Where are you currently based?
All four of us are based right here on the Gold Coast within about 20 minutes of each other.
How did Chutney form?
Chutney formed in late 2019! We all had our own separate musical projects that we had been part of. I (Matt) wanted to try a different sort of genre from what I had been focusing on at the time and wrote a few indie-rock numbers. I had brought these songs to Cal (Guitar) and Pat (Bass) and we decided to form this little project. Andy (Drums) came on board after a few of the first songs were written out and the rest is history.
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
We were only really just starting out as a band when COVID first bared its teeth so our mentality was to use that time to get all the structures in place for a successful post-COVID world. We tried to work on refining our sound, building a brand and creating an image… as well as write lots and lots. As things opened back up we snatched up any and every gig and it’s honestly worked quite well.
Our focus recently has been writing the years worth of music out and getting ready for our Invisible tour.
Your new single Invisible is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
I wrote the basic chord structure and lyrics after watching Elton John’s Biopic “Rocketman.” I was particularly taken aback by one quote – “Real love is hard to come by. So you find a way to cope without it.” I thought it was kinda sad that there are those who feel they aren’t worthy enough to be loved. I thought it was a pretty heavy notion, however its those sorts of ídeas/moments that I love writing about.
How did you go about writing Invisible?
My little moment of inspiration came halfway through the movie so I made a little voice memo and got to it later. I had some pretty chords I was playing with so I wrote the whole song that afternoon. That same week we came together and played it as a band and pretty much had it 95% complete, it was one of those ones that just falls into place I suppose.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?
We recorded with our long time collaborators Scotty French from Love St Studios and Paul Blakey for Mastering. We’re always happy with the sound we achieve with these two and honestly recording with Scotty is such a good experience.
You have a tour coming up this February, where are you headed?
The tour is just a small one to showcase our single so we are doing 2 shows in Brisbane and 2 shows in our hometown. You can find us at Black Bear Lodge (18th), Elsewhere (19th), Vinnies Dive Bar (27th) & Greaser Bar (5th).
How do you prepare for live shows and what can we expect?
It’s pretty much just about getting into a rehearsal space a few times before a gig and making some noise. We have an array of music, from faster numbers to ballads, but I think for the tour we are gonna keep it as energetic as possible. We also have a bunch of new music to test out which is exciting.
Any new music on the way?
Yes yes! We have around 10 tracks done; it’s just about choosing the right ones at this point if you know what I mean. There’s about 3 of them that are worthy of being the next single… time will tell which one we pick.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’ve been getting around the local scene ALOT recently. Beddy Rays, Sycco, Girl and Girl and Local Safari come to mind. I’ve also been absolutely smashing Fontaines DC recently. Absolutely love their sound.
What do you like to do away from music?
We are all quite a close group of friends; so just hanging out on weekends and playing any sport we possibly can or having a bit of a drink. We also love checking out any of the local artists that we can. There’s so much good music coming out of the Gold Coast, you don’t need to leave the city to enjoy an amazing show.
What’s planned for 2021?
The next thing will be our follow-up to Invisible and the tour. We want to get out to a couple of the major capitals of Australia (COVID pending) but really we just love playing shows and writing music – so we will continue to do that.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Definitely our local pub the Lonestar Tavern in Mermaid – or perhaps Options for Andy 😉 We may spend a bit too much time there.
