Meet the local, up-and-coming Shoegaze artists behind Keaper, a melodic mix of psychedelic dream pop and heavy rock.
Having formed out of the lockdown at their shared university of RMIT, the band have already released a small collection of EPs and singles that flirt with a myriad of influences to create one introspective whole.
I sat down with guitarist and singer Ameya, lead guitarist Austin and bass-player Julia to chat about unexpected uses for disposable cameras and the most surprising audiences at gigs.
What are your most unlikely inspirations?
“I’m a metalhead, actually,” says guitarist Austin. “My lines are directly inspired by metal core and post-hardcore, but just translated into a softer palette.”
On the other hand, bassist Julia started her musical journey from a different perspective. “I first learnt to play music on a piano. I never traditionally learnt how to play bass, so I play bass like a piano. I don’t think in rhythm, which is why I kind of suck at timing! I do find inspiration from melody of piano.”
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What is the funniest thing that has happened at one of your gigs?
“We recently went on an east coast tour and one of our favourite gigs was in Wollongong. The audience was great – everyone was so into it. They all just sat down and started rowing: like pretending to row on the floor. There was no reason for it. I think they were just really excited.”
Where would you go on an international tour?
“A lot of our influences come from England. It’s the home of shoegaze,” says Austin. “I feel like it would be really cool to play in London. We always have a dream to play at the O2! There’s more of a culture for that scene in England.”
What should punters BYO to your gigs?
“Disposable cameras,” says Ameya. “At our recent single launch we passed a disposable camera around the audience, got photos of them and their perspective of us on stage. It was a really nice memento.”
What albums have to be in your record collection?
The band collectively chose one album for this question – Cola by A Beacon School. “Very much bedroom pop, but a bit proggy. We listened to it a lot together when we first formed – before gigs and after gigs. We’d had our second gig and we came over to Austin’s place,” says Ameya. “We put on the album and the song ‘Algernon’ came on. Whenever I hear that song now it reminds me of that time. It was such a happy time. We’d just come out of lockdown and instantly made these amazing friends out of nowhere and played a bunch of gigs.”
Lastly, why should people who don’t know you come and see your gig?
“I think you’d be pleasantly surprised,” says Austin. “Even if you don’t like any kind of rock music, it feels like there’s something for everyone. We try to do visuals where we can and we have quite a lot of energy. It’s more of an experience. We always tailor our sets really thoroughly so that we have the perfect set for the night.”
“Sam’s really interested in electronic music, so if you don’t like rock you may find something you like in his percussion. You might find something you like in Ameya’s vocals. Maybe something in Austin’s pedals. And also, Julia’s melodic bass.”
“None of us individually have typical styles for the genre but when we come to together it really melds together.”
You can listen to Keaper’s music on Spotify and follow them on Instagram above, as well as like them on Facebook here.
