Interview by Kris Peters
From humble beginnings in Adelaide, party rock outfit West Thebarton have spread their metaphorical wings far and wide, drawing all who listen deeper into their intricate musical web of enjoyment.
Since announcing themselves on the scene with their 2015 debut EP West Thebarton Brothel Party, which catapulted them into the earholes of fans and industry professionals alike, West Thebarton have continued to grow at their own pace and volition.
The years between West Thebarton Brothel Party and their 2018 debut studio album, Different Beings Being Different, saw a marked evolution within the band. Line-up and name changes brought the group into a new era, one that West Thebarton have continued to flourish within since.
Which brings us to 2024. West Thebarton have experienced the full plethora of trials and tribulations life can throw at you over the last five years with personal life changes: parenthood, love, loss, moves interstate and moves overseas all having the potential to derail this rock train short of their second stop.
But fear not, for Adelaide's favourite sons have returned with their second album Mongrel Australia, which finds the band at the crest of a particularly high creative peak; focussing on what lay ahead instead of dwelling in the past.
Vocalist/guitarist The Reverend joined HEAVY to bring us up to speed.
"We've just got a new record out called Mongrel Australia," he began. "It came out a couple of weeks ago, but we're heading out on the road, ready to take on all the East Coast cities."
We ask how Mongrel Australia was received after a lengthy break between albums.
"Number one, it's been awesome just to be out there, to be honest," he replied. "We've been sitting on these songs and playing them live for a couple of years now with everything that's been going on. So just having it out there in the world has been a huge sigh of relief for us. We were super anxious putting them out there and seeing how they would be received, but so many people have been telling us how awesome it is to have a new record out there that they can listen from end to end. Also, there's been a bit of a change of tone on some of the songs on this record. We were in a bit of a different place on the second record compared to the first record, and so some of the content and themes are a little bit different. We've had a bunch of people reach out to say this is awesome to hear some of the slower songs. We've got a song called Slow on there which is very stripped back - it's not very chainsaw to the throat West Thebarton like (laughs)- but people are really loving it, which is awesome to hear. That's one of the things you always worry about as a musician is are your fans going to enjoy the stuff you put out."
In the full interview, The Reverend discusses the process of going into an album and internal talks about the possible direction, Mongrel Australia from a musical perspective, which three songs he would advise people listen to from the album to best get to know the band, how it differs musically to their debut album Different Beings Being Different, what has changed in the band between albums, the early days of the band, their upcoming tour, what to expect from West Thebarton live and more.