New Music

PREMIERE: Lay your weary eyes on Tired Eyes brand spankin' new song/video

May 13, 2018

4 min read

In a current musical world where genre-crossing is becoming a thing of the norm, some great bands have mastered the art while some need a bit more work before they nail it, but that's not the case for Brisbane's Tired Eyes who have given us the opportunity to showcase their latest offering 'A Place, A Space, A Symphony' which combines alternative rock with a catchy melodic chorus and surprise screams guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

We sat down with lead vocalist/guitarist Joey Keating to find out more about our new favourite Brisbane band...

Brisbane Represent! Great to see another local act emerge with a great sound behind them. Thanks for chatting Joey, for those uninitiated, how long have you guys been together?

Well, I've been a bedroom writer since I was about sixteen. Most of our music was actually birthed out of my bedroom - the issue was finding members that shared the same passion for music that I have. The boys and I have been playing and writing music together for about nine months, and known each other as friends for about twelve. It was kind of odd how quickly and organically our dynamic as friends and as a band formed.

You're lucky they appreciated your bedroom writings too haha so who else is in the band with you?

There's me, Joey Keating. I play guitar and do lead vocals. There's Samuel Peacock, who is one of the best young drummers I know. Then there's the brothers; Jesse Kampkes, who plays bass and Judah Kampkes who plays keys - these dudes are the kings of musical cohesion.

Your style of playing has been described as "double shot of smoky single malt whiskey with a side of mango" we're talking Milton Mangoes right?

Haha, Judah wrote that into to our description just for a laugh. Though it was a mistake, I think it pretty well represents the fact that though we definitely take our art very seriously, we never take ourselves too seriously.... So, if you're offering a Mango - we're in.

I'm more of a VB man myself but I'll see what I can do. 'A Place, A Space, A Symphony' caught my attention because of all the genre-crossing styles throughout it and it's sexy as fuck with that bassline. Where'd the inspiration behind this one come about?

This track was a slow burn and took a very long time to write itself. After being reimagined by myself and close friend, 'A Place, A Space, A Symphony' found itself to be quite a black sheep in the mix of the EP. The track was designed to really capture peoples emotions and take them on a bit of a journey through a dark narrative, but with the pretty contrast of light through the 'sing songy' chorus.

The song is a plead for relief and rest in the midst of a revolving door of complacency, though the desperate nature and the attitude of the song also reveals a deeper element of hope within the mix.

Well I'm intrigued to hear the rest of the EP now, upon hearing the song a few times I'm at the point where I feel it has the potential for making it with a mainstream audience, is that the band's intention or are you just winging it to see where it the band can take you?

It's absolutely intentional. We are definitely aiming to create a sound that bridges a gap between lovers of heavy, hard hitting tunes and the wider pop-rock market. We believe that there is a space where we don't need to compromise our organic sound in order to accommodate to any particular market, but people will find us exactly where we are. We want our music to be true to us, but we also want to be palatable to and mindful of our wider musical audience.

You're on the right track in that case. Now let's discuss the band name Tired Eyes, what is the most likely culprit for inducing tired eyes upon yourselves?

Look, probably the biggest thing that would give me tired eyes is consecutive late nights and early mornings. I'm a shocker at prioritising time, so I'll pack out my schedule with people at night, and then have to start work early in the morning. I'm a repeat offender of losing track of time.

That, or bloody dropping Sam off at home after a rehearsal - that’s a killer. The young blood can hit things real good, but he needs to get a licence!

hahaha well lets hope we can help you boys with getting some income so he can uber instead. Speaking of, when are the next shows you're playing so we can see you up close and personal?

We do have a possible show coming up on the 9th of June at Fat Louie's. We're going to be sharing the stage with some interstate bands, and potentially some local bands consisting of some close friends of ours.

Awesome will have to pencil that one into the diary, anything else we need to now about you lot?

I speak on behalf of all the boys when I say that creating music has been very heavy on our hearts for a long time now, and it's such an exciting relief to finally be in a season where we can publicly put our hearts on our sleeves and share our sound with you all. Thanks heaps in advance for loving, or hating our band!

I doubt there'll be much hate mate, all the best and thanks for the killer tune.

Interview by Browny @brownypaul

Tired Eyes play Fat Louie's in Brisbane on June 9th