Coldwave: Hot News
Ahead of their Laneway Festival debut, The Note caught up with Coldwave to chat about their addition to the festival bill, their new music and plans for 2023.
Image by Mayah Salter
When Coldwave received the news that they’d be playing Laneway Festival, they thought it was a prank.
The band’s drummer, Jordan Maywald, took a call from triple j’s Unearthed executive producer, Tommy Faith, on early Friday morning. After chatting with the national youth broadcaster, Jordan quickly jumped on a video call with the other band members.
“Jordan said, ‘We’re playing Laneway!’,” recalls bass player, Timothea Moylan. “We replied, ‘Nice one – you’re tricking us...’,” vocalist Harry Evans adds.
We’re speaking with Timothea and Harry the day after Laneway announced them as Adelaide’s Unearthed artist and the excitement is still raw. “It’s a real dream to play Laneway,” Timothea says. “It was the first festival I ever went to. We’re still pinching ourselves.”
Coldwave broke into the Adelaide music scene with the release of their first single, ‘Watch It’, in 2020. Since then, the six-piece has become fast favourites amongst local gig-goers. They’re known for their high-energy sets that blend gravid vocals with abrasive guitars and booming horns. The post-punk band take their own approach to the genre, producing unconventional songs with equally unconventional rock n’ roll instruments – like the trumpet.
“The trumpet [played by Sean McGowan] adds a whole other layer to Coldwave,” Timothea says. “I like that it messes with the idea of what our sound can be and what can happen with it.”
The band’s unvarnished sound and brooding lyrics are inspired by bands like Shame and Fontaines D.C – who also happen to be headlining Laneway. “Imagine if they watch our set!” Timothea chimes. “How nice would that be.”
Last year Coldwave stepped into the spotlight. The band joined SA-based festival lineups like Scouted and SomeShine, released new song ‘Buster’, and continued to receive love (and airtime) on triple j Unearthed. “We’re making the most out of everything that comes our way,” Timothea says.“
Yeah, 2022 was a really fun year for us as a band,” Harryadds. “It feels like the Adelaide music scene is in a really good place.”
The band is expected to drop their first EP at the beginning of February, just before they play Laneway. Building on the heavy, fast-paced track ‘Buster’ (2022), the new music will push Coldwave further into the post-punk space they’re eager to occupy. “‘Buster’ is probably my favourite song to play at the moment,” Harry says. “I have my own little dance moves for it.” We ask if we can expect to see Harry bust a move on the Laneway stage, and there’s a pause. “Harry looked like that was debatable for a second,” Timothea quips.
In 2023, Coldwave is keen to take their music across the country, with a nationwide tour in the works. “We’re trying to expand our audience and try new things,” Timothea says. “Laneway will kick everything off – it’s our first big thing for the year.” The band also plans on shooting for the stars soon.
“We’d like to be the first band to play on the moon,” Timothea jokes. “But don’t print that!”
