After a successful North American tour, the Australian band returns to Canada
Sheila Arellano, Arts & Culture Editor
On March 22, Australian rock, pop and punk band Stand Atlantic from Sydney will be performing at the beautiful Vogue Theatre in Vancouver. The band emerged in 2014, when vocalist Bonnie Fraser, guitarist David Potter and drummer Jonno Panichi, met through attended the same music college. “When we got together, we realized we were in the same school, which was weird… Then, we started writing songs together and that’s how it all started,” Fraser said.
Stand Atlantic gained popularity when they released their EP Sidewinder in 2017. From there, their songs thrived and grew to be what they are today. Soon after, they began touring with international bands such as New Found Glory, State Champs, As It Is, This Wild Life, Neck Deep and Trophy Eyes. Their success did not come easy, however. “It’s kind of like we had to hit rock bottom to be able to climb back up. We just kept going,” Fraser shared. “I am a very persistent person, if I want something, I will get it. With music, I think that I never gave myself a plan B. We said ‘the only way we are actually going to do this is if we don’t have a backup plan.’ [This] makes you work hard at plan A.”
Employing music as an exploratory tool to become their better selves are prominent tactics in the artists’ lives. Their new album Skinny Dipping touches on various different themes, such as love, sexuality and identity. “[Skinny Dipping] is about coming to terms with myself and where I was. I was in a place where I was afraid to admit to myself my sexuality, but I didn’t want to specify that in the song so that people could relate. [But] the song is about finding out who you are.”
When speaking about her music-making process and the dynamic behind the scenes, Fraser explains that when she first started writing music, she focused on relationships. Now, she tries to open the door to questions about her own self, stating: “my songs are always about something I have experienced. Always about something real.”
Using music as a therapeutic outlet is very important in the music industry today. “When I write songs, I figure everything out and it’s like, okay, that’s how I’m feeling. It helps me know myself more. It is important to do something creative as a little outlet. You get your feelings out of your head.”
With their music making process, Stand Atlantic is very exploratory. In a collaborative effort, Bonnie Fraser, David Potter and Jonno Panichi will have one riff from a demo and build a song up from there. “I write everything on voice memos,” Fraser said with a laugh. “[Also] we try not to get too attached to ideas. If someone is coming with a song, it’s never really a full song. It’s always parts of something that inspire us to work together and then create something new.”
Before their success, Stand Atlantic had judgments from people and audiences, but they never gave up. Through persistence and passion, they achieved a place in the music industry today. And they now have a steadily growing following. “At the end of the day, just work hard. Don’t have a plan B even though that’s scary, it will help you carry out plan A. And be persistent. We never stopped, we would just keep going,” Fraser advised.
Tickets to the Stand Atlantic concert on March 22 in the Vogue Theatre can found at www.standatlantic.com