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Band Biography

BAND OF MISSFITS 2020

Delivering slick blues riffs in a stampede of heavy rhythms, Band Of Missfits' latest single Crickets is an exercise in faithful rock'n'roll – complete with hand claps, face-melting solos and a fiery overdriven chorus. The Perth quartet make a triumphant return to band life after lockdown forced them into more solo-based ventures. Well, they are stoked to be back... and it shows. Expertly produced by Sean Lillico, Crickets is so overflowing with energy and passion that it's the closest you'll get to seeing Band Of Missfits on stage without actually being there.
Nominated as 'Most Popular New Act' at the 2018 WAM Awards, Band Of Missfits found a loyal fanbase almost as soon as they started gigging... a testament to their ability to get a party started. What began as a solo career for the band's frontwoman – singer-songwriter Kym Redmond – eventually grew into a full ensemble as she found herself needing a sound that was bigger, edgier and more powerful. In 2016, Redmond formed Band Of Missfits, and soon after the band released their debut EP. From there, it has been a journey of growth and dedication.
2018's Higher Passage EP was a turning point for the band. Redmond's songwriting departed from the more acoustic format of her previous work, into a more dirgey, muscular sound – drawing elements of classic rock and grunge into a blues-rock gumbo. The direction was a resounding success with the Band Of Missfits' ever-increasing audience, who were drawn to the band's lyrical honesty and exciting delivery. Summarised quite perfectly by Mysteria Maxima Magazine as 'a great sound, a great band and a bloody great voice', Band Of Missfits found themselves on a roll.
And while this momentum may have been stifled by Covid 19, Band Of Missfits have resumed their quest with gusto. Still fuelled by Redmond's candid lyrics and sing-along melodies, Crickets celebrates all that fans love about the band in one hell of a catchy single. Always progressing and upgrading their arsenal, Band Of Missfits have given Crickets their all... Redmond is at her absolute best, newcomer Jake Bignell's lead guitar work is ferocious, and the rhythm section of bassist Lee Matheson and drummer Paul Smith is unshakably solid.
It's difficult for any band to make plans at the moment. The looming threat of a second-wave lockdown hang over live performance, and there is no real way of knowing when touring will resume. That said, Band Of Missfits have no intention of slowing down. Crickets proves that the bridge between a band and their fans doesn't have to come down just because of unfortunate circumstance. If anything, Band Of Missfits have proven that no matter what life throws at you, the best thing to do is just keep powering forward.

 

Band of Missfits Charms Its Way To 2018 WAMFest

Written by  Madelaine Stegman

Thursday, 25 October 2018 15:16

 

Band of Missfits will showcase at 2018 WAMFest.

Band of Missfits, a quartet of rockers from the foothills of Perth, have scored themselves a spot performing at this year's WAMFest Live and a WAMAwards nomination.

Despite having released only two EPs so far, the rock band has built itself a following based on its rousing, catchy tunes – and, more importantly, a following that’s staunch enough to nominate it for ‘Most Popular New Act’.

“Fingers crossed we win it,” Kym Redmond, Band of Missfits vocalist and songwriter, says. “But if we don't, we know it's going to another pretty well-deserving band.”

It’s a surprisingly gracious remark. “[The other nominees are] quite well-known Perth bands,” Kym explains, “and a lot of them are our mates too.”

On being nominated for the award, Kym was “really surprised”.

“You don’t get too much recognition and we hadn't really won much [by this point], so we were pretty stoked when we found out about this – pretty overwhelmed as well, because we're up against some stiff competition.

“Yomi Ship’s up for it. They're just really great guys. And then there's I Call Val. We've played a couple of gigs with them as well and know them fairly well. There's Scarlet Drive too. Again, we've played a few gigs with them this year.

“You get to know the bands even when you're not playing. You go out to the pub and watch them. You get to know all the music that's around.

“There is literally so much good music in Perth at the moment,” Kym adds.

“Any night of the week you can go out and see really, really good bands. Gone are the days where you'd be picking and choosing, going, 'Oh god, what do we want?’ You can go to Four5Nine or Mojos or Bassendean Hotel – any night of the week there’s a quality band.”

Aside from showcasing this November at WAMFest, Band of Missfits have another two shows in December. “We want to play the year out with some really good gigs, and play it out with a bang.”

When it comes to juggling band and work commitments, Kym says it can be difficult but that it’s worth it. “I’m quite a busy girl. I have two kids and I run my own florist shop six days a week on top of the band.

“We play quite a bit in Freo: The Railway, The Swan Hotel, Flyby Nightclub – we're based in the hills of Perth, so we have to do quite a bit of travelling to get to and from gigs. But I think that’s necessary to get the music out there and get a few more people listening.

“For me, playing is a huge outlet. It’s my passion, my first passion. I've been singing and writing music since I was a little girl. It's just something I've always done as an outlet.

“Anytime I need to get anything off my chest, the first thing I do is get pen to paper, and it's therapeutic. Besides my kids, it’s the reason why I’ve been put here. So playing live - the buzz of it - I just love it.”

As for the future of the band, Kym would love to be able to take the group further afield. “Oh, yep, would love to. Love to! I'm just trying to organise something for next year maybe.

“I would have liked a tour at the end of this year, but with work it’s difficult. A few of our band members have commitments. So maybe mid-next year we'll look at a mini-tour.”

2019 will include new music as well. “We're going to be releasing music, but whether it's a full length, a single or an EP, it just depends on how things go.”

Kym laughs and says there is some pressure to release in March next year. “We released our debut EP ['Into the Storm'] March 23, 2017, and then a year later, to the day, we released our second EP 'Higher Passage'. We hadn't purposefully sat down and said 'Let's write an EP and let's release it in March.' It kind of happened that way.

“We would like to do a full-length album, but it's not something that we're mainly focusing on at the moment. It's not like we have a set timeline.”

Upcoming gigs

'Crickets' single launch at The Bassendean Hotel Friday the 27th November

https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/92ed9b88-48d2-4727-8fa4-6fb40ff171ec