Gig Review: Hey Geronimo

Hey Geronimo

Saturday October 6th

Jive, Adelaide

While outside the streets were teaming with the living dead, last Saturday Nat and I headed to Jive to see one of the band's I have been dying to see since first getting their hit "Why don't we do something?" in my head - Hey Geronimo.

Back in June, Hey Geronimo were the first band to Q and A with RTM and I'd asked the guys exactly what people should expect from one of their live shows.

"You can expect us to put on a high-energy, fun show. We're still learning our craft, but we want everybody to have a good time. Have a few drinks and bring your dancing shoes!"

Well, we certainly did bring our dancing shoes and we were not disappointed.  The band and their support acts, (including a super-cute Adelaide outfit called "Hurricanes," who were performing their first ever gig, - kudos guys!) definitely deserved a larger audience, but this didn't phase Hey Geronimo at all - or if it did you couldn't tell.  Opening with Carbon Affair, Hey Geronimo performed as if they were playing to a full house, each member more full of beans than the next.  

Highlights included a surprise cover of the Talking Heads classic, "Burning Down the House,"  giving Tom Jones and The Cardigans a run for their money - this performance was funky as, and the guys nailed it.  After the show when asked separately, the fellas from Hey Geronimo all said the same thing - that they'd had fun; and this was so evident when watching the band perform on stage.  The onstage chemistry between each of the members let's you know that these guys are going to be around for a while and their EP (available now) is only a small taste of the great great things to come from this Brisbane act.  The chemistry was not just displayed in the on stage interaction but also musically with powerful harmonies both vocally and instrumentally - Hey Geronimo are certainly talented musicians.  

While the band head to QLD for their last two shows, which I strongly encourage you to get along too if you can, - I for one can not wait to see these guys at a festival in 2013 or on their next tour.  

Nat with Ross from Hey Geronimo

Ran with Andrew from Hey Geronimo

You can follow Ran, Nat and Hey Geronimo on twitter, or find them on Facebook

Upcoming Gigs - Keep your eyes and ears peeled!

There is no shortage of live gigs around Australia, and even the smaller towns are having some fantastic names knocking on their doors.

Here are a few gigs that have caught the eyes of Ran Type Music!  Remember to check out your local gig guide for something different to do on your weekend - or even for a bit of mid week mischief!

Click on the links to purchase tickets.

Nina Las Vegas and friends - Triple J House Party

The Beautiful Girls - 10 Year Anniversary Tour 

Dappled Cities - Lake Air Tour

[Check out Dappled Cities Like a Version Here]

Oh Mercy - Deep Heat Tour

Last Dinosaurs - Satellites Tour

"Last Dinosaurs provided an exciting set..with the Bloc Party tick of approval it seems these guys are only set for bigger stages in 2012," Fastlouder, Spin Off Festival

And don't forget to to catch good friends of the blog Hey Geronimo  on their "Special Best Tour"!

QandA with...Hey Geronimo

Hey Geronimo are a 5 piece indie-pop band hailing from Brisbane, sunny Queensland. With the recent success of "Why Don't We Do Something?" and their follow up hit "Carbon Affair", the boys were kind enough to put aside some of their time and answer some questions for ran.type.music about this, that and the other...

Hey Geronimo say they will never (not for one second!)
believe the hype.  Legends.

Hey Geronimo have won over listeners through Triple J's 'unearthed' initiative, which has also seen the discoveries of bands such as Stonefield, The Rubens and fellow Brisbane band Ball Park Music, - who the boys from Hey Geronimo say, have set the standard for local musicians.

Now a regular on the radio, Hey Geronimo's "Why don't we do something" has also caught commercial interest featuring on the soundtrack of the popular network television show "Offspring."

The band's music is indie-pop with lyrics sure to get stuck in your head, and not in a Carly Rae Jepsen kind of way!

Talented and passionate, the boys took time out of their schedule to answer a few questions for this little blog.

RTM: Thank you so much for taking time out to answer some questions for ran.type.music...first things first, how did the name "Hey Geronimo" come about?


HG: That's a good question actually! For about a day we were called "Hey Ho Geronimo" before scrapping the "Ho" and moving on in quick time. It's a hybrid between the "Hey Ho Let's Go!" chant of the Ramones and Osama Bin Laden's codename when he was being hunted by the US Navy Seals (the story was in the news when we were cooking up names). Convoluted, yes?


RTM: "Why don't we do something?" has been a hit on radio - It's a song that I'm really into and it got me thinking, in terms of sound and feel, does the song give fans a pretty good representation of Hey Geronimo's music generally?


HG: WDWDS probably does paint a decent picture. It's as pop as we get, but it does embody what we're about - having a good time!

Ball Park Music

RTM: Who are your biggest musical influences and why? And which current artists inspire you?
HG: We're inspired by big bands and small bands alike. Ross' writing is influenced by old-school bands like The Kinks, Pete is into Weezer's grunge-pop and Greg errs more towards the playfulness of a band like Dogs Die In Hot Cars. As a band we're probably trying to follow in the footsteps of local lads, Ball Park Music. The standard they have set for local musicians is on the top shelf and we think we could do worse aspiring to that type of quality.


RTM: What is something everyone should know about the guys from Hey Geronimo?


HG: Not for one second do we, have we, or will we ever believe the hype!

(qanda cont. below)

RTM: Finally, Hey Geronimo are touring throughout June and July - what can people expect from your live shows?


HG: You can expect us to put on a high-energy, fun show. We're still learning our craft, but we want everybody to have a good time. Have a few drinks and bring your dancing shoes!

To find out more about the guys from Hey Geronimo, check out their Triple J Unearthed page or 'like' the band on Facebook.  You can also catch them on their Twitter account.

Hey Geronimo are:

Pete Kilroy - guitar/vox

Greg Chiapello - bass/vox

Ross Pearson - guitar/vox

Andrew Stone - keys

Tony Garrett - percussion

Want to get up close and personal?  Check out the dates and locations below to see when
Hey Geronimo will be gigging near you.

Upcoming Gigs:

Friday, June 29 - Melbourne

The Grace Darling w/ Private Life & March Of The Real Fly

Saturday, June 30 - Melbourne

Espy Front Bar w/ Private Life & Them Swoops

Thursday, July 5 - Brisbane

Oh Hello w/ Oceanics

Friday, July 6 - Gold Coast

Elsewhere w/ Oceanics

Saturday, July 7 - Sydney

Upstairs @ Beresford