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

Brendan Chu - Drummer, artist/designer and synth hook extraordinaire.

Jackson Walkden-Brown - Lead vocalist, bass player and lyricist.

Tristan Chu (me) - Guitarist, producer and control freak.  

For starters, what bands if any were you guys a part of prior to forming Aerials?

My brother and I were playing in bands separately since we were in our early teens. The last band we were in together, "The Room", was a huge learning curve for us and we made lots of mistakes, but still managed to get a little bit of buzz in our home town. It was a great experience, but we were chasing our tail a bit stylistically and were clueless in taking the plunge onto the touring circuit. Jackson's band "The Kill Scene" was in a similar situation. We didn't know each other back then, but once we met, it was instant chemistry and we've been having a blast ever since...

How long has Aerials been around?

We did our first shows in 2012 and pretty much hit the road straight away. Our first EP, "Firefights", came out in 2013 and we spent most of 2014 writing and recording like crazy. 

What’s the origin of that name and did you have any other names previously?

Choosing a band name is potentially the hardest thing to do these days... everything is taken! We spent a lot of time and even had a spreadsheet, constantly adding and removing potential names all the time. It got down to a stage where we used "What do you think of ____ as a band name?" to try and pick up girls in bars... Aerials was the only one we didn't laughed at!

Who writes your songs? Do you find there's a reccurring theme throughout the new material?

Writing songs is a collective process for us. So far, aimlessly jamming in a rehearsal room hasn't really resulted in anything great and we need to send each other roughly fleshed out ideas first so we can mull it over. Some of our best ideas have come from Brendan busting out synth licks and electro beats, which we've figured out how to make work in a rock context.

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

There's always a huge difference in what we are listening to at each moment as we have different tastes, however a couple bands that have always inspired us are Depeche Mode, Mew and the earlier Muse albums. I think we are all drawn to cinematic sounds with a sense of urgency. We've been discussing ideas for our next release and it's too hard to say the direction considering Brendan is getting deeper into electronica and I'm getting deeper into punk rock.

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

Believe it or not, the moment that made me want to take up an instrument was seeing Hanson playing on TV when I was a child. I was so confused, as I believed music for kids was playing on the recorder, while adults got to play rock n roll. I immediately took up the bass guitar and was instantly hooked. The moment I decided I wanted to sell my soul, was seeing Silverchair, Grinspoon and Jebediah at the Cairns Convention Centre. I can still remember the kick drum pumping through my chest, breathing in sweat and the primal energy through the air. Sold.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any strange rituals?

Brendan is really thorough with stretching. Jackson usually disappears into an alley way and warms up his voice. I'm currently trying to figure out the best "drink ratio" before hitting the stage... usually three scotch and drys are great!

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

The last show (homecoming) of the Firefights tour. It was great to be at our live show peak, after doing a 15 show show run, we were definitely in the zone! Makes me very excited for our next shows!

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

A past act that is undeniable for me would be The Mars Volta. No one put on a show like those guys and I believe they put together some of the most inventive rock albums over the past 15 years. If I remember correctly, they never had support bands however. Regarding bands that are still around, there is an un-announced show that we are extremely excited about to support late in the year...

Is there anything else you would like to add?

1. Thanks for reading!

2. Check out our tracks on itunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/restless-ep/id1028951501 or our popular vinyl pressing here: https://aerials.bandcamp.com/

3. Go see more live music!