Okay class, pay attention: an ‘Eon’ is a really long period of time; it’s basically about a billion years. It’s also a play on words - when you change the letters around it spells ‘One’. Oh, and it’s also the name of Grafton Primary’s kicking debut album.
By Vivienne Hill
Josh and Benjamin Garden from Grafton Primary never thought their parents would have such an influence on their music. But with their father being a retired scientist and their mother a high school history teacher, the uncanny connection is just too strong to deny. “We were always a musical family when we were kids. My parents didn’t actually play an instrument but they were big music lovers,” says vocalist Josh Garden. The brothers only started working together five years ago after watching each other develop their musical talents for years. Their debut album name, ‘Eon’, and their first-ever single, ‘Relativity’, display a strong connection to science and time travel. Josh admits he was a bit of a science nerd at school. “I loved science through primary school and even through high school. I was really passionate about it,” he reveals. “But I think doing formulas in chemistry and physics in Year 11 and 12 really killed me. By that time I was pretty much over it.”
The brothers, along with drummer Robbie Mudrazija, are just about to embark on their ‘Eon’ release tour and Josh is looking forward to taking the audiences on an adventure. “We want to try and engage people’s senses more. We are trying to be less of a rock band in the sense of having a song and a break, and then a song and having a bit of chit chat with the crowd. It will be about taking people on a bit of a non-stop journey through the ages with lots of visuals,” he says. Once the tour ends, Grafton Primary will be straight back on the road for the Parklife festivals. It will be the first time the band has toured with a festival circuit. “I imagine that it will be really high energy and it will be a pretty ‘up for it’ crowd, which will be nice,” says Josh, who is looking forward to meeting some high profile artists. “I’d totally love to meet Peaches or Alison from Goldfrapp. That would be so exciting for me,” he admits. “What would you say to someone like that, though? ‘Oh yeah, how’s your day been?’ ‘Good’. ‘Aw yeah, how was your show?’ ‘… Um, pretty good’. I wouldn’t know what else to say,” he laughs.
Josh might seem shy when it comes to talking to the ladies, but he is absolutely crazy on stage. “I’d probably say I’m the craziest one out of the group, and it’s not just because I’m the one talking to you on the phone right now,” he confesses. “I really love dancing and once the music starts I just kind of get into a space. I definitely start throwing myself around the place. Stuff happens; my body moves and things happen. I have a lot of people coming up to me after shows saying, ‘Can you teach me your moves?’ and I say, ‘I dunno if I can actually’, they are certainly unique. People can feel free to give them names and learn them for themselves.”
The band’s most memorable show was in Melbourne last year. “There were only about 160 people there and there was this amazing vibe. Everyone went crazy and by the end of it about 50 people just rushed the stage,” he recalls. “It crossed over that invisible line between the audience and the band, and everyone was a part of that. You can’t plan things like that and you can’t script it. Sometimes the energy is just right and things happen. It’s not always the biggest crowds and the biggest sound systems that make things happen.”
Despite the crazy antics on stage, the band has focused visions for the future. “We are planning to do what we can within Australia and hopefully we will be really well-received here,” Josh says. “We do have plans to go to Europe and the UK, and possibly places like the US. It’s hard to predict too far into the future, though. I’d like to play it by ear and be a bit of a gypsy as far as that’s concerned. If you do make a plan, you have to be prepared for it to change. You can’t be ruthless about your plan and say, ‘No, everything has to play out to the letter’, because then you’re guaranteed it will all fall apart.” Falling apart isn’t something Grafton Primary look like doing anytime soon.
Friday September 19 at The Zoo, Brisbane and Saturday September 20 at Streetkid, Gold Coast. Grafton Primary also play Parklife on Saturday October 4 at City Botanic Gardens & Riverstage, Brisbane.
‘Eon’ is out September 13 through MGM distribution.
