32 • B.ENTERTAINED www.bendigoweekly.com.au Bendigo Weekly – Friday, April 8, 2011 ENTERTAINED THE So for the indie pop quartet from Sydney to be locked down in al- bum production mode for 18 months, life was horribly stagnant. Yet strangely creative. “We’re not the kind of people who long to stay at home, we’re into moving around and see- ing the world,” vocalist Simon Jones said from a Sydney studio. Which is handy, be- cause with a US tour complete, and rave re- views in Japan and the UK earned, The Holidays are destined to see a lot more of it. The stuck–in–a–rut mentality behind their album, Post Paradise, fu- elled its creation. But it came at a price. “We disappeared from the world for a while,” Jones said. “We took about 18 months to put it togeth- er. We produced it our- selves so we were pretty painstaking with the de- tails.” The Holidays of Jones, Will Magnus, Alex Kortt and Andrew Ker- rige, who met at high school and university, were understandably protective of their baby. “Every decision made was ours alone,” he said. “It was good, but putting all the pressure on ourselves to do every- thing, we didn’t delegate anything, it made for a lot more work to be done. “Having said that I wouldn’t do it any other way.” Which isn’t to say there weren’t times when Jones didn’t resent total autonomy. “I guess we got in- volved in it so much we lost a bit of perspective,” he said. “At one point during the process I went over- seas for a bit, I didn’t lis- ten to anything. I needed a break from it all.” Post Paradise was complete mid last year, and the slow burn of suc- cess began. “We didn’t expect to go gangbusters straight away. It feels like it’s building momentum slowly but surely, which is a nice feeling,” he said. Jones is understat- ing that momentum. Post Paradise collected a pair of top shelf gongs, with The Age EG award for Best Album, and the prestigious Australian Music Prize Red Bull Award for the Best Debut Album of 2010. Jones still feels like he’s pinched the pre- miership from way back in the field. “It was really unex- pected, when we found out we were nominated we kind of laughed it off because we didn’t ex- pect to come anywhere near winning it,” he said. “With competition from bands like Tame Impala and Cloud Con- trol, it was a bit of a long shot for us. It was a pretty good moment, it was more relief than anything.” It was light relief that actually spawned The Holidays, providing the 24-year-old Jones and his friends a sunny dis- traction from the drudg- ery of an economics de- gree. “We started just mucking around,” he said. “But it got more seri- ous as things went along, I could start seeing a bit more future in it. “It’s (2010) been the most fulfilling year, we’ve done a lot of stuff I never thought we’d do.” Initial success was triggered by first single Moonlight Hours. “I remember when it came out and we were at The Falls Festival and it was the most played song on Triple J that week,” he said. “I was walking around the campsite and hearing it coming out of people’s cars, that was really cool.” Two more hits fol- lowed in Moonlight’s wake, first the “dancey conga percussion” of Golden Sky, influenced by the band’s fondness for UK groovers, The Happy Mondays and Pri- mal Scream. Then came the mel- ancholic detour of Bro- ken Bones. “As we got further into the album the songs started getting more quiet and instrospective,” he said. That trio became a Triple J staple, from an album Jones describes as tapping into ideas and themes of escaping the banality of everyday life. “We were projecting our vision of somewhere perfect, a paradise we could get to, to get out of our current situation,” he said. “But then we thought that idea of paradise is such a ‘grass is always greener’ theory, it’s more about wishing you were somewhere else. “(But) what happens when you get to