elbow.

Your songs are pretty emotive. Once you’ve written them, is it hard to recreate that same depth of emotion during recordings or live performances?
Live performances can be tricky at times. We’ve found our shows work best when we’re able to make a strong connection with the audience and that seems to have happened most often in venues with the least amount of distractions. We were talking about this as a band the other day; our best gigs have been in nontypical venues like art galleries and under pergolas, while our worst have been at Discount Drink Nights and pubs at 2:00am.

As for recording, I think it’s less difficult. We don’t always rely on the vocals in our music to convey emotion and often aim to create mood and atmosphere with texture and sound. In the studio we’re able to better refine, layer and arrange our sounds in a more affecting way than we can do live, sometimes.

What was it like working with AFI winning filmmaker, Nick Matthews, on some of your clips?
An absolute pleasure. Nick and his associates are such a talented, humble and hardworking bunch. They shared a great vision for our songs and we are so pleased with the results. Each of the clips were shot over a weekend (often in trying circumstances) and the final products are a testament to their work ethic and dedication.

How do you plan to win over the audience at the Alleyway Band Competition finals?
We’ll play with honesty.

DISCOUNT TIX TO LANEWAY FESTIVAL AVAILABLE NOW:
If you’re a Fringe Benefits member, you can get your hands on an exclusively discounted ticket to St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival in Adelaide for just $115 each. Click here for details >>>