By Sebastian Commons | posted on November 10, 2018
THE Swing Kings will be going their separate ways this November after three sell-out performances and a debut EP, but not before hitting the stage for one more weekend to bid goodbye to the Great Southern.
The Weekender had the chance to stop by during one of their rehearsals for a chat about their rapid rise to local fame and their plans for the future.
The band, which consists of Evan Ayres on guitar and lead vocals, Oliver Tetlow on bass, Mollie Hare and Bonnie Staude on backing vocals, Bryce Taylor on trumpet, Anna Leach on saxophone, Hunter Ewen on trombone and Jeremy Staude on drums, said the experience had been very rewarding.
“It’s been terrific,” Ayres said.
“It’s been such a great opportunity.”
The group has a wide range of talents and interests, which is evident when talking about their plans for after the final show.
Front man Ayres plans to pursue music, hoping to score a place at the WA Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) next year.
The same goes for backing singers Mollie Hare and Bonnie Staude, who are both hoping to study musical theatre at the Academy.
Oliver Tetlow is going to university to study engineering, Anna Leach to study social work, Hunter Ewen plans to go into pathology, Bryce Taylor’s going to university in Canberra, and Jeremy Staude said he’d like to go on holiday to Japan.
When asked how being in the band had impacted their lives, the band agreed that it had made life a whole lot busier, but more exciting too.
“It’s a bit tricky to balance our workload with all of us still in school – well, except for Mollie – but I think Evan’s got his priorities straight: music first,” Bonnie Staude said, much to the amusement of Ayres.
“But yeah, it’s definitely worth it.”
The band were quick to respond when asked about the highlights of their brief Swing Kings career.
“It’s probably the adrenaline of performing,” Bonnie Staude said.
“It’s cool to be in a band that’s so high calibre; it’s really good music that you don’t always find.”
Ayres said that having five sell-out shows – including the two upcoming farewell performances – had been one of his major highlights.
“One sold out in two hours, which was pretty amazing,” he said.
Tetlow said his high light came after their first performance.
“There was a lady who came up and said that I was her hero,” he said, sparking a collective “awww” from the rest of the band.
Taylor explained how supportive their fans had been.
“It’s the response we get after the shows; we have people coming through with CDs asking for autographs or just saying how much they enjoyed the show,” he said.
“I like playing fast songs,” Jeremy Staude said plainly, causing an eruption of laughter from his fellow band members, who joked that they’d often catch him nodding off during the slower numbers.
Though the band is splitting up for now, they are all hopeful there will be a Swing Kings reunion in the future.
“It would be sad if there wasn’t,” Bonnie Staude said.
