Foreign Kings, a rock band based in Canberra, is set to rule the stage at Transit Bar this Friday 2 September. Be prepared to rock and roll to a vigorous mix of guitar riffs and wailing vocals.
The humble and casual beginnings of the band started when Justin (lead singer) and Simon (drums) met at a party one Canberra summer and bonded over beers about their love of rock and roll. After they brought in Matt (bass), Shane (guitar) and Tom (guitar), the band started jamming in Simon’s shed and the music flowed out naturally.
Since bonding over beers and love of music, Foreign Kings released their debut EP earlier this year, and have been playing live shows to die-hard rock fanatics.
To get a preview of their upcoming show, OutInCanberra caught up with guitarist, Tom Riethmuller, to learn more about the band’s song writing process, what to expect from their live shows and new music in the works.
Who are your musical icons and influences?
Our list of influences is very long and very diverse! The most obvious are old school rock like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, as well as contemporary bands like Jet, Kingswood and Violent Soho. But the band also listens to everything from Albert King, Kenny Chesney, Metallica to Tupac.
Describe your writing process.
Most of our songs are built around an idea, like a guitar riff or bass line, and we muck around with it until we put something together that is fun to play and listen to. After that process, Justin adds his lyrics – he’s extremely prolific as a writer and probably has enough lyrics to fill a library.
Recently we went to the coast with a couple acoustic guitars to try to change up the writing process, and to work on ideas in a totally different environment. We came up with a bunch of cool stuff that is pretty different to anything we’ve done before.
What do you love about making music?
It’s the thrill of being able to create something that you are proud of. There is no greater feeling than sharing our songs with an audience, and see them having a great time in the crowd while we jump around like lunatics on the stage.
What can fans expect from your live show?
We are pretty loud and energetic on stage. You can expect a lot of hair, beers, and probably a sore neck if you join in on the head banging.
The best part of being in a band is playing live, and we have a really good time doing it. It’s infectious people see us getting in to it, then they get into it even more, which makes us have even more fun. There aren’t a heap of bands around playing loud, high energy, feel good music, so we’re trying to change that.
What tracks do you guys love performing live and why?
We’ve written some new stuff that’s really fun to play. It’s full of energy and just exciting to be coming up with new music.
High Street is definitely one of our favourites though. It’s a little bit different, and one of our more challenging songs to pull off, but people seem to really get into it.
Do you have any other upcoming shows?
Yes we do! We are also supporting King of the North on September 9 at The Basement.
What can we expect from you guys leading into the future?
Right now, we are really focused on writing new music for release next year.
Any last words?
Party on and be good to your parents!
To listen, check out Foreign Kings on Spotify, Itunes and Apple Music. Also see the links below to keep up with the band on social media.
Facebook: facebook.com/Foreignkingscbr
Instagram: @foreign_kings_
Image from: Victor Tawagi
