Headwreck is the result of four local musicians and friends pooling their brutal talents and their collective experience from previous established bands together to start fresh, and on a massive high note to boot.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Headwreck is:
Connor Hickman (Vocals)
Jamo Benadie (Guitar)
Callen Batson (Bass)
Sam Conroy (Drums)
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Headwreck? How long has the band been around?
So Jamo, Sam and I (Connor) played in a band together called Strategies from 2017-2018. That's how the three of us met. We met Callen through going to local shows and always seeing his band Days Like These play, which he is still the frontman of! After the disbanding of Strategies we spent about a year trialing lineups and sounds until we settled on what would become Headwreck in December 2019!
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
I actually came up with the name Headwreck. There's a song by Melbourne Indie-Rock band Press Club with the same name that I have always loved and I feel like we have taken on our own meaning with the name. I think the name definitely sums up what style music we play. We discussed a few different names but as soon as 'Headwreck' was pitched everyone was super stoked on it.
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?
Jamo is the man behind the music! The way we write songs is Jamo usually will create a demo and we will all have a little bit of input for small changes to it. After the instrumental is done I usually write lyrics to fit the song with some ideas that I have in my phone notes. I try to write at least one line of lyrics every couple days to really keep ideas flowing. Callen is really helpful when it comes to phrasing lyrics and re-writing lines.
Our single we just released, 'Good Grief', is based around the feelings we have at our absolute lowest points and the knee-jerk reactions we have to negative situations. I don't think that we will ever really stick to one theme for lyrics but just keep writing about things that are important to us.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
This is super hard to answer because we literally draw inspiration from so many different artists. I guess instrument wise bands like Alpha Wolf, Knocked Loose and Void of Vision to name a few. But lyrically I think listening to bands like Movements, Trophy Eyes and Slowly Slowly really help us get inspired!
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
I think it's a similar story for all Australian teenagers watching bands like Amity and Parkway Drive on massive stages that really makes you want to start a band.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
Because of what's happening in the world we have only played one show as Headwreck but for that, all that we really did was had a beer together before soundcheck and a bit of a stretch before going on stage. Before our first show, Callen was just filling in for us on bass but we actually asked him as we were called on stage if he wanted to join permanently! For whatever reason he said yes.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
That would definitely have to be having Luke from She Cries Wolf feature on our first single. That band is one of Brisbane's best and it was awesome to have Luke a part of our first release.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
To be honest, our dream tour would be any tour that had our friends in Days Like These on the bill. Jamo and Callen play in that band and we are all super good friends so touring with them would be the best time. I think it's a super achievable goal too!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you haven't, make sure to check out our new single Good Grief now available on all major streaming platforms!