Local legends Two Last Names have been building up the scene in Gippsland over the last couple of years. It's great to see a band committed to improving their local scene and creating some incredible opportunities for themselves. Hazy Days Music would like to thank Amber for thanking the time out and having a chat.

Could you share the story of how you all met and how Two Last Names began?

I'm from Adelaide originally and moved out here to Gippsland for work. Back in Adelaide, I played in the punk band Stabbitha & the Knifey Wifeys. It was a lot of fun playing the guitar and messing around. Moving away from home, you go through a lot, and that was the first time I felt like writing my own music. I started writing in my backyard, playing to my partner and resident kookaburra. Eventually, I was like, I have to do this for real. I went down to this Irish bar that hosts open mic nights. I remember I was so nervous, I got up and played a few songs, and afterwards, it felt great, and I knew that I wanted to do this for real.

In Gippsland, there isn’t a wealth of musos who like this kind of music, so it took a while to find a band. I met Gary through a friend. He is originally a funk drummer. In our first practice, he had to google punk beats on YouTube to learn what to do, haha. It was so different, and he was barely playing the snare. But we were in tune with each other straight away. I like to put heaps of stops in my songs, and how he plays the drums, it's almost like he was mimicking me and talking back to me. It's so different from any drummer I had played with before.

Rach and I met at another open mic night. She came up to me after a couple of beers and said she loved my music. Half-jokingly I told her to buy a bass, and you can join the band. Literally, a week later, she messaged me with a picture of a bass, haha. 

Rach is a classically trained insane singer and can pretty much sing anything, she has always played the guitar, but she bought a bass just to be in this band. 

You'd think our different styles of singing would be a weird mix, but it somehow works.

What are the gig opportunities like for a band from Gippsland?

I feel like being from Adelaide, it has enough people where you can kind of pigeonhole yourself to a specific scene, but in Gippsland, there is no real proper scene out here, so you start to make friends with all musos no matter the genre.

I think that has been really cool for me. I feel like the three of us probably wouldn’t have been friends if it wasn't for music.

There aren't heaps of venues out here in Gippsland, and the pubs only like cover bands playing, so we've played some pretty weird gigs. We played a 3pm dry gig, where the audience was doing crafts in the background while we were yelling and having the time of our life on stage, haha. We make our own venues, have mates donate gear, set up in old warehouses, play wherever we can and put something on close to home. We don't want to be that band that always travels to Melbourne. I really love Gippsland and would rather build a scene and hang out with people here.

Your Latest single Clean has a heavy message behind it. How tough was it for Rach to write this song? What can you share about the process?

Rach is a sexual assault survivor. I'm so proud of her for writing this song! I've known Rach for like two years now, and I've noticed that she has really come out of her shell and is more open about talking about it than when we first met. This happened years and years ago, and even today, it still affects her daily and still affects her a lot. So for Rach to write this song was a huge moment.

Our songwriting is quite honest and detrimental, so writing lyrics can be a bit exposing at times, but Rach felt comfortable doing that, and I think being a part of this band was a big help.

I think she liked that we could make the song upbeat, angry and heavy. I think all of our personalities are like that. Keeping upbeat when things are a bit shit, and how we can still mess around and joke about and have fun. We have fun with it on stage even though it’s a bit of a heavy song.

A lot of people have been messaging Rach and reaching out, saying thanks so much and how this song has helped them. It’s funny how sometimes writing a song can be easier than picking up a phone and talking about it. I find that too. Sometimes you don't know how to say it.

How are you finding the writing and recording over lockdown?

We've been recording our songs in blocks, Too young and Too Old and Can't Get Comfy were recorded together, and Mark Fuckerberg and Clean together.

Honestly, I reckon I feel the most satisfied when it's sounding pretty raw and shit, haha. When I write a new song, I'll record it on my phone and send that to my closest friends and my mum, and that’s when it feels the most rewarding to me.

Right now, we are recording three other songs. People coming after gigs are so excited, saying they love the new songs. This one is my favourite. Everyone is just so excited.

But for me, I wrote these so long ago, and COVID has made the recording process take so long, and it's for a good reason like, in the end, the result will be good.

