Hitting the ground running, Unlucky dominated a handful of band competitions in their early days. Right from the start, their stage show was electrifying. The key personnel forged a sound that was strikingly unique, yet familiar enough to find an eager audience. As they have developed, their ability to focus raw energy into a powerful audio assault has become their biggest weapon.

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

Kosta Tsourdalakis – Guitar/Bass

Fritz Frost – Drums

Walid Shahin - Vocals

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

Prior to Unlucky we were never a part of any serious bands. Unlucky was really the first project we were all involved with and over time we have grown to see our full potential. The group formed early 2015 and due to a few members reshuffling the band really started to take things seriously around late 2016.

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

The band was always called Unlucky we have never thought of changing that. Initially, the origin of the name came from an inside joke from one of our mates, however over time to our surprise the name couldn’t be anymore relevant. There has been countless amount of times where we have actually been unlucky and therefore the name has gradually started to fit the band. The most memorable unlucky moment includes our guitarist amp and Looper pedal both breaking down two days before our most important EP launch show at Cherry Bar.

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?

All of us in the band are able to implement our own creative tastes and influences into our project and what we are able to craft. As a vocalist I write all my lyrics, which are mainly influenced by the sounds of Kosta’s riffs and how they make me feel in the moment. The main themes and topics in our songs explore a lot of social, cultural and political aspects by undergoing ideas such as indoctrination, oppression and even factors that we see in society or around our community.

I believe what drives our passion is our message and what we have to say. No matter how hard-hitting our music sounds if it’s not encouraging something thought provoking then it just isn’t the same. Therefore, we feel our sound will always change over time as we always try to diversify, however our conscious outlook on music will never change.

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

There are a lot of bands inspiring us with the kind of sound that we’re able to form. Initially, we listened to a lot of Rage Against The Machine and this layed a foundation for some of the sounds that we’ve made in the past. However, we are always exploring new bands and our sound has elevated to the point where we have added a little ‘Unlucky’ touch to our genre. Other influences include System Of A Down, Tool and even locals such as DZ Deathrays and Violent Soho.

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

I wouldn’t say it was a particular band or artist that inspired us to start a band, although many along our journey have influenced us. I believe it’s just three dudes who have seen a lot of things, who are passionate about a lot of causes and overall who want to shine a spotlight on particular issues that are not being addressed. I suppose we were inspired by our own ability and musicianship to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

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

Yes our vocalist hits the gym really hard; bike rides and goes for jogs here and there. Our drummer is getting into boxing and that helps because it takes a lot of energy to perform on stage and go absolutely crazy. Our guitarist practices a lot and really helps coordinate the band and usually is at the forefront of planning and booking practice sessions. We usually all start getting hyped and pretend that this is going to be some Australia Big Day Out shit. Oh yeah, we also flex Gucci and designer clothing, only kidding.

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

You know it’s funny because I would have had a different answer to this if I answered it yesterday. Definitely our EP Launch show last night at Cherry Bar, what an absolute night to remember. We sold out the show; people were lining up and weren’t allowed in anymore due to full capacity. People were jumping, moshing and going absolutely crazy. Everyone knew the lyrics to our songs on the Before It’s Too Late EP and after the show we received endless amounts of positive feedback, respect and love. Best night of my life.

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

If we were talking local it would have to be our boys Odd Souls, Dal Santo and Laedj. These Melbourne bands are incredible and their wicked talents would really provide a variety of sounds during a show, which I believe is what would make a show interesting. As for big bands definitely Rage Against The Machine, mainly just so I could speak to Zack and ask him about the fall out of the band and what he thinks about Prophets of Rage.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yeah one last thing, be true to yourself and most importantly never be afraid to express yourself despite how others think about you. That’s what I learnt with Unlucky.