Accidental President are a female fronted Alt-Rock 3 piece out of Sydney playing their own brand of hard rock mixed heavily with goth and metal influences, incorporating a theatrical flair.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Bethany Neville - vocals

Dave Ben Lee - Guitars

Leon Cadden - Drums

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Accidental President? How long has the band been around?

Although AP are Australian - based in Sydney, I’m from Birmingham UK. Prior to moving to Australia I was Guitar/vocals in CultofCelebrity - a power/indie 3 piece. After moving to Australia I was involved in a couple of projects that for various reasons never really got off the ground and am also involved in various session/cover projects. Leon was previously in Sydney based The Dirty Earth with whom he recorded 3 albums. Bethany is new to the rock scene bringing her own inimitable style and flair having worked primarily as a solo artist prior to joining up.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Although the band are fundamentally all about the music, when we formed we decided that a key part of their makeup should be to reflect social awareness issues. I don’t know if it’s always been the case through time, but certainly 5 years ago when we formed, not to mention now, there is a real disillusionment around the world about politics and genuine leadership.

Instead of living in a world driven purely by greed, selfishness, us & them it would be nice to think that a balanced respectful society could operate under balanced respectful leadership. To that end maybe someone who found themselves rising to the top rather than striving for it - for power   - might be better suited. An accidental president.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Writing has always been to a greater or lesser degree a collaborative effort. Different individuals have a different take on how they approach song writing and collaboration with open mindedness and an agreement on an overall sound can usually lead to a sum being better than its constituent parts. Especially in a rock band. On our debut album we have addressed a number of topics from Leadership, to the Waste of war, the drive for Empire to the desperation of the human condition. Going forward we are continuing to be inventive and open minded dealing with a mix of personal reflections as against social observance.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

I listen to all sorts but aren’t inspired by any band in particular to create our music and Beth is pretty much the same. Our overall sound is quite an eclectic mix around the Rock genre due to the fact that we have a range of influences that feed into our sound from Blues, Metal, Gothic, Indie & even Pop. A big influence for Beth is Evanescence and a big influence for me is Dream Theater but I wouldn’t say we are particularly close to sounding like either and try to forge our own unique sound.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

To a young guitarist, the theatre, the energy, the great musicianship, and the camaraderie of Iron Maiden were magical.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …

Plan ahead and make sure I’m covered for every eventuality haha that way I can relax about going on stage and playing. It’s always good to have a stretch and do some warm up exercises. It’s also a good idea to remember not to drink too much - water or beer!

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Probably a double whammy this year of releasing our debut album which was quite a long time in the making and which has been well received (in some quarters haha) and our best gig to date supporting Finnish Rock Gods ‘Reckless Love’ & Sydney glamsters ‘Crosson’ at The Crowbar Sydney before Lockdown!

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Well I’d have to say Iron maiden because it would be great to have a game of football with Steve, Golf with Dave & be flown around by Bruce! I also feel our theatrical nature and sound would work very well with a Maiden crowd. Beyond that - looking forward to life after Covid it would just be an honour to tour with any act of musical caliber and bring our take on things to new audiences.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thanks to everyone who has helped us up to this point - and everyone who has taken time to check us out and listen with open ears, open eyes & an open mind. I think the more we can all look outward with that kind of mentality, embrace each other and look for the good, the better this world can be.

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