WHEN you are old you have got nothing to prove, according to guitarist Geoff Mullard.
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And while that might be much of the attitude of new outfit East Coast Low, these guys don’t need to bother because the music speaks for itself.
Formed about 12 months ago with Michael Cornish on vocals, Chris Hunter on bass, Troy Scerri and Geoff Mullard on guitars and Nicholai Danko on drums, band members share impressive musical pedigrees.
Michael Cornish played bass and sang in the Newcastle band No Reason which gigged relentlessly in and out of town during the 90s. He returns to the stage after almost 20 years’ absence.
Cornish never stopped writing songs and listening to music but had not considered forming another band until approached by Hunter.
“There was a bit of a flutter in the heart and I thought, ‘okay I will try it,’” Cornish said.
Hunter played bass in rock and roll band The Fools which penned originals in the spirit of MC5 and The Stooges. The Fools released one album In Heat before the 1998 death of lead singer John Robertson, cutting short the promise of this band.
Geoff Mullard shot to Newcastle-stardom in punk band The Hoax, followed by Sandpaper and an array of other line-ups. Scerri, a Sydney expatriate, has played in a number of heavy rock bands including Mortal Sin and Daredevil.
Nicholai Danko, also originally from Sydney, was behind the kit of 78 Saab for 15 years; he has also worked as a session drummer with the likes of Josh Pyke and Sarah Blasko.
East Coast Low began as a social event, some mates getting together on a Sunday afternoon to play rock and roll.
“It started off just mucking about playing covers just for fun, and then we got together and realised we all had some ideas for original songs,” Hunter said.
The sound is straight up rock and roll with some 70s punk and surf influences, but the band don’t take themselves too seriously.
“When you are young you have something to prove,” Mullard said.
“The hunger to rule the world just isn't there. We just want to do a few shows and make a record that we like.”
The band will shortly go into the studio to record tracks for an album to be launched on vinyl this year.
Next gig: Sunday, March 20 at the Hamilton Station Hotel.
The Star has three copies of East Coast Low’s three track demo to give away to the first three people to comment on this story on The Star’s Facebook page.
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