MIXING the raw aggression of 90s alternative rock with catchy hooks and deftly-woven stories, Venice on Fire are quickly making a name for themselves as an exciting act in the Brisbane music scene.
A head-banging underdog alternative rock band that wear their hearts on their sleeves, the Toowoomba/Brisbane quartet combine sad, complex narratives and gorgeous melodies with a massive sound designed to fill floors and rooms.
After forming in the outback town of Roma in late 2014, the original members of Tom Gillespie (guitar, vocals), Darcy Cavanough (drums) and Jarrod Hall (bass) shifted to their new base in the Garden City two years later. Tom and Darcy were joined by Madison Cook-Long on bass and Che Smith on guitar in 2019.
The trio took elements from Violent Soho, DZ Deathrays, Dear Seattle, Smashing Pumpkins and Rise Against to create an aggressive debut EP Home in 2016, before following it up with full-length release Tempt A Saint the next year.
Their follow-up singles further explored complex and engrossing stories. 2018 single My Friend Mal, featuring a “jean-tearing chorus” (Triple J’s Declan Byrne), discussed the troubles with toxic friendships. It earned praise from critics for “mixing grungy tinges of 90s rock with more modern Aussie alt-rock tendencies”.
Latest single Nov 2, released in March, is a back-and-forth exploration into a chance meeting of two jilted ex-lovers enjoyed airplay on community and digital radio and received strong reviews from Happy Mag and The Soundcheck.
Venice on Fire has grown in stature and popularity, playing at tastemaker festival The Mountain Goat Valley Crawl last year and the popular Airlie Beach Festival of Music in 2017.
They have also played alongside the likes of Hands Like Houses, Deadlights, Port Royal, Bugs, Fait Accompli, The Chats, Kingswood, Walken, Creo, Pist Idiots, Pandamic, Semantics, Mental As Anything and Particles along the way.
Their new single Issues is out on March 10.