para- dise? It’s never a place to stay, you always want something more. “I guess Post Para- dise is about what comes next (after getting to paradise), you always long to be somewhere else. If you don’t stay in one position you can’t really get bored.” Boredom is not on the cards for The Holi- days. Before jetting off for their US tour, they re- ceived some sage advice from some well known band mates. “The Temper Trap told us not to expect too much sleep,” Jones laughed. The Holidays will play Groovin The Moo in Ben- digo on April 30. BEN CAMERON The Holidays love perpetual motion.Like any force of nature, their strength has come from forward momentum. HOLIDAYS WHAT WHEN/DETAILS National Youth Week 2011 Freeza Music Event Friday April 8 6pm to 10pm at McGilvray Hall, B.R.I.T campus, McCrae Street, Bendigo. Featuring Low Point, My Best Friend Boom, Blackbird, Eddie Amiet and The Tides, Tom Snowdon (lead singer of the Escape). An all ages fully supervised drug and alcohol free event, no pass outs. Contact the City of Greater Bendigo Youth Development Team 54346464. Bendigo Folk Club presents Canadian trio, The Good Lovelies. Tuesday April 12 From 8pm at the clubrooms under the grandstand at the Queen Elizabeth Oval, View Street, Bendigo. Tickets $20 and $15 for members. Heartbeat Victoria Bendigo branch Danny Blumes fundraiser Tuesday April 12 2pm at St Peters Hall, Eaglehawk. All welcome, members please bring a plate. RELAY FOR LIFE BENDIGO music lovers, it’s time to rock out for a good cause. The Relay For Life Anti-Cancer Benefit gig at The Golden Vine is back again tomorrow night, with a cavalcade of local talent on show. The bill includes emerging talents Joel English and Talisa “TJ” Jobe, the eclectic Deano Stanton and the always entertaining Urban Creatures of Damien Neil and Colin Thompson. The gig has become an annual event since 2007, with all profits from the door donated to the Cancer Council. “It’s four class acts, one class venue and one great cause, so get some friends together and rock on down,” musician and event organiser Colin Thompson said. It’s a fair argument. So show your support for local music, and a worthy charity, all for the paltry price of ten bucks. Show starts at 8pm. IN BRIEF FREEZA GET ready for four hours of power. Part of National Youth Week celebrations, Bendigo bands Eddie Amiet and The Tides, Lowpoint, Blackbird and The Escape will team up with Shepparton My Best Friend Boom! to rock out the McGillivray Hall at B.R.I.T tonight. The tunes kick off from 6pm. For band bios, go to www.bendigoweekly.com.au MOOVIN UP Bendigo bands, keep plugging away, because Groovin The Moo could be expanding next year. GTM promoter Steve Halpin said the number of local acts pencilled in for the Bendigo gig could increase in 2012. “It’s a possibility,” he said. “We could open the gates earlier, have a bigger show.” Full story at www.bendigoweekly.com.au WHAT’S ON FOR MORE GIGS AND EVENTS GO TO WWW.BENDIGOWEEKLY.COM.AU FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO GROOVIN THE MOO ,LIKE B.ENTERTAINED ON FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/BWBENTERTAINED MY BEST FRIEND BOOM THE BRIDE STRIPPED BACK JOEL ENGLISH Sale catalogue in today’s Bendigo Weekly 0804 LIVE MUSIC 49 BRIDGE STREET, BENDIGO PHONE 5443 7811 0804 Friday April 8 Soulchild Sunday April 10 Leigh Turner Friday April 15 Andy Garlic Duo Sunday April 17 The Mockbells Friday April 22 Soulchild Sunday April 24 Soulchild Monday April 25 The Mockbells Sunday April 29 Leigh Turner 0LWFKHOO 6W %HQGLJR 3K 0804 '<02&.6 %(1',*2 <RXU RQO\ WUXH ORFDOO\ RZQHG DQG RSHUDWHG ERRN VWRUH LQ %HQGLJR '\PRFNV %HQGLJR ,QYLWH \RX WR WKH ODXQFK RI $/3+$ 02167(56 D IXQ DQG HQWHUWDLQLQJ QHZ ERRN E\ ORFDO $XWKRU DQG ,OOXVWUDWRU &KULV .HQQHWW %ULQJ DORQJ \RXU \RXQJ EXGGLQJ PRQVWHUV WR PHHW &KULV RQ 6DWXUGD\ $SULO IURP DP DW '\PRFNV