“It’s a good time for us,” says bassist Anthony Licciardi. “I think we’re at a point now where, as a band you’re always improving, but at this point we’re the tightest and the best we’ve ever been. A few months ago we were playing songs that were all different and we were trying to figure ourselves out. I think we’ve got ourselves pretty figured out now.”
“We knew a lot of rock bands out there are pretty much doing AC/DC rip-offs and that just doesn’t interest us,” says guitarist Rhys Brennan. “Even though we love AC/DC, it’s just been done so many times. The idea was to try and be a unique rock band, something a little bit different, but [has] still got that accessible sound.”
Having a female voice up front, soaring melodically over some pretty fat and stomping rock music is one of the core elements that sets The Deadlips apart from the rock pack. Though, it’s not entirely unusual, of course. “When you look at some of the classic bands, the lead singers have pretty feminine voices,” says O’Shea. “Led Zeppelin comes to mind, his voice is very high. It works, you know it’s worked in the past, but having a girl do it is a bit different.”
The band’s unique sound is on display throughout their debut EP, Tides, which landed in early November. Tides not only highlights The Deadlips’ stylistic distinction, but also features a strong level of variation from track to track, of which the band members are justifiably proud.
“All the songs on there are kind of different,” says Brennan. “They were the second wave of songs that we’ve done. Me and Madi wrote our first songs, and then we just got better and better at songwriting and we wrote a whole new batch of songs, and they were the ones that ended up on the EP.”
“Each song on it is completely different,” O’Shea says. “It’s very diverse, which I think is good for a new release, because you won’t get pigeonholed too easily.”
The EP will be officially launched this weekend at The Evelyn Hotel. While they’ve played all over town during the last couple of years, the band are excited about launching their first release at the prestigious venue. “We’re very excited,” O’Shea says. “The Evelyn is a great venue, and hopefully we can get a decent crowd down there.” “It’s on our bucket list of venues we haven’t played,” Brennan says.
Having worked hard at refining their sound, The Deadlips are also very confident with the strength and appeal of their live show. “I think people will be surprised,” Licciardi says. “It’s an energetic hard rock show, but with songs that pull a bunch of people in who usually listen to pop music, and they’d say, ‘Oh shit, this is pretty good’. It’s got a lot of those pop songwriting methods to it: catchy vocals, catchy lyrics, the sweet little guitar hooks and stuff. I think a big audience would like it, and people will be surprised.”
BY ROD WHITFIELD
