Hey Calamity was originally a three-piece indie band from a place called Katoomba in the Blue Mountains just West of Sydney, Australia. The band, established in 2016, was led by singer/guitarist, Dave Thomas who also wrote all the material. During this time, the sound was characterized by straight ahead drums and bass with overlayed jangly guitar. There were a few signs of the Shoegaze influences that would later come to the fore, but it was much more an indie rock sound overall. The band recorded a four song ep which notably featured the track On the Run, heard again in 2022 with more prominent Shoegaze elements.
After playing local gigs and gaining a small but enthusiastic group of followers, Hey Calamity eventually folded when Dave moved to Manila in the Philippines on a two year work contract. It just so happened that the start of this assignment coincided with the outbreak of COVID but the decision was made to stick with the plan and remain in Manila to see what happened.
Armed with nothing more than a cheap Chinese acoustic guitar, and locked down in a condo on the 26th floor for much of the time, Dave set about writing a bunch of songs that would later become the basis of Hey Calamity's first album, Desperation.
On return from Manila to Australia in July 2021, Dave and his artist wife Jane McCumstie moved to Millicent, a remote location on the South Australian coastline halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide. It was here that Dave was able to setup his own studio and record the tracks that had been written during the course of the pandemic. The album was recorded between November 2021, and October 2022. Several songs were released as singles on the run up to the release of Desperation in late October. Hey Calamity is, for now, a solo project but there is talk of developing a live act in 2023. The biggest challenge, living in a remote location, is to find like minded players with most of the local music scene centered around classic rock covers.
The band only really started gaining an online audience of any note in August and has been steadily growing a following ever since.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
The band formed after an earlier project collapsed (another story!). Songwriter, Dave Thomas, kept on recording demos then teamed up with drummer (Luke Owen) and bassist (Greg Charlton) to perform a string of shows in Katoomba (Australia). The name sprung from an early suggestion, "Calamity Jane", as Dave's partner's name is Jane. When we saw the name was taken someone yelled out "Hey! Calamity"...we dropped the exclamation point shortly after!!
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
I'm a survivor of many unknown and largely unsuccesful bands since the age of 14. I was playing in pubs at age 16 in country Australia (originally a drummer). As a cover band we made pretty good money (well...it felt that way as a 16 year old) and learnt a bit of stagecraft I guess. In later years I palyed bass in a popular local Blues band (boring), then an electro, synth pop outfit called Dirty Electrix. Hey Calamity takes me back to my love of showgaze and dreampop which has had a recent resurgence.
First concert that you ever went to?
First local concert was to see the Hoodoo Gurus at the entertainment centre in Sydney. First International act was Pat Metheny at the Sydney Town Hall (awesome concert though it went largely over my head in those days).
What's your writing process like?
I noodle on guitar or synth when something generally pops out. I'm not great on musical theory so I generally make up weird little triads until something works. I then create a backing track on Reason (programming Drums and Synth) before importing all tracks into my Daw and building it up from there. Lyrics always come last and are really just a stream of consciousness as opposed to deliberate writing.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Chief influences are Shoegaze bands of the 90s including the usual suspect, Slowdive. Anything featuring layered guitar, fuzz and delay would definitely be on the list. Early Cure has also been a background influence especially from albums like Primary and Pornography which, at the time, were a welcome counterpart to the more pop oriented tracks that were prevalent. In more recent times the Besnard Lakes from Canada have had a huge impact. The concept that guitars and vocals create sonic layers rather than vocals sitting out front in a mix has had a radical affect on our sound.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
Unfortunately playing live isn't currently an option. I live in a remote rural setting and the local music scene is pretty limited with a proclivity to Aussie pub rock (not my thing). I would love to be out there doing gigs but until I find some like minded musos who are local I won't be taking that path. I don't see myself playing to backing tracks so we'll see what develops over time. I do miss the energy and instant feedback loop a live show gives you.
Has the band tour? What has the touring experience been, best shows? worst shows?
No touring unfortunately. The best show was a packed out show at our former home base in Katoomba. It was one of those magic nights when everything went right and the crowd were totally immersed in the music. The worst show (at the same venue) coincided with a gig by a popular touring act on the same night at a different venue. We basically played to an empty hall...I still have the live audio and you can hear deafening silence at the end of each song!
What's up next for the band?
We're gearing up for a new album titled "Lulu" to be released on 15th April. Whilst remaining within the Shoegaze sphere, listeners will detect a slight shift to some more organic sounds on several tracks. It's always a challenge when identifying with a musical sub genre to remain true to the influences but be creative and innovative at the same time. The fear is always that you may alienate the listeners who first followed you if you stray too far from the genre they love. Hopefully that won't be the case with the new release.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heycalamity
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heycalamity22/
Twitter: @heycalamity22