Australian bands have always had their place in rock. From the likes of INXS and ACDC to newer indie bands such as Lime Cordiale and Spacey Jane, Australia has provided fertile soil for the growth of emerging rock musicians.
W’SUP spoke to an emerging band called The Red, who might be the next big thing in Australian rock. Hailing from the Blue Mountains but now living together in Marrickville, The Red is making waves with their new single ‘No Hard Feelings’.
Who are they?
The Red is made up of Nick Schembri (on keys), Finn O’Toole (drums), Corey Chardon (bass) and Hallelujah Lantay-Lefkovich (singer and guitarist).
“It was always friends first, and that shows in the music,” Finn remarked.
The band’s origin story started in the Blue Mountains, where Nick, Corey and Finn shared their childhood as primary schoolmates. Hallelujah moved to Blaxland High and started in the same year group as Finn.
Admiring the rock two-pieces of Royal Blood and Hockey Dad, Finn and Hallelujah formed a duo in high school, but it was short-lived, with Finn chuckling that “we were too shit by ourselves”. Soon after, Nick and Corey joined, and The Red was born.
What was the first thing that drew them to music?
“Mum tried to get me into guitar or cello, but they weren’t loud enough,” Finn says.
“It’s funny. My dad tried to get me into drums, but there were too many spiders in the shed. I was like no way.” Hallelujah says.
So, how did they come up with the name? Is it just a colour, or does it allude to something deeper?
“It’s no real story,” Finn says.
“It’s Finn’s favourite colour,” Corey says.
“Yeah, it’s the colour of our favourite Wiggle, Murray. The colour of our favourite power ranger, our favourite telly tubby.” Finn adds while the boys laugh.
“I was watching a film theory video on Stanley Kubrick, and they talked about how he uses the colour red heaps, but we had so many names we were just firing away,” Hallelujah says.
Who are their influences? Do they find any artists aspirational?
“I think it’s pretty like eclectic to a certain degree, especially now. But I would personally say Joy Division… even like now like Fontaines [D.C.] and these kinds of more modern groups that are happening.” Hallelujah says.
“Arctic Monkeys we always reference because they started as young 18-year-old kids that just had their music explode overnight…they were just writing about things that were relevant to their little world, and then just grew into one of the biggest bands in the world over like a couple of decades…” Corey says.
“Yeah. I feel like we all like the same music; we love the UK. Like Britpop and Catfish [and the Bottlemen]. Australia also gave us DMA’s….” Finn says.
How has their sound changed over the years?
The Red began with their first single, Like I Should, in 2020, with a more angsty appeal compared to their later music. However, one thing is audible in all their tracks – their dedication to finding their sound.
“It’s really funny. Like, we all have our feelings and reservations about a lot of the older stuff that we have done.” Hallelujah remarks.
“Well, I feel like we didn’t really have a sound back then. But now we’re kind of getting there,” Corey adds.
“Yeah, it’s about throwing like darts, or trying to figure out like where your little pocket is of like genre and style, and what’s true the music you like as well. It’s a big thing. We’re sort of figuring out little sounds and whether they’re guitar tones or key sounds and whether they resonate with us and work into our songs…” Nick later says.
So, what are they doing next?
“We actually have, like, probably five for four or five more singles coming. They’re in the process of being recorded.” Hallelujah says.
“I guess from there, like the next track, Give Me the Night. That’s gonna be our next one. That’s more like No Hard Feelings. And then the next three tracks are like a little bit darker.” Finn comments.
Where can I listen to The Red?
You can catch the boys live and in stereo on September 7th, at the Lord Gladstone Hotel opening for PINKY RING.
In case you miss the show, The Red have music across multiple streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. You can follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
You can also email The Red at theredbandau@gmail.com for any enquiries.
