Former Perth club promoters-turned-nationwide DJs and producers Tommy Shades and Sketch have always been all about the party, churning out hits like Party Bass and Super Soaker with film clips exclusively featuring themselves amongst bikini-clad women partying hard.
Their newest single Drunk Arcade follows suit, reinforcing their desire to bring the party atmosphere wherever they go. Now residing on the Gold Coast after growing up in Perth, these electro DJ/MC’s haven’t got to where they are by chance alone.
Sketch details the beginnings of the project, including the journey from being local promoters to big time national stars.
“We used to run events in Perth, and it just sort of came from there,” he says. “I’ve been DJing since I was really, really young, and my brother Tom basically started doing the same thing separately.
“We were doing our own things with different names, until about three years ago now when we got together and started doing this Bombs Away thing.”
As they began performing as a group, the boys were also working on their own music including early releases Big Booty Bitches and Swagger, tunes which quickly hit the charts and put their name on the map.
With their name generating a lot of interest across the country, they have set up on the Gold Coast, where they work on their music when they aren’t on tour, while still trying to get home to Perth every few months.
Sketch says their musical education started with Perth’s own artists, himself and his brother taking interest in various bass genres.
“We both come from a bass background, guys like Kid Kenobi and Perth’s Micah have always influenced us heavily,” he says. “We booked Micah for a few gigs as promoters and have played alongside him at Ambar before we were Bombs Away. He’s had one of the biggest influences on us because his DJ sets are so crazy.”
It’s this combination of mutual enjoyment and camaraderie behind the decks that spurs on Sketch, with performing always being a party in itself, allowing the duo to bounce off other artists while doing their own thing.
“The party electro stuff is what we’re really digging, just because it turns into such crazy nights,” he says. “We get to hang out with other DJs and people in the same industry, and not just the big guys like Steve Aoki and those guys, but also other crew around the country who are all in it for the same reason and are cool people to hang out with.”
Describing the Bombs Away signature sound, Sketch outlines the mix of genres and styles of music they pick from, with the intention to bring the party while exploring music further and in different directions.
“People kept asking us what we play, and we said it’s bass music, as in dubstep, trap, electro and all that,” he says. “But it’s not just any of those genres. We have a party bass take on it, and that’s where the name for the song came from.”
Releasing new material in the coming months with collaboration from Luciana, Bombs Away are also making big plans to tackle the American scene, having started work on another track with Lil’ Wayne through remote recording.
Their lyrics and video clips would seem suited to the US dance market, and their efforts to push themselves and work with other artists can only broaden their reach and enhance their reputation. As he discusses what goes on behind the scenes of one of their music videos, Sketch is almost in disbelief about what some parts of their work allow them to do.
“Every music video we’ve done has essentially been an actual party,” he says. “As soon as the cameras turn off we end up partying for the rest of the night, so it’s good times.”
BY TOM KITSON