I’m trying to think about a way to capitalise on our new songs. At the moment, we can't keep up with the recordings and the new music we are writing. We are thinking of just recording it ourselves even if the quality isn't as good.

Mark Fuckerberg is one of my favourite releases. Could you share what the inspiration was behind it?

I wrote Mark Fuckerberg years ago, back in Adelaide. I was heading to uni on the bus one day, and my phone died, and iPod carked it too (back in the day of the iPod). Usually, I'd have my headphones on and be in my own world. That day, I started to notice everything, all this cool stuff happening around me, bird noises, interesting convos on the bus, just observing things I usually wouldn't. I just thought how depressing it is that we are always on our phones and headphones in, and I obviously love music, but sometimes you just need to take your headphones out and tune into the world.

We decided to release it during one of the lockdowns (pretty bloody relevant). The end part is us talking to Mark Zuckerberg, saying - you promised us to be better connected, but I've never felt so far away.

I guess as well living in Gippsland, I've never felt so far away from my family and friends living in Adelaide, and even though I’m chatting to them online like every day, I feel more distant.

What can you tell us about your upcoming single? Is there an album or EP on the way?

Captain Smooth is the next single, and Yah Yah Yah will be after that. Captain Smooth is about all the dumb shit I've done. It’s a really embarrassing one for me, haha. The song is a bit of a joke, and people usually laugh at it. It's just me taking the piss out of myself mostly. 

Yah Yah Yah is super emo. It's slower, has clean guitars and no distortion, Rach gets some pretty vocals on. The other song we are recording is called Galaxy, another slower and prettier one. It's weird we aren't really a slow, pretty band. 

After these two singles, I think it'll be an EP, but we will see. I just don't know if anyone really listens to albums these days. I’ve really dropped off listening to them like ten songs is a lot to listen to in a row. I've seen some bands release two songs at once, and I really like that.

Can we catch you playing anywhere soon? For those of us not in the Gippsland area, what's it like organising these alternative venue shows?

Living in Gippsland, there is less going on. I think it's a bit of a blessing as you can go to things that you normally wouldn’t have the chance to. If there is an event in your town, everyone is excited and attending. I love that we get to play with so many different artists that are completely different genres. 

This goes back to us playing some pretty random gigs. We've had a few gigs planned that have been cancelled, but still might happen down the track.

We have one coming up with Gippsland Intrepid Landcare. They do a lot of environmental work, which is really important to us. This event is a Plant and Dance, so you plant trees all day and dance at the gig at night (September, 18th but we will see).  

We have another one in the Morwell, which is the home of the Hazelwood Power Station/Coal Mine that has now shutdown. It was the dirtiest brown coal station in the country and is now closed down. It's an interesting one, it's a pretty blue-collar area, and they have lost so much industry, which is really hard for them. A few arty people are keen to get some stuff happening for them. PollyannaR Studio Gallery is holding an event we are going to be playing at, it's a fifty person capped event, circus-themed, on a Tuesday, I think this one will be. 

We are supposed to be playing a show with RATSALAD. In Adelaide in October. I don't know if we will be allowed to head over because of lockdown.  

We are also playing with The Living End in November, which is bloody massive! (I'm already nervous). It has a very interesting lineup, The Living End, Kate Ceberano and Daryl Braithwaite. I'd love to do a real punk cover of Horses, haha, but I'd probably offend him, so I shouldn't, haha. 

We are also playing BONEZ later this year. It's a queer, punk party in Melbourne, but it's all up in the air, so just trying not to get too excited about anything.

* Plant and Dance and BONEZ have both been cancelled *

It’s been great chatting and hearing all about the band. Is there anything else you’d like to share?

We are pretty pumped with how it's all going, so stoked with everything! We are best mates. I'm so happy that Gary loves music again and playing when I first met him; he was so sick of the live scene and everything.

I say this as much as possible and want to be held accountable.

I know it's really tempting to travel into Melbourne and play gigs. I want to put on more gigs in Gippsland, for younger/uni aged people, because everyone moves to Melbourne for uni, so it'll be good to have more things on here, get people enthused and excited, and build a scene out here. So much good things are going on out here.

Stay up to date with Two Last Names on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.

Posted on the 24th of September, by Jake Taylor.