Cheney describes their sound as “Neil Finn meets The Bends-era Radiohead meets You Am I. For a relatively young band, they possess a sense of melody and a depth to their songwriting that’s beyond their years.”
I’m thoroughly enjoying chatting to bassist Tom Ahmed as the band pull over for lunch on their way to Adelaide. “I’m pretty sure the air-conditioner is stuffed, so we’re going with the four windows down approach! We’re just going down today and driving back tomorrow – just a quick stopover.” No frills. I like it. Having already covered Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney, Celadore will launch their single, Kinks In Armour at Collingwood’s Grace Darling Hotel this Saturday September 24.
Tom and Coops [Michael Cooper, Vocals/Guitar] “started playing music together when we were 13 or 14, writing our own stuff – Hopefully the songs are a bit better now though“, He says with a chuckle. David Noordhoff brought the drums in 2009. “Me and Coops having been mates for so long, and Dave is actually going out with Coops’ sister, so he’s managed to stick around a fair bit as well.” I decide to let that one go through to the keeper. “We all get along really well so it’s usually smooth sailing.”
Referring to the recent Essendon/Carlton AFL Qualifying Final, “we do have the occasional moment though. Me and Michael are Blues fans, and Dave’s a Bomber. I haven’t talked to Dave since last weekend”, when the Bombers lost. I’m wrong to assume that Dave is flying in later to meet them. “No he’s here in the car.. He’s just chosen not to talk to us for a little while!”
I sense genuine excitement as we talk about what to expect from the upcoming live shows, and Tom’s enthusiasm spurs mine. “They’re pretty honest, especially just the three of us up there. We give everything to the show, and we manage to elevate the songs so the audience experience something slightly different to the recordings – hopefully better!”
Kinks is “about the little knocks that you receive along the way in life, your little battles that become part of your armour. You end up taking a different approach when they come around next time. Our perspective of what it’s like to be in the music industry has definitely changed”, Ahmed gives as an example for the song’s essence. “You find out how hard you do have to work to take it seriously. We’ve definitely learned a lot of lessons about what’s a good idea and what’s not.”
The collaboration with Chris Cheney gifted more good ideas than bad. “We wanted to capture our live sound in the recordings, and it was just an awesome experience. Chris has this really great ability to keep everything on a high the whole time. He helped us take the songs to that next level.” Celadore are understandably flattered by Cheney’s interest in them. “It’s pretty awesome, especially from someone you’ve looked up to for so many years.”
Kinks is terrific blend of the elements for which Celadore has become known – A driving energy that rises, falls, and then rises again; infectious hooks and pulsating beats; and platform for Michael Cooper’s wonderfully melodic vocal range.
Where to from here? “We’re just excited, and really committed to making something of the band. We’ll be touring for the rest of the year, getting to all the states and hopefully out some country towns as well.”
BY MICKY RENNIE
