From school shorts and HSC exams to the main stage at Falls Festival Byron Bay, it’s no lie that Hockey Dad are making their mark in the Australian music scene. The duo from Wollongong have recently commenced ‘The Get Rich Or Drunk Tryin’ tour with legends DZ Deathrays. We sat down with them before one of their sold out shows in Melbourne to have a chat about the past few months and how they’re travelling.
After such a successful musical year and a significant establishment of Hockey Dad as a band, what has the response been like from your family and friends?
BILLY: Yeah right, I’ll take the mic. Family have been real supportive, they’ve been helping us out a lot. Um our friends keep asking for doorspots, that’s kind of cool. But yeah, its been sick it’s the same kind of thing, just the same people.. Has anything changed for you Stephenson?
ZACH: Nahhh Not really it’s the same.
BILLY: we’re like Aussie battlers at the moment just trying to get through it all. Nah its been good, yeah.
Well that’s good then!
BILLY: Yeah its not like, I don’t know, I don’t think they’ll ever really think different of us, so its just the same.
How did it feel to perform at one of Australia’s largest music festival- Falls, and what was it like in comparison to the shows you have played previously?
BILLY: Oh yeah, like shit! I think I’ll take the mic! That was actually really cool cause I’ve always been a punter myself just like going to festivals and shit. Ive always just been watching bands and thinking oh fuck that looks awesome! Like heaps of fun playing on stage and then like that was us and its kind of funny. And Moscow mules were good, that was really good! You don’t find those at any other show. It’s a really good drink.
So in comparison to other shows, cause obviously you’re playing to a larger audience..
BILLY: Yeah definitely! It was weird, it was like midday and everyone was hung over as fuck and stuff but it was super cool though! But yeah in comparison to other shows like we, like I don’t know. We still played the same. We we’re all having fun and shit. It was just sick, yeah. It cool to say we’ve been on that kind of stage. It seems so professional!
ZACH: It’s a bit different like, depending on what kind of show. Like playing a headline show, people already sort of know us. But like other shows we kind of have to win people over, because not many people know who you are when you’re playing when you’re playing to a lot of people.
BILLY: But it’s kind of exciting too. When you’re trying to like, not like please people but like, just like get some new listeners and stuff, you know, it’s cool.
Well it would have been pretty exciting when you found out you won the spot!
BILLY: Yeah yeah! It was super good! Yeah, that was a surprise. Wasn’t even on the thing. So we just like got a phone call and they said we’re on and I was like see ya there! Thanks!
Had either of you been to Falls before?
BILLY & ZACH: Nup!
BILLY: We’ve never been to Falls. It was really fun though!
How do you think unearthed and opportunities such as Falls have impacted, influenced or shaped your music?
BILLY: Yeah, right.
ZACH: In terms of our actual songs, not at all.
What about in terms of getting your music out there?
BILLY: Yeah!
ZACH: Musically, I don’t think we’ve changed at all. Getting it out there, I think it’s more, we take a more professional approach. Because like before we just like put an EP out of anything we just put it out whenever we wanted.
BILLY: Yep!
ZACH: But now we put it out and it’s more about timing and preparing to put it out, doing some work before you put it out and like sort of using it. And Triple J have helped us learn how to do that a bit more. But that’s probably the only thing. Other than that, it’s just better cause it gets out to more people now.
BILLY: It definitely hasn’t lost its fun. If anything I think it’s more exciting the way we are kind of doing it now. Like the custom way to do that. Like even the single that we’re putting out next month, we wrote that like this time last year. So it’s pretty nuts, we’ve been playing it and I guess people have been listening to it for that long. But I guess everything happens for a reason so yeah. Just waiting around for it.
