Burning A New Path‍

How the Belair Lip Bombs’ raw live energy is fuelling a music industry in recovery.

When Dev the drummer from the Belair Lip Bombs recounts a memorable show, he doesn’t talk about playing a big stage, although Golden Plains does get a shoutout. He instead offers a significant moment on a small stage. It was playing a sold out show in London’s George’s Tavern earlier this year that sticks with him: “I think everyone agreed it was awesome being that far away from home, and having that feeling… that good energy in a completely different city, was amazing”.

For any Australian band, making it halfway around the world and discovering an audience is a significant milestone. It’s moments like these that allow musicians dare to consider projects – some that start as early as high school, as was the case for the Belair Lip Bombs – becoming careers. 

It’s a thought that Maisie Everett, singer for the band, must have shared, as she left her other band, CLAMM, to focus on the Belair Lip Bombs project this year. It’s clear momentum is building for the four-piece. This year their debut studio album, Lush Life was re-released by Jack White’s Third Man Records, helping herald them on the world stage with quote-worth reviews, and another UK and Europe tour ahead.

And it’s on-stage that the band has been able to win over fans, by being "faithful to the recordings” as Dev says, but still bringing in new elements. It’s a complex process, especially as they experiment with more elements. “We’re considering backing tracks or maybe adding another musician, but it’s always about how it will work on stage,” he shares.

The current formula clearly works, as their adept songwriting and punchy lyricism is seeing more and more gigs sell out. But as the live music industry continues to recover, Dev knows they need to be smart about their creative decisions: 

“Money questions don’t go into the songwriting part, but then the money questions go into how everything exists after that point. If you're going to have to play it live, there's going to have to be considerations on what that looks like.”

And what it sounds like is raw emotion, which doesn’t need bells and whistles to get the point across. That’s not to say there aren't details and intricacies to their sound – a point Dev is able to highlight when they use their preferred sound engineer, Nao Anzai. “Our sound engineer, Nao, knows our music so well it’s like he’s part of the band,” Dev explains, and goes on to say the more Nao mixes the band the more he is able to build an idiosyncratic sound for them. A relationship like this is a true asset that only comes when working with a skilled live sound engineer.

Dev is quick to admit there are a lot of challenges ahead in the live music industry, with rising insurance costs meaning ticket prices are following suit, but he is optimistic about the resilience of Australia’s music scene, especially in Melbourne. “The music community here is strong and supportive, with venues and community radio providing platforms for emerging bands,” he says.

For anyone looking to enter the live music industry, Dev stresses the importance of finding a support network early on. “Build relationships with people who believe in your music and can help you grow,” he advises.

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