This week get to know Nadine and Carey from the Prize, a new rock ’n’ roll outfit who recently released their first EP.
We are once again focusing on up-and-coming Melburnian, live artists that deserve to be seen in their full glory on stage. Get to know each group with our fortnightly deep dives into their worlds and you might just want to grab a ticket to their next show…
Currently supporting the Chats on tour, these guys pride themselves on a sound that is catchy to listen to by yourself, but like a monumental wall of sound to hear live.
Both lead singers of the band, Nadine and Carey play the drums and guitar respectively, rounded out by two more guitars and bass. With a nostalgic, Aus-rock sheen that permeates their sound but doesn’t leave you feeling stuck in the past, the Prize pride themselves on their formation as a tight family unit. “It’s like having five siblings where its like I love you but I want to punch you in the face,” jokes Nadine.
Get to know this melodic new band before they rock on into the stratosphere!
What makes your gigs unique?
“Probably having a singing drummer in a wall of voices,” says the drummer herself. “A lot of people remark on what it’s like having five voices singing at once and how much they enjoy that. That would be the thing that sets us apart. It’s like a Phil Spector sound but just with vocals.”
Carey joins in on the musical elements that make their shows memorable. Usually it’s the “duelling lead guitars,” he says.
“A lot of people comment on the three guitar thing,” remarks Nicole, “because that’s not very common either. Joe and Carey double up and do guitar harmonies together.”
Who are your most unlikely inspirations?
The Prize draw their influences far and wide. Nadine cites classic pop and rock singers like Cher, Madonna and Pat Benatar: she loves “Strong powerful women who wear sick outfits.” The Divinyls get a mention too. “I’m going to keep saying that so that people eventually say “They sound like the Divinyls!”
“There’s a lot of LA 70s power punk bands that people initially point to,” says Carey. “Then they talk about things like Thin Lizzy, but there’s definitely these other things that are driving the sound from underneath. I think that’s what makes it interesting. Trying to mix together a bunch of different influences – there’s a very “see what happens” kind of attitude in our band.”
What should people BYO to your gigs?
Carey wants punters to resurrect a classic gig tradition for their gigs. “Bring a sign, make a sign. I want a sign,” he says. “I miss that shit: it doesn’t happen as much as it should.”
If you could travel back in time and steal one song, what would it be and why?
Carey errs on the side of classic rock. ‘”‘Baby Blue’ by Badfinger,” is his choice. “I love that song so much. I’m jealous of that song. So interesting, but still so accessible. It sends chills down your spine.”
Nadine makes two choices, based on her own integrity. “If I wasn’t going to sell out, I’d say the Saints – ‘Just Like Fire Would’. The lyrics are like poetry. Makes you feel warm and fuzzy. But if I was going to sell out – Pat Benatar’s ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’.”
If you could tour anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
“Tour in Eastern Europe,” says Carey. “Poland and Romania. I feel like they get neglected. You’ve got the well-trodden path of where bands always tour, but I feel it would be so much more special to perform somewhere like that. Cities that have heaps of people who are starved for different experiences like that.”
Nadine, on the other hand, went with Japan. “The music scene there is so fun,” she says. “Everyone gets so into bands. They’re a really supportive community.”
A question from the band.
I ask Nadine and Carey what would be a question they would want me to ask them. They answer with – “What’s that song about?” The title track of their new EP, ‘Wrong Side of Town’ was their choice of song to delve into.
“I wrote it during lockdown and everyone was getting pretty claustrophobic,” says Nadine. “Packing up and going back to where they came from. I wanted to get out and be somewhere different. But a lot of my friends who did that felt like they were back where they started. It was something that couldn’t be escape. It felt like the wrong side of town was everywhere you go.”
Lastly, why should people who don’t know you come and see your gig?
“It’s a sound that’s not being overly done at the moment and so if you want to experience something that is not heavily represented in Melbourne. You might get excited by it.”
You can listen to the debut EP by the Prize on Spotify before you catch their headline gig at the Curtin next month.
