Kingswood: Kicking Down the Door into Country Music
Ahead of the release of their new album Midnight Mavericks, Kingswood discuss not being immediately welcomed with open arms into country music, the frustrations of having to create viral content and the love for their tour bus Peggy.
Words Thomas Jackson // Image supplied
Kingswood co-founders and co-vocalists Fergus Linacre and Alex Laksa are all smiles when they join The Note on Zoom. It’s the release week of their new album Midnight Mavericks and they’ve just returned from a show in Adelaide at The Gov (16 May), where they performed “all but two” songs from the new album. It’s a bold statement of the love for their new music and a move that not all bands would take, especially since the full album isn’t officially released yet.
Over their 13-year career, Kingswood have diversified from triple j favourites with their heavy riffs, to vintage rock and soul storytellers - even finding time to release a Christmas album - before diving into the world of Americana. With Midnight Mavericks they’re cementing their status as country music mainstays. Laksa shares that it was an easy switch to change genres because they’re making their own version of what they perceive Americana, country and bluegrass to be. However, it did take a while for them to be accepted into the community.
“Certainly not [welcomed with] open arms,” laughs Laksa. “The initial experience of Kingswood wanting to express ourselves the way we do was that they wanted to shut us down. Because we were knocking on doors that were not ours to knock on, from all reports. But very graciously and through our commitment and respect and tenacity, we have since been very, very, very well accepted and we're very grateful for it.
“But that's a normal thing, if you think about it. Like, someone showing up to the party and kicking the door in and being like, ‘yeah, I'm part of this, just like you guys,’ and everyone's like, ‘we've been doing this for our whole lives, why are you entitled?’”
It was 2023’s Home that started to gain real momentum, it became the second-highest-selling country album in Australia for the year, but it didn’t get the full recognition it deserved.
“Not that we care about these things, but it got zero [award] nominations,” Linacre remembers. “Despite being a pretty successful record, the community that gives nods and awards and everything didn't know we existed.”
“Or they did, but they didn't want to acknowledge it,” Laksa smiles.
Laksa recently took to social media to have a cheeky rant about having to create content and viral moments in this modern world to promote music. “We've got no issue with promoting our music, it's the means that we use that we're told don't work,” Laksa clarifies.
“The very traditional means of just putting your music up, putting your performances up, putting up your songs, or just putting up excerpts of your songs. It's like, ‘oh, that's not enough’ to just simply display the craft that you've worked so hard at.”
It’s a continuously growing conversation that many artists have spoken out about. It’s almost become an expected prerequisite for artists to act as social media content creators as well as musicians to cut through the noise and get noticed.
“I've had so many conversations with artists about this and their most viewed videos will be like their shoes walking down the stairs,” Laksa continues. “Or someone responding to something totally naturally that has no link, or no inclination, or no tie to their music.”
“Yeah, and on a broader scale, that just encourages people to either be controversial or show their ass,” Linacre adds. “Or just come up with engaging ways to grab your attention for a very short amount of time, with no relevance to what it is that they're trying to achieve, other than get your attention.”
“We've got friends that have massive followings,” Linacre explains. “Or have had viral moments on TikTok that have completely blown up and it doesn't translate to selling tickets to shows.”
“No, not at all. It doesn't even translate to streams. It just translates to you had a moment on a social media platform,” Laksa finishes.
READ MORE: Matt Corby: Turning Tragedy Into Magic
Nowadays, Kingswood have traded in the early hotel check-outs and airport check-ins for their own personally designed DIY tour bus, Peggy. Despite the rising petrol prices - they recently filled the tank for over $1,000 - Peggy is a cost saving asset for a time where being a touring musician has never been more expensive.
“We don't have to fly, book accommodation, hire backline or rent a van. It enables you to get to places in Australia that are hard to get to and book a run of shows. Say North West Australia, for example. They're pretty hard to fly in, play a bunch of shows around those cities that are four or five hours apart,” Linacre explains.
“In South Australia, we've done Port Lincoln, Tumby Bay, Victor Harbor, Port Adelaide, McLaren Vale and then up into Grenfell,” Laksa continues.
“Someone trying to do that to fly into Adelaide…do all of that, still pay all the fuel that you have to do, then return your vehicle and fly back to wherever you're from. That makes it very difficult for most bands to do, but we've taken the responsibility to be able to tour this country.”
Midnight Mavericks is out Friday 22 May. Pre-order/pre-save here.
