Babies And Clubs

After two years on the scene, Brisbane four-piece The Baby Seals Club have dropped the babies and club memberships, sporting a brand new name.

Freshly titled, Seals came together with three boys and later added one lucky lady - Dimity Elson - who was, ironically in-step with the female form, their boss. “Euan came to Australia from Scotland about two years ago... He found Nick and Andy.  I joined about a year and a half later. I met the boys through Andy, I was more or less Andy's boss and a fan of the band.”

Throwing together whatever instruments they could get their hands on, the band pumped out their first EP, 'Paradise', producing a sweet upbeat electronic pop style. “Some of our songs are psychedelic-pop, some electro-funk. A recent review called us quirky indie popsters… I like that. I have three keyboards that all do different things, and a melodium.  Andy has various electronic drum things and we have a drum machine. Euan is a gun on the harmonica.”

Jamming it out in an old Kennards storage shed, the band decided to keep making new music but kick out the old name. “There were a few other bands with the name 'Baby Seals Club' and the hilarity of the pun wore off. We wanted to go with something similar so that people would still recognise us.”

With a shiny new name, the band started tweaking their sound and ending up with their second EP, 'Castaways'. “I think there is a lot more variety of sounds in ‘Castaways’, particularly more in the keys. 'Castaways' is distinctly sunny, while 'Paradise' gives you the vibe of three guys in a dirty bar - which I still love. 'Castaways' is more like a drive to the beach with the windows down.”

Despite the album title the band remain firmly on the shore, launching a 15-stop international tour, before returning to Brisbane to play the 2high Festival. “The Powerhouse is an unparalleled venue and we're really looking forward to playing there for the first time. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the other performers. What else would you be doing on a Saturday?”

CATCH SEALS PLAY THE 2HIGH FESTIVAL AT BRISBANE POWERHOUSE SATURDAY OCTOBER 29. backbone.org.au/2high-festival/