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Interviews

Beers, benders, bad bones and bad habits: a chat about getting loose with LOS SCALLYWAGGS

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LOS SCALLYWAGGS are a band that well and truly embrace their name in every conceivable way. Loud, chaotic and fun, they are the young guns of Australia’s pumping surf-punk scene, poised to follow in the footsteps of bands like Dune Rats and SKEGGS.

The band are also serving as the muse for a new collaboration between General Pants and InsightDrowned In Sound – a collection inspired by crate digging, mornings spent binging on Rage, and arvos consumed with smashing out Nirvana covers in your parent’s garage.

To celebrate Drowned In Sound, we caught up with the fellas from LOS SCALLYWAGGS to talk about their roots in Forster, mixing friendship, family and music, and thriving on getting loose. Check out the band repping the Insight collection below.

Los Scallywaggs

Fresh from releasing their debut record, Bad Bones Bad Habits, we caught up with LOS SCALLYWAGGS to chat their roots in Forster, mixing friendship, family and music, and thriving on getting loose.

HAPPY: Hey guys. How’s it going? What are you up to at the moment?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: Hola.. We have just released our new record Bad Bones Bad Habits. We have also just started our first national tour and we are bloody frothing at moment!

HAPPY: Nice. Does growing up in Forster play a role in the ideas or themes behind your music?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: Yes it does. Forster is where we all became real weird lads. Benders and hangovers and women. Most of our songs are about completely losing your brain cells with your buddies and being bored by small town talk and angry old people. Our song themes don’t stray too far from these things.

HAPPY: How did the surf-punk genre become a part of your sound, and are there any key musical influences?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: I don’t even think we are that punk but if people wanna call it that they can I guess. We just froth on music that takes it to another level. Bands like Thee Oh Sees and King Gizz take it to another level, which is the road we want go down. We wanna create albums that take a left turn as such and differ from the norm, and play live shows that people will remember when they are old and grey.

Los scallywaggs

HAPPY: How do you perceive the scene for this kind of genre in Australia at the moment?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: The surf-punk scene is just a bloody good time I tell ya. All the bands that play shows in this genre are all about having a hell time with their mates and getting super pissed after the gig which is sick! There’s no pretentious vibes either. It doesn’t matter about the quality of their recordings because every digs that rough and raw around the edges vibe. Don’t tell mum.

HAPPY: Family and friendship can be an interesting dynamic to work with. When did you realise you would work well together as a band?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: Friendship. What a wonderful word. We realised we would work well together when Dale started letting us smoke all of his ciggies. We are all Siamese fighting fish but if you put us in a bowl together we will be mates. And that’s a metaphor right there for ya!

Los Scallywaggs

HAPPY: Are there any key stories behind Bad Bones Bad Habits?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: It’s pretty self-explanatory. All the songs are about doing bad things that stick with you like bad habits would like doing the naughty on the weekend. The album reflects our lifestyle growing up. Each song flows through a somewhat story of losing your mind and being anxious and coming back into the real world. But you can perceive it how you like. We hope you enjoy it.

HAPPY: Tell us a bit about what it’s like behind the scenes. Is there a particular writing process, creative space, or something that helps you guys get in the mood?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: The writing process can happen randomly. Like when you’re at work or at home or on the road you might come up with a lyric or guitar riff that could work. We throw back and forth untill we are happy with it and base it around something that would be good to play live. Having that idea of playing the songs live allows us to get into a super productive mood to make music.

Los Scallywaggs insight

HAPPY: So this is your first national tour to date. How has it been so far?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: We had played our first show in Newcastle and it was super good! Very keen to play the rest of the shows and become as scattered as anything. 11 shows of beer induced mayhem.

HAPPY: What’s a live show like for LOS SCALLYWAGGS?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: Inevitably getting beer spilt on ya. Copping a deep convo from an overly drunk human. Loud noises and total chaos. We love it and we love the people that come along and hangout. It is the best time ever for us to play on stage!

HAPPY: If you could play support for any band in existence, who would it be?

LOS SCALLYWAGGS: Well we have already played with Crocodylus. But in actual existence it would be Ty Segall, Black Lips and/or Thee Oh Sees. Either one would be the coolest thing to ever do.

Check out the Drowned In Sound  here – or shop it exclusively at General Pants stores around the country.