As Flaming Wrekage’s brutal fourth album tickles your earholes, you know this is something special. …
The tongue-in-cheek Newcastle trio RAAVE TAPES, are gearing up for their upcoming national tour after dropping their latest film clip, Suds.
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The band, who have been together since 2016, mutually bonded over their love of music while studying at Uni, which lead them to release two breakout singles, including 2 U XOXO and k bye, as well as performing at sold-out festivals including Mountain Sounds, Your and Owls and Festival of the Sun. If you want to know more about RAAVE TAPES, below are 10 things you may not know about them.
1. We’ve never used a synth on any of our recordings:
Reviews of our music quite often mention the tone of the synth lines etc, but every sound you hear is made by drums, guitar, bass and a whole lot of dumb guitar pedals. We don’t have anything against synths at all, we just lean towards including sounds in the recordings that we’ll be able to replicate live. And I can’t play the damned keyboard.
2. We are really good at almost missing our flights while on tour:
You may have assumed this about us, but now you can chalk it up as a bona fide fact. We’re yet to miss one, but I’m literally touching wood as I type this. Too many vodka redbulls, not enough sleep.
3: Lewis has a severe dislike/irrational fear of elevators:
Lewis: “I feel like it is completely rational, did you know that in some small towns elevators are referred to as “tiny little metal death boxes”
Lindsay: “Someone fact check that please”
4. Lindsay actually sung guest vocals on one of RAAVE TAPES’ first songs Corridor, way before she joined the band on bass:
JOAB: I actually remember Lindsay turning up to the studio running on barely any sleep after a sizeable evening the night before. It was at this point I knew she was perfect for the band.
5. Lewis once fell off a three-story building and survived:
Lewis: I actually sorta fell off a three-story building when I was around 19 and got heaps of pretty serious injuries. For ages one of said injuries was having a missing tooth, but I also felt spiritually connected to Mac Demarco and so my style took a real turn and I haven’t looked back (he says this wearing a pair of baggy blue jeans he got from an op shop)
6. Lewis is a high school English teacher:
Within two days of teaching, the whole school found out about RAAVE TAPES and now we have expanded our fan base quite a bit but it also means that now my students send RAAVE TAPES Instagram stories asking about assessments and homework.
7. Lewis, Lindsay & Joab all studied Modern History & English Teaching at Newcastle University:
Lew & Linds knew each other well before RAAVE TAPES. They met in an English Literature course & bonded over their love of music.
8. Corduroy is the favourite material of all members:
Lewis: It is just so good, I recently found Joab a pair of black cord pants at an op shop in Wallsend
Joab: The pockets are too small to fit anything in properly, I’ve almost lost my wallet like 5 times since owning them. They’re just so damn comfortable though, I can’t quit on the cord.
9. Lewis’ only special skill is being really, really good at untying knots:
Lewis “It all started in year 4 when the yo-yo craze really took off at Cudgeegong Valley Public School, Kids were doing around the worlds and walking the dog and inevitably it was knot city, and somehow I earned the reputation as the “weird chubby kid who was really, really good at untying yo-yo knots” which was infinitely better than my former “the weird chubby kid”
10: Joab won the 2015 third grade Newcastle Rugby League Premiership with the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs.
I played since I was 6 and hung up the boots after finally winning some silverware. The blue corduroy hat I often wear on stage is a vintage Kurri Bulldogs number, bequeathed to me by an old friend of my Dad’s with tears in his eyes in the wake of the big victory.
RAAVE TAPES SUDES TOUR DATES:
Saturday 2 June // Amplifier // Perth
Saturday 9 June // Yah Yah’s // Melbourne
Thursday 14 July // Rad Bar // Woolongong
Saturday 16 June // Brighton Up Bar // Sydney
Thursday 21 June // The Foundry // Brisbane
Friday 22 June // Rocket Bar // Adelaide
Friday 29 June // Beaches hotel // Thirroul
Saturday 7 July // Cambridge Hotel // Newcastle
