Ash Archer and The Spitfires are old rock and roll souls, melding the old with the new to create an exciting new sound for young listeners. These guys are back for more, having battled it out all the way through the semifinals and are now on the brink of performing at the prestigious Hi-Fi in Melbourne for the state finals of Emergenza Festival Australia. Don’t miss your chance to see them rock out this Sunday, November 30th and check out our pre-show chat with the guys in the band before thy go on:

EXPLAIN TO US WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR BAND FROM ANY OTHER BAND IN YOUR GENRE?
Well, there isn’t any other band in our genre, as I don’t think we can be defined by any specific style of music. What makes us so unique is that instead of taking inspiration from a particular group of musicians, our music is influenced by many different types of artists over different eras of music, from Bon Jovi to INXS, to Maroon 5 or Nickelback, to even artists like Michael Jackson or Billy Joel. We fancy the idea of taking the stylistic quality of the artists of the 70’s and 80’s rock and funk scene which we are most fond of, and fusing those elements with a modern pop rhythm and production more accustomed to younger audiences and radio airwaves. Through doing this, we aim to blend classic music and more new ideas to create something that hasn’t been heard or seen before, to excite new listeners.

WHAT FIRST GOT YOU INTO SONG WRITING AND PLAYING LIVE?
When I was extremely young, my mother, instead of having me listen to kid’s music such as “The Wiggles” like my peers, had cassettes of Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out Of Hell” or INXS’ “Kick” playing in the car and at home. This had an influence on the music I created long before I knew that for myself. When I was six, my aunty bought me Bon Jovi’s album “Crush” and the “Crush Tour” DVD. It was then something really kicked into my brain, and I realized while watching Jon Bon Jovi move and perform such amazing material that writing and performing was exactly what I wanted to do, and that I wanted to share music and the emotions in music with an avid audience that was enthralled in every last note.

WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT AN ASH ARCHER & THE SPITFIRES GIG?
A lot of our peers in the Melbourne music scene play great music, and deliver every note live, but with an Ash Archer gig, we hope to take it even further and deliver an interactive and visual show for our audiences. Our music is built on human relations and human feelings, so we thrive on delivering that firsthand to every individual at our shows. We’ve never lost the interest of a crowd, and we never intend to do so. We will hold your attention from first chord to last, and hope to take you on a journey through our music of connection, celebration and pure excitement.

WHAT’S THE MOST INSANE PART OF EMERGENZA SO FAR?
We had some wild fans at the semi-finals!! It was especially insane to have some of the fans come right up to the front and be able to connect with them in person during the set, with both guys and girls dancing to our originals and grabbing their hands. An audience that high in atmosphere and enthusiasm really makes the night a lot more special for us, and hopefully for them.

HOW’S IT FEEL TO BE IN THE STATE FINALS? AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT PLAYING THE HI-FI?
We’re thrilled to be playing in the state finals, and looking back on this year both within Emergenza and out, we’ve definitely come a long way personally and creatively. Playing it at The Hi-Fi Bar is even more zany, as years ago I saw one of my favourite bands Skillet playing on the same stage, dreaming of being up there myself afterward. It really is a dream come true to actually do this, and whatever the result of the final, although you always hope you come out on top, the aim is to put on a show that people will remember and enjoy. Maybe they’ll want to come and see us again, which would be the best reward we could want.

For more details on the show at The Hi-Fi, November 30th, click here.