Partying with Ghost Care
Photo by: Cedric Tang
Indie - Altrock band, Ghost Care are making some big moves early in 2023, with the release of a new song titled ‘Partying’ and joining their mates Spacey Jane on their regional NSW & Qld tour as main support. MFA interrupted the trio to ask them about the tour, what goes into making their set lists and about some of the funny things they have seen happen backstage while being on the road.
For those that haven’t heard your music before , where do you place yourselves in the genre labeling?
Hello! We find it hard to answer this question sometimes, but we often find ourselves put into the indie-rock or alternative rock category and are usually compared to artists like Ball Park Music and The Black Keys, which is totally incredible to us! We also feel like we could be quite a summery, festival band - which is also how we’ve heard some people describe us!
This month sees Ghost Care embark on one of the highest exposure events in the bands history. Hitting the road with Spacey Jane for their regional NSW & Queensland tour. Are you excited to have the opportunity to play your music to a whole new audience of prespective fans?
We’re really excited. We’ve been hoping to head back over east and to be doing it with our mates in Spacey Jane is really cool. It’s also felt like we’ve been waiting for ages since we jumped on this tour, so we can’t wait to get on the road, play to some new fans and do it at some of the biggest venues we’ve been on the bill for.
“We’ve been hoping to head back over east and to be doing it with our mates in Spacey Jane is really cool”
As band you have been together for awhile, so are there any nerves still?
It feels like we’re at a point where we’re really comfortable in our sets and we feel like we can have fun on stage, but at the same time we’ve been getting some great opportunities and these can definitely be butterfly inducing. Overall, we have a lot of fun, nervous or not, and we’re stoked to be getting some of the chances we’ve had! We’re a great team and we feel like it when we’re on stage.
Is it hard locking down a set list or will you use the tour to showcase your 3rd EP 'Pedal To The Metal' which you released late last year to a new and different crowd?
We’ll definitely be playing most (if not all…) of the new material we’ve put out recently! We’ve also put some slightly older tunes in that we love to play live for their energy. The recent EP still feels really fresh for us, and we’re having a lot of fun weaving it into the set at different points. We also love playing our new single ‘Partying’ - it has more of an indication of the direction we’re heading in soundwise and feels really good to finally be playing it to more and more people.
Do you have a favourite Ghost Care song that you play at every show?
I think as a band we each have our own favourites, but judging by the songs we keep putting into the sets, we can say that some of the popular choices would be Only Friend, Oxygen, and it may be too early to tell, but Partying is probably coming up close now. We also all love a song from our second EP called ‘SLO’, which we all adore but sometimes it just doesn’t fit into the mix we’re looking for!
“We’re always changing our live sound or experimenting with transitions or song openings”
What can attendees expect from your live performance?
Heaps of energy and excitement to be back on the road and doing what we love to do - As we mentioned before too, a mix of recent material and slightly older stuff! We’re always changing our live sound or experimenting with transitions or song openings, which we’ll have some of on this tour.
Is there anywhere or anything you are excited to experience while your on this tour?
We’re pretty excited to experience the places and venues - they’ll be some of the biggest shows we’ve played and it’ll be our first gigs in these places, which is pretty amazing! We’re also excited to go back on tour with Spacey Jane, because we’ve missed them while they’ve been globetrotting and it’ll be nice to spend some time with our mates again.
What will be the first item you pack into your suitcase and why?
Luke here, but the first thing I’m putting in my suitcase is a book for when you maybe have a bit of time to kill or the car breaks down and maybe we have to wait on the side of the road for a while… and my toothbrush because forgetting that is the worst.
“Being on the road feels like we’re finally doing what we’ve been working so hard to do!”
What's your Favourite thing about touring and being on the road?
Being on the road feels like we’re finally doing what we’ve been working so hard to do! We probably would’ve done a bunch more touring during COVID times (like most people), and we missed out on touring there, but now we’re making up for it where we can! This turned into a bit of a tangent, but what we love about being on the road so far is hanging out and getting to do what we love doing in between!
What's the worst part about touring and being on the road?
Sleep… and keeping in touch with people and things you maybe had to get done back home, but definitely missing out on hanging out with friends and loved ones. Also maybe the stress of making it to things on time and being prepared, all while remembering that you’re playing a set at the end of it!
Where was your first gig? Was it a success or flop?
One of our first gigs as a band was at the Indian Ocean Hotel back home in Scarborough - this wasn’t a flop, but not a total success. It was Tanaya’s first gig on stage in Ghost Care and was a midweek open mic night, and some of those midweek gigs have been lifesavers for us to test out new material and cut our teeth. A success in the scheme of getting to where we are for sure.
“There’ve been a few instances of people being tackled and shoelaces being tied together… ”
Without naming names whats the craziest or funniest thing you have seen happen back stge at a show?
There've been a few instances of people being tackled and shoelaces being tied together… also huge balloons and beach balls being thrown on stage during a birthday and Live at the Wireless recording and the soundies having to jump in and hit them away from the mics. That was intense but lovely.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?
As a band we’ve always been a pretty solid team and work together to solve things, but our manager Jez this year and last has been a massive lifesaver to us!
After the tour is completed, what's next for Ghost Care? What's in the pipeline?
There’s heaps of new music this year that we have ready to go! We’ll have another single real soon and a body of work not long after, but the details are still to be announced!
SPACEY JANE REGIONAL TOUR (GHOST CARE MAIN SUPPORT)
Wednesday 24th May Uni Hall Wollongong, NSW
Thursday 25th May Drifters Wharf Gosford, NSW
Friday 26th May NEX, Newcastle NSW
Sunday 28th May Miami Marketta Gold Coast, QLD
Wednesday 31st May GT Western Rockhampton, QLD
Thursday 1st June Harrup Park Mackay, QLD
Saturday 3rd June The Warehouse Townsville, QLD
Sunday 4th June Gilligans, Cairns QLD
Wednesday 7th June Venue 114, Sunshine Coast QLD
Interview by Michelle Symes
May 2023