Party on, it’s a band competition victory for VU

It’s a double victory for VU, with student bands winning first and second place at the National Campus Band Comp state finals last Thursday at Swinburne University’s Hammer and Swine Bar.

A panel of music industry judges awarded Party On My Darling the title of 2016 Victorian Student Band of the Year with SupahLove finishing second.

“We were absolutely ecstatic, it was such a wonderful moment for us that we won’t forget,” says vocalist Kate Beckwith.

The five-piece, also featuring vocalist Aidan Rolfe, guitarist Jeremy Carew, bass guitarist Jeremy Xuereb and drummer Jack Shiels, met while playing together for their Bachelor of Music assessments.

“We seemed to have similar values so we thought it would be great to start our own project.

“Last summer we started jamming in Jack’s lounge room.

“We starting creating material and bouncing ideas [came] pretty naturally.”

They describe their style as “a mixture of ambient groove and progressive pop”.

“We like making tunes that people can easily sing and dance along to and we also like to create music that is more ambient that you can just soak up”.

The band believes their course has been integral to their development.

“We’ve all learned collaboration and arrangement skills … with teachers that are very supportive.

“In our course there is a lot of emphasis on creating original work, so we are able to do that and get heaps of feedback from teachers and students.

“Last semester we tested out our band material at our recitals.”

As well as winning recording studio time, Party On My Darling will represent Victoria in the national finals on Wednesday 21 September at Northcote Social Club.

If they win the nationals, they will join past winners Eskimo Joe, Vasco Era and The Vines, as well as winning a $5000 cheque and three days recording at Ginger Studios.