“It’s vital!” says McDougall of the importance of maintaining healthy all-ages music festival. “I don’t know where I would be without having grown up in such a thriving local music scene. It provides a safe place for everyone, somewhere to belong, somewhere to let your music grow, somewhere to find yourself. I owe a lot to all-ages shows and festivals myself, so it feels really special to be a part of such a well-known and respected organisation.”
While the music of Tonight Alive does feature some edgy hooks, it’s a largely polished and benevolent sound, with McDougall’s catty, Avril Lavigne-esque vocals providing the heft. And it has young punks banding together with balled fists in the air.
The band’s debut full-length album, What Are You So Scared Of?, is an infectious listen which is likely due in large part to the surroundings it was created in. Recorded over two months in Los Angeles’ famed NRG Studios with Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) McDougall can’t speak highly enough about their time in Los Angeles.
“We had the time of our lives there for a totally different reason as to why it’s famous. We lived in a house together for two months, recording and skating; it was a dream come true! The weather was flawless and the memories we made there are untouchable.”
McDougall further concedes that it was necessary for the band to separate themselves from their usual surroundings in order to give What Are You So Scared Of? the attention it deserved.
“I think it was more important for us to recognise that we needed to take the next step with our music and professionalism. It wasn’t necessarily about being out of our country, but being in a place that could provide us with the necessary resources to achieve something bigger and better than anything we’d done before.”
Though the band did get some last-minute help from Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 fame, who lent vocal support on the anthem-like Thank You & Goodnight, McDougall reveals that the finished product sounds very close to their original concept for What Are You So Scared Of?
“To us, it couldn’t have been any closer to what we had hoped for. Now looking back there may be a few things I’d change but at the time it was exactly where we were and where we wanted to be.”
It’s a remarkably self-assured debut, though it’s been a long time coming. With two EPs, All Shapes & Disguises and Consider This already under their belt, Tonight Alive has finally found their voice. For a band that cut their chops in Sydney’s metal scene, they’ve stepped out of the shadows of their contemporaries. Efficient and soaring all the same, McDougall gives hints as to how the band has managed to maintain their sound.
“It’s been changing over the years but one thing that has remained the same is that we use a computer program called Guitar Pro. It allows us to write out our ideas on manuscript and have them play back in midi. It’s sort of our form of pre-production.”
After Tonight Alive will give the youth of Push Over something to scream about, they’ll soon be taking their music to one of the most renowned all-ages festivals, the legendary Warped Tour.
They may have found a great home for their music at Push Over, but for McDougall and Tonight Alive, it’s entirely possible that lightning could strike twice. “I’m most looking forward to having the opportunity to have our music reach thousands of people it never would have otherwise and I think the experience we’ll gain from Warped is going to be something you couldn’t gain anywhere else!”
BY JOSHUA KLOKE
