Split Seconds (11/07/2011)
Split Seconds are currently on tour with The Panics. We took some time out of their busy schedule to chat about the current tour, the Big Day Out and golden words of advice for those wanting to break into the music scene.
First off, for those who don’t know, how was the band first formed and how did you meet all the members in the band?
The band was formed after I returned from a little overseas sojourn in 2009. We started with 2 and somehow worked our way up to 6! Everyone has been around for a while – just playing in bands around Perth – so we put it all together and came up with Split Seconds.
You began writing songs in London whilst working at a mental hospital, which certainly an interesting backstory! Do you think this has had any affect on the songs you have written, in terms of lyrics and sound?
I think living in London had a pretty heavy effect on what the EP sounded like – just in terms of song content and probably a bit of nostalgia for the Australian way of life. London is a pretty dark place and working in a hospital didn't really help with brightening it up! The hospital itself was more for the richer end of London – so you'd see a lot of pretty wealthy kids taking a break from their socialite lifestyles.
What artists, people, or places inspired your sound? Do you want or see this changing in the future?
We listen to a lot of bands like Spoon and The Walkmen – bands with a good driving rhythm section holding up great songs.
The boys and yourself have recently been touring around Australia with The Panics. How have the shows been for you?
Really great! It's our first time out of WA and to play alongside a band like The Panics is a really big honour. The shows have been going really well – their audience are generally really attentive – they don't talk too much and clap at the end of the song so that's nice.
Do Split Seconds have any plans of what they will do after The Panics Majesty Tour?
First off I imagine we'll catch up on some sleep! Then we're going to do a bit more recording, a bunch more gigs. We're a pretty busy band so hopefully we'll be able to tour again a few times before the end of the year.
Split Seconds performed at Big Day Out at the beginning of the year. How was that experience for you? I bet it would have been amazing!
It was! We weren't too many gigs deep at that point so to play the Big Day Out really early on was a big thing for us. We played super early too so we had a really good day just hanging around, watching bands and drinking Tooheys Extra Dry.
What were some of the hardest things to overcome as a band, or as individuals, to get to where you are now?
It's never really been a case of overcoming anything – it's more about just sticking at it despite any knocks that might come your way. Not every review is going to be glowing so you've gotta take it all with a pinch of salt. Or just not read them.
Have you always known that you wanted a career in music, or was it initially just a simple pastime?
It's always been a really big thing in my life but you've got to be realistic about it. There's not a massive amount on money in being a part time musician so you have to be prepared to work pretty hard to make it happen. Personally, it's just the thing that I'm best at doing – so I try to do it the most.
Splits are known to create male harmonies in their songs and change instruments to mix up their roles in the band. Do you have a favourite type of harmony you like to do, or a preferred instrument you like to play?
We had an iPad solo in the set for a little while but it was a bit of a nightmare for sound guys so we took it out. That was pretty fun though. I made sure I got to play that. It was annoying though because the solo didn't come in until about ¾ of the way through the song so the iPad would always lock, and I'd panic trying to unlock it and end up missing the cue.
What has been a highlight of being in a band thus far? I can imagine hearing your song on Triple J would be fantastic!
Yeah hearing that our song has been on the radio is always pretty fun. It's a bit hard to actually listen to it though – mostly because you're always picking out little things you probably could've done better – snare hits and vocals and stuff. We're really grateful that Triple J has gotten behind us though – it's a pretty mind blowing thing to happen.
And to finish off, what are some golden words of advice you would offer to those who want to break into the Australian music scene?
Make sure you eat some fruit on tour otherwise you'll get sick!
Olivia Fusca
First off, for those who don’t know, how was the band first formed and how did you meet all the members in the band?
The band was formed after I returned from a little overseas sojourn in 2009. We started with 2 and somehow worked our way up to 6! Everyone has been around for a while – just playing in bands around Perth – so we put it all together and came up with Split Seconds.
You began writing songs in London whilst working at a mental hospital, which certainly an interesting backstory! Do you think this has had any affect on the songs you have written, in terms of lyrics and sound?
I think living in London had a pretty heavy effect on what the EP sounded like – just in terms of song content and probably a bit of nostalgia for the Australian way of life. London is a pretty dark place and working in a hospital didn't really help with brightening it up! The hospital itself was more for the richer end of London – so you'd see a lot of pretty wealthy kids taking a break from their socialite lifestyles.
What artists, people, or places inspired your sound? Do you want or see this changing in the future?
We listen to a lot of bands like Spoon and The Walkmen – bands with a good driving rhythm section holding up great songs.
The boys and yourself have recently been touring around Australia with The Panics. How have the shows been for you?
Really great! It's our first time out of WA and to play alongside a band like The Panics is a really big honour. The shows have been going really well – their audience are generally really attentive – they don't talk too much and clap at the end of the song so that's nice.
Do Split Seconds have any plans of what they will do after The Panics Majesty Tour?
First off I imagine we'll catch up on some sleep! Then we're going to do a bit more recording, a bunch more gigs. We're a pretty busy band so hopefully we'll be able to tour again a few times before the end of the year.
Split Seconds performed at Big Day Out at the beginning of the year. How was that experience for you? I bet it would have been amazing!
It was! We weren't too many gigs deep at that point so to play the Big Day Out really early on was a big thing for us. We played super early too so we had a really good day just hanging around, watching bands and drinking Tooheys Extra Dry.
What were some of the hardest things to overcome as a band, or as individuals, to get to where you are now?
It's never really been a case of overcoming anything – it's more about just sticking at it despite any knocks that might come your way. Not every review is going to be glowing so you've gotta take it all with a pinch of salt. Or just not read them.
Have you always known that you wanted a career in music, or was it initially just a simple pastime?
It's always been a really big thing in my life but you've got to be realistic about it. There's not a massive amount on money in being a part time musician so you have to be prepared to work pretty hard to make it happen. Personally, it's just the thing that I'm best at doing – so I try to do it the most.
Splits are known to create male harmonies in their songs and change instruments to mix up their roles in the band. Do you have a favourite type of harmony you like to do, or a preferred instrument you like to play?
We had an iPad solo in the set for a little while but it was a bit of a nightmare for sound guys so we took it out. That was pretty fun though. I made sure I got to play that. It was annoying though because the solo didn't come in until about ¾ of the way through the song so the iPad would always lock, and I'd panic trying to unlock it and end up missing the cue.
What has been a highlight of being in a band thus far? I can imagine hearing your song on Triple J would be fantastic!
Yeah hearing that our song has been on the radio is always pretty fun. It's a bit hard to actually listen to it though – mostly because you're always picking out little things you probably could've done better – snare hits and vocals and stuff. We're really grateful that Triple J has gotten behind us though – it's a pretty mind blowing thing to happen.
And to finish off, what are some golden words of advice you would offer to those who want to break into the Australian music scene?
Make sure you eat some fruit on tour otherwise you'll get sick!
Olivia Fusca