Where are you currently based?
We are based up in Townsville, North Queensland
How did Late November form?
We were all mates that were playing in the High School Jazz Band together, then we caught up outside of that to have a play, and the rest is history!
What’s been happening recently?
We’ve been super stoked with the reception on our newest track ‘Fishook’, and we are gearing up for the next few releases!
What or influenced the sound and songwriting on your latest single ‘Fishook’?
Retrospectively we’d say that it’s very Last Dinosaurs inspired, we didn’t really set out to write a song that took elements from anything, but we think we must have been really enjoying their sound and arrangement. As for the production, there is a bit of Bluejuice in some of the harmony lines, very Broken Leg-esque in parts of the song.
How did Fishook come about?
Alex, Aden, Denzel and Sam were all piled into Kodie’s car (a fresh p-plater at the time), and Alex had his guitar half out the window. ‘I’ve got something to show you boys’ he said, and by the time he was up to the second verse we were all sold on it.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
We originally recorded with Mark Myers up in Cairns, but we’d developed the song so much since that session that what we’d recorded there didn’t feel relevant to us anymore. We then re-recorded most of it in the Aitkenvale Library in Townsville, then sent the fresh stems off to Mason Rowley (Oh Forest Shore, Arches) to mix, then to Hayden Dunlop (Chelsea Drive) to master.
What do all of the 7 members do in the band?
We’ve got a jazz band in the making:
Alex Thomas (Vocals/Rhythm Guitar)
Aden Rock (Tenor Saxophone)
Kodie Redfern (Bass)
Samuela Naborisi (Drums)
Denzel Carlos (Lead Guitar)
Anthony Minehan (Alto Saxophone)
Kristopher Gounaris (Trumpet)
Outside of the instruments, Alex and Kodie do most of the writing for the core structure of the song, and Kodie is a member/manager of sorts, organising the branding, merchandise, and other logistics. Sam is a talented producer, and he makes the interludes we use for our live sets.
Please tell us about your upcoming Australian tour and possible dates for Japan:
We are itching for both of these! We are aiming to do between 7-10 shows mostly between Tokyo and Osaka in around March, and then we’ve got an Australian tour in our sights for late 2023, and we’re hoping to hit Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Townsville (of course) and Wollongong. We’re still ironing out logistics and costs for the Aus tour, but at this stage it’s looking promising!
How does being based in Townsville, QLD influence your music?
Townsville has fostered its fair share of original artists, and the music scene has been quite collaborative in nature. We feel that we wouldn’t have the sound we do now, if it wasn’t for seeing these local artists and being inspired. That inspiration naturally makes you look at what they’re doing in their music, and a little bit of that is bound to rub off on you.
To name a few super influential locals:
Colie
Sam Wright
Oh Forest Shore
The Broadcast Fiasco
Hidden Pillars
The Funny Jims
Chelsea Drive
Dogtooth
Lost for Ideas
Please tell us about the importance of the community and being a part of the growing Townsville community:
Watching bands like The Broadcast Fiasco (formerly Solarpets) play in Townsville at the Rec Room was formative for me (Kodie). As a teenager that was learning how to play guitar, this kind of thing struck a chord in me, and I knew instantly that I wanted to do what they were doing. Without these shows, I might never have experienced that feeling. Or I might have experienced it later in life when starting a band seemed too foreign a concept. Without this community and culture in Townsville, we will be missing out on generations of artists that haven’t had that ‘Aha!’ moment, and that’d be a real shame. Multiple people from Brisbane have said to us ‘there must be something in the water in Townsville’ and we think that’s just the community and culture raising well rounded, and collaborative artists.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Our top 5 at the moment are:
Sunbleached
Bryce Bishop
Pinegrove
Fontaines D.C.
Turnstile
What’s planned for the remainder of 2022 going into 2023?
We’ve got an AirBnB booked in Lucinda for the first week of November, and we are all going to get together and make as much as we can. We’ve got so much in the pipeline, and we can’t wait to share it all!