Your chance to learn about some of Meanjin/Brisbane's finest creatives and their favourite things about the city they call home!
As mentioned in your Instagram bio, Blussh is Brisbane’s “unholy trinity that’ll pull u in & spit u out” - how did you all meet?
Sophia: "In 2018 Kelly & myself matched on tinder and added each other on socials after realizing we had similar musical interests. Shortly after I updated my status asking if anyone wanted to start a band and Kelly appeared! We met at Bloodhound Bar where Kelly brought along her sister Stacey and we all gushed over our love for Bikini Kill, Hole, The Distillers, Babes in Toyland & L7. The rest is history"
Where did you play your first gig as a band?
Sophia: "We played at our mates halloween house party. I dressed as Cher, Kelly was Beetlejuice and Stacey was dressed as Tinky-Winky. It was the best start to playing live - being surrounded by our best mates and no pressure to sound any good!
How has Brisbane’s music scene changed since you all first started playing together?
Sophia: "Unfortunately we’ve seen a few live music venues come and go. We really miss Crowbar! They gave us a lot of opportunities back when we first began and welcomed us with open arms. However we are so lucky to live in Brisbane where a precinct like Fortitude Valley exists! We have an entire suburb of music venues and bars at our disposal"
Speaking of Brisbane - the question that divides the city… Northside or Southside, and why?
Sophia: "Southside for sure! I’m probably biased because I’ve lived here my whole life. The girls are from the Gold Coast but now live on the southside / inner city. There is no need to travel to the northside since we have everything we need over this side of town - sorry northies."
You had an awesome year of shows in 2022, and you’re currently taking a well deserved break at the moment! What does Blussh have planned for 2023 and beyond?
Sophia: "We are still catching our breath! 2022 was insanely huuuge and we are so eternally grateful for every opportunity we were given. I think bands don’t touch on this enough but we felt that bringing in the new year was a very important time for us to check in with ourselves and each other. It can feel overwhelming juggling full time work, personal life and band life so we decided to take some time off before we figure out the next phase for BLUSSH."
Congratulations on your latest EP ‘Glamour’! Where did you record the EP, and what was the experience like for you?
Sophia: "We recorded our EP ‘Glamour’ at Airlock Studios with Steve Kempnich and Emily Hopely. Most of the songs from the EP were written over the period of the 2020 lockdown so it was cathartic to finally get them out. We can’t recommend Airlock enough to other bands - Ian, Emily & the team take verrrry good care of you."
What artists/band influenced you the most when writing and recording?
Sophia: "We are definitely inspired by the 90’s and bands like Bikini Kill, Hole, The Distillers, Babes in Toyland & L7 are huge influences for us. Even closer to home we absolutely love Magic Dirt, Cosmic Psychos, The Superjesus, Screamfeeder and Baby Animals so I guess you can hear small influences from all of these acts and others when we are creating our tracks."
Describe your EP in 3 words
Sophia: "Raw, honest and unhinged."
Time to give some local businesses some love. What are your go-to restaurants or bars in Brisbane?
Sophia: "We love The Zoo and Stranded Bar - they hosted our ‘Glamour’ EP launch afterparty and even named a cocktail after us for the night."
Stacey: "Pincadia or Netherworld for food, drinks and games! Or Chili Coco in Stones Corner for great thai food."
Do you have a favourite cafe?
Sophia: "Whenever we want to meet up for a coffee we always seem to end up at The Smug Fig in Stones Corner. Their banana bread is sooooooooo good guys."
Stacey: "Or Clove n Honey. You’ll most likely find us walking around Stones Corner and then we will check in at Sonic Sherpa & the op shops on the way home."
You've just bumped out of a gig, it's after midnight, where's your go to for a late night meal?
Sophia: "You’ll always find Stace lining up for the hotdog at 5 Dogs after load out. And I’ll most likely opt for the Maccas drive thru on the way home. We are girls with simple needs and pleasures."
Brisbane’s music scene is so vibrant with so many different genres and bands. What local acts have you been digging lately?
Sophia: "There are so many amazing live acts coming out of Brisbane - we are very lucky to live here! I was stoked to see Queerbait smash the opportunity to open for Bikini Kill at The Tivoli recently. Other acts I’m dying to check out live are Prink and Care."
What venue in Brisbane would you love to play that you haven’t yet and why? Sophia: "Excited to hear there’s a new venue opening in town - Bad Luck. Once we are out and about and gigging again we definitely hope to grace the Bad Luck stage."
If you could create a tour with yourself and two other Brisbane based artists/bands, who would they be and why?
Stacey: "We’d love to do a tour with The Veronicas and The Chats because the juxtaposition of all 3 bands would be funny to see live."
From photographers to visual artists, videographers or booking agents, do you have any Brisbane creatives that you’d like to give a shout out to?
Sophia: "There are so many incredibly talented creative people we are able to call friends. I couldn’t possibly name everybody (sorry y'all) but to name a few, we love working with Luke Morgan, Casey Powell of CRVP Design (formally Brisbane) and Sarah Smith of Make Me Over Artistry - she always makes us look our very best. We also have a graphic designer in BLUSSH! Shout out to Stace (She Kill Graphics) who does alllottt of our graphic work."
And lastly, what words of advice would you give to young or up and coming artists?
Stacey: "You don’t have to be the best guitarist, drummer, bass player etc. to get started! Just do it and see what happens and always keep exploring different music."
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