How many times have you asked yourselves, “Where has the time gone?” when reflecting on past events throughout our lives. While many reading this have yet to reach the milestone age of thirty years, suddenly the realisation came to members of Adelaide band, The Violets, that more than half their lives have passed since they released their debut album, Leased Regret.
Spawning the watershed singles, Somewhere and Mary Who?, both garnering regular airplay on the J’s and SAFM and on ABC television’s ‘Rage’, Leased Regret went on to win a SAMI Award for Album of the Year and soon saw this previously unknown group of mates spruiking their wares live across the nation. Vocalist Matt Cahill may have been 28 years old back in 1995 and considerably younger again back in 1989 when he, along with guitarist Jeremy Conlon, drummer Peter Kershaw and Gary Bowen on bass first banded together as The Violets. They formally announced themselves to the then very active Adelaide music scene by being the first band to ever play at the 1993 Big Day Out and in 1994 with their Subtitle EP.
Initially signed to Sydney label Phantom (home to the likes of the Hoodoo Gurus, Sunnyboys, DefFX and The Whitlams), The Violets endured a few personal and contractual missteps before switching stables to locally owned Krell Records to release their equally much acclaimed follow up, Asphyxia (1999), this time with Jason Eyers-White on drums. That EP’s single, Sleeping Eyes, once again saw the boys packing their bags for long road trips. Around this period their sadly lesser promoted second album, Unwanted Digital Visitor, was produced only to have all members soon separating to pursue other ventures.
Then came 2022 with The Violets reunited by the marvels of modern technology during the COVID 19 pandemic to orchestrate, demo and finally record their surprise release Smoke, mirrors & other half- truths on Cahill’s own label, Paper Rock Scissors.
“What happened there was because we hadn’t been together for so long,” Cahill says of ‘SM&OHT’s conception. “We played our last gig together in 2001. In fact, it was the day George Harrison died,” he emotionally adds. “And it was like a cathartic moment for me because at this point we’d been together for fourteen years and deep down I knew it was the end of us playing live. We opened that show with Long Live The Beatles and I had a lump in my throat because George was the only Beatle that I’ve personally met and I had a soft spot for him. Being the quiet one, you know? So we went out and played a blistering show with a real energy. After 2001 twenty years had passed before any talk of getting back together and in that time we’d all changed as musicians, you know? We’d all gone off on different projects and I began writing completely differently.
“So when we came back together,” recalls Cahill, “there was a lot of that original chemistry and that’s what we were worried about. Would that still be there? And not only was it still there, there was all that additional experience that we had from our other exterior endeavours that all came together to concoct what felt like a new thing. So [‘SM&OHT’] is probably my favourite album in that it all just fell together. We wrote the first track in twenty minutes.”
Thirty years ago, not only was Adelaide abuzz with many, now legendary, guitar based bands and live venues, being able to capture what is The Violets’ signature sonic landscape sound was both expensive and difficult to do on analogue two inch tape, something the band were able to achieve both live and in the studio with the playful interactive use of Cahill’s nine string electric guitar and Jeremy Conlon’s heavily effected acoustic. Given that this upcoming show is a celebration of three decades since the release of Leased Regret, life, of course, has moved on. Due to other commitments, Conlon won’t be attending instead being replaced by another notable guitarist from the 90’s, Neville Hill of Napoleon Goes Solo fame; with Cahill’s son Jude providing some overdubs and string arrangements on the synth to give their stage presence that fuller sound.
Once again, remembering that this is an anniversary show, how does Cahill feel that “suddenly” The Violets can now, by their own admission, be labelled a “retro” act? “Well, I don’t think that we’re retro of any genre that has become ridiculed by the distance of time,” he considers, possibly a bit offended by the suggestion. “I think what we do has had a bit of resurgence in the past couple of years. 90s guitar rock is kind of held as a bit of a holy grail at the moment.”
Joining them this night are other Adelaide alumni: Batteries Not Included and The Jaynes (acoustic). “They’re incredibly enthusiastic,” beams Cahill. “All three bands played together back in the 90’s at one time or another, and BNI have reformed just for this show, and both they and The Jaynes had a great following in their day. We all had the same friends in the music industry and from the scene back then, we’re all still connected because we all still love that music that turned us on when we were all young. “And because BNI don’t have any music on Spotify and because I’m a sound engineer I’ve also shifted into mastering and I’ve collated and remastered a ‘Best of’ for them to release on Spotify which I’ll put out on my label. Like, it’s just a perfect recipe for all three of us to get together again. So whether or not this might be a springboard for a career relaunch or whatever…” he trails off. “Last night The Jaynes were together rehearsing, and tonight BNI will be too. Which will be their first time since 1994.”
Steve Jones
The Violets, Leased Regrets 30th Anniversary Show w/ Special guests: Batteries Not Included and The Jaynes (Acoustic), Friday August 29th @ The Gov. Click HERE to purchase tickets.
