IV League had an amazing year in 2018, and with a brand new EP just over the horizon, it doesn’t look like they’re ready to ease up. The year saw them release two killer singles in Superstar and Lose Me, play some of their biggest stage slots ever, and ink a tasty new booking deal.
Before they cap off a busy summertime with St Kilda Festival and a few other choice appearances, we caught up with frontwoman Bella Venutti for a chat.
Bella Venutti chats us through the progress on IV League’s debut EP, how the band’s tastes have refined, and what to expect from their set at St Kilda Festival.
HAPPY: Hey, how are things?
BELLA: Hey guys, things at the moment are pretty swell thanks for asking!
HAPPY: What are you up to at the moment?
BELLA: We’re having a break from playing and relaxing in the lead up to the release of our debut EP and a couple of surrounding live dates.
HAPPY: How do you think your music has changed since your first release back in 2016?
BELLA: It’s become a lot more refined as we’ve gotten older and our tastes have changed! Less surfy, more driven guitars and a lot more ’90s influence I’d say.
HAPPY: Will you be playing any new music at St Kilda Festival?
BELLA: We will be playing the entirety of our new EP as well as a couple of songs we’ve written more recently!
HAPPY: What’s your dream collaboration?
BELLA: Ooooooh I would probably say Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine, I’d kill to have him produce a track for me!
HAPPY: What’s your pre-gig routine?
BELLA: Pretty boring to be honest! A quick vocal warm up (never) and maybe one and a half beers to get to get the perfect low key buzz on for a performance!
HAPPY: Do you have anything out-of-the-ordinary that you absolutely have to do before getting onstage?
BELLA: I wish I had a better answer for this, I really don’t! Maybe I should start going full on Jack White and demand a super specific guacamole be made for me before I hit the stage.
HAPPY: Which other musicians do you look to as inspiration?
BELLA: Beach House, Wolf Alice, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Shame, Sunflower Bean, Goat Girl, DIIV… I’ll cap it here because I could really go on for PAGES.
Catch IV League at St Kilda Festival or any of the following tour dates:
Sun 10 Feb – St Kilda Festival – St Kilda, Melbourne
Sat 16 Feb – Mountain Goat Valley Crawl – Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Fri 22 Feb – The Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne
Mar 29-31 – The Hills Are Alive – Krowera, Victoria
