Bears With Guns

Rebecca Varidel
19th May 2015

Nothing beats a live gig. We caught up with Sydney band Bears With Guns at The Gaelic Club and threw them a few questions (as you do).

1. Is it true Bears With Guns all live together; have lived together; still live together? How did you all meet?

Four of us grew up in Parkes NSW playing music together when we were young. We all ended up moving to Sydney in 2010 to study music. That's where we met Lachy. The band ended up living, studying and jamming together. That is how the band got off the ground.

2. How's it work spending so much time living and playing together? Does it get hectic on the road?

A couple of the boys are still at the original 'band headquarters' but the majority of us have moved into the city. Getting out of Sydney is always great. We have the up's and down's on the road, and there's always new challenges, but it's a fun experience every time.

3. Let's talk about acoustic. How does acoustic fit in to your musical mix? What's the evolution of your music from when you first got together until now?

We used to busk a lot back in the day and that's why it started off very acoustic based - transporting/moving around made it very convenient. But over time, we began to experiment with different instruments, which has helped cultivate the 'Bears With Guns' sound. It felt very natural to write like this.

4. You've got a new single - The Deep End - coming out in July. How does this shift direction for the band?

Since the release of 'Only the Quick and the Hungry', the band took time out to be creative and write new music. Considering our growing influences, it was a natural progression for our writing. We feel this created a more unified sound. It's not necessarily a move in a different direction, but it is a sound that is more representative of us and our continuing growth.

5. Your performances are high energy. How do you make the live magic happen? What's your preferred beverages, before during and after performing.

You serve pints? We'll get 5 of them. We love having a pre-drink before getting on stage. Everything is better with beer. There have been times when we've turned into our drunken alter-egos, which has led to Rob falling off stage and Lachy (aka John Glocklan) talking too much shit, but at the end of the day, it preps us for purely focusing on performance. It pumps us up and winds us down simultaneously. With that being said, if the crowd is vibing, it certainly stokes the fire.

To hear more from Bears With Guns, check out their delicious Only the Quick and Hungry EP.