Interview: Good Vibes With Olympic White
Interview by Lindsey V. Britt
Melbourne’s very own Olympic White is the latest band to watch. With the upcoming release of their live EP out November 29th featuring the new track “The World Has Made You Clumsy.”
How did the band get started?
Thomas is the catalyst and backbone to getting the whole thing started. Cycling through a few members toward the end of 2019 and starting to jam, record and playing a few shows. Thomas welcomed Ivan (e-vaan not eye-van) and Scott to join the band shortly in early 2020 after to solidify the most current line up. Adriaan (yep that's the correct spelling) who played in Scott's previous band Diamonds of Neptune joined the boys at the end of 2023
Coincidentally Scott and Thomas actually went to the same high school but never knew each other at the time. (musta been fate)
What are some bands that inspire you?
This ones a bit all over the shop between the 4 of us. Artists that inspire the band vary. Thomas has been listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley lately, Loves the Strokes and The 1975.
Adriaan, our newest member guitar playing shies away from big solos and takes influence from psychedelic rock from Pink Floyd to Tame Impala. Ivan Enjoys Aussie rock and loves up and 'comers' King Stingray. Scotty's actually a pretty big prog rock /metal head. I think the newer material is really starting to show all of our influences coming together.
Your album Ain’t That Livin’ came out last year, what was it like making that album?
Writing the album was really fun. Thomas lays the groundwork in the bed tracks and we add the other instruments and arrange from there. We worked with Greg Rietwyk, an old friend of Scott's and guitarist for the band Press Club. We were pretty prepared for this one and were able to smash out the bulk of (drums, bass, rhythm) in a few days. The nitty gritty came in when adding in Vocals and guitar solos which took the wind out of us. We got there in the end though!
You’re releasing a live EP on November 29th, what led you to want to release a live EP?
We could hear our sound changing and the new stuff Thomas was writing, and we could hear how some of the older songs could be arranged in a similar way. The first single "Light It up" out Nov 8th isn't only an acoustic version of the original but a complete reimagining. It's slower, more earnest and to us, more mature. Go listen to the original and compare!
There's a new track on there too (“The World Has Made You Clumsy”) and collectively a favourite of the 4 of us. It seems to be channeling the new sound really heavily but still keeping the OW feel in there. We also filmed the EP which will be released to coincide with its own release later on. We honestly don't have a lot of live footage and felt it was time to get the boys on camera.
Do you have anything in the works for 2025 yet?
YEP! 5 Tracks are already written for album number 3. (including the newy on the Live EP)
Half the demos are done. We are all really excited for this one especially the different elements and expressions Adriaan brings to the band. (less guitar solo 'ee' more atmospheric, soundscapery)
Any more gigs coming up, maybe even a show in the US?
We will play some shows, more intimate, around the release of the live EP, and ramp things up next year with a national tour, and hopefully a few international support slots, fingers crossed.
Hey if someone wanted to bring us to the States we would be eternally grateful.
How is the music scene in Melbourne compared to other music cities?
Considering we are down in the corner of the ass end of nowhere. Melbourne has one of the most thriving music scenes in the world. We are incredibly fortunate. Put it this way, in the last month, Travis Scott did Stadiums last week, Coldplay are doing this week. The Weekend was the week before. Herbie Hancock just headlined the Melbourne international Jazz Festival, Thom Yorkes in town, and that's just what's happening internationally. On a local level, there's small venues all over from the inner city to the outer suburbs. Shows are on basically every night. We played a community festival and did two Melbourne club shows ourselves. Oh and I saw Cradle of Filth and Iron Maiden too recently too.
There's literally something for everyone all the time. Compared to other cities, well I don’t know but I feel this one's pretty dang good.
Since your name is Olympic White I was wondering if you watched the Olympics this year?
I can't speak for everyone, well maybe I can. Thomas loves Tennis so probably watched all the games. Ivan is a big sporty boy so he probably watched most things. Adriaans fiance' is French and oddly enough I was in France on my honeymoon just before it all started and visited some of the arenas before it all began and ended up watching pretty much everything. I had it going on at least one screen everyday. Please just don’t ask us about the break dancing or ever mention it to us ever. Please.
With the holidays coming up, if you were to crash a holiday party what would your fake identities be?
Thomas- Milhouse Vanhouten
Adriaan- Nicholas Cage
Ivan- Steve Brule
Scott- Adam Sandler
Lastly, do you have a recommendation? This can be anything from a series to a place, etc.
There's a small band based out of Melbourne Australia. They have a live EP coming out very soon. First single to be released Nov 8th.
I think they are called ......Olympic White? Check ‘em out!
Make sure to check out Olympic White’s live EP on November 29th, and you can listen to the rest of their discography on your favorite streaming platform now.
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