BAND NAME: Hellions
HOMETOWN: Sydney
GENRE: Punk/Hardcore
MEMBERS: Dre Faivre (Vocals), Matt Gravolin (Guitar/Vocals), Anthony Carvoso (Drums)
LATEST RELEASE: Indian Summer
Arriving to the scene in early 2013, Sydney’s own Hellions wasted little time in establishing themselves as a national presence. Releasing their first single ‘Infamita,’ in June of that year, the group joined in tours with Deez Nuts, Attila and Every Time I Die before releasing their UNFD debut, Die Young, in September. The trio’s blend of aggressive, hardcore-influenced guitar work, punk rock melodicism, frenzied percussion and the unique delivery of front man Dre Faivre all combining to form a sound and style that Hellions can proudly call their own.
Hellions made an appearance on the Sydney leg of the Vans Warped Tour, as well as taking out BLUNT Magazines’ ‘Best Newcomer Award’ in the 2013 End Of Year Reader’s Poll. Tours alongside In Hearts Wake and Hand Of Mercy followed before personal circumstances forced the band into an extended period of downtime for the bulk of 2014.
In all honesty, I love this band and I have since the first time I saw them live back in October 2014, Hellions brings together every element that I love in music- incredible stage presence, diversity in releases and interaction with a fan base, that probably the reason behind the amount of energy that they can create between music lovers, it’s contagious and electric and to experience this you only need to get your hands on their album or head out to a show and you can feel connected to the Hellions family. January 30th saw the release of Hellions latest record, Indian Summer, which is an essential for all fans of bands like System of a Down and My Chemical Romance- Hellions is basically their love child.
PEARL had the chance to have a chat with Matt Gravolin about the band and the possibilities the future might hold. One thing we like to ask the bands is what they would classify themselves as- artists or performers, its an interesting question and it usually is the hardest one that we ask, on whether they are artists or performers, Gravolin says “This is the most difficult question I’ve been asked in quite a while! After considering this for an inordinate amount of time I’ve decided to go with the latter option because both live and in the studio we prefer to keep things as visceral and organic as can be. I feel that the word ‘artist’ denotes excessive preparation and precision, which are incredibly admirable attributes, but we are guided more by intuition than discipline.” Organic is definitely an adjective to add next to live performance for Hellions.
Touring bands are usually under the misconception that touring is easy and having a balanced life is even easier while on tour, however a lot of them give up countless jobs, relationships and chances to see family Gravolin says this “Often! Touring and writing can be particularly quarrelsome when it comes to relationships, and finding a job that is flexible enough for you to tour regularly is always a difficult thing.” On where the band will be in five years, Hellions see themselves making the music that we love on a larger scale, and we all can support them in this! Hellions are on tour for Indian Summer in march, Melbourne dates include the 21st at the Rev Hotel, 18+ (28 Napier Street, Footscray VIC 3011) and the 22nd at Pheonix Youth Center, AA (72 Buckley St, Footscray VIC 3011) and their newest record Indian Summer is out VIA UNFD and available at 24Hundred and all good music stores!
MILLI RANSOM