I can’t stop listening to your new single “Sweet Talk”! What inspired you all to write this fun track?
Alpha Street: The original beat was written by Adam during lockdown. He was going back and listening to A LOT of 80's tracks and wanted to write a simple pop song based on a synth bass line and chords. Penny came up with the verse and main hook straight off the bat before we met up for a writing session and we all loved it straight away.
You seem to have a really great dynamic throughout the group! How did you all meet?
Alpha Street: Pat and Adam have played in a number of metal and hardcore bands together as guitarists, but found themselves wanted to delve into the electronic and pop music world. They started making tracks and really wanted a strong female singer to join the band. They put a call out through a local musicians page on facebook and got a response from Penny. When they got together for a trial everything just clicked. Funny enough, Pat and Adam's previous band Old Ghosts had played a show with Penny's punk rock band, Across the Atlas, a few years before and Pat had already stalked her online remembering her awesome performance from that gig. So basically we are all Emo's from the old scene who want to make the shift to pop music now
What is your favorite part about performing live in front of an audience?
Alpha Street: Coming from more traditional heavy bands we all really love to play live and rock out a bit. Penny basically has her live alter ego who is super confident at performing and always brings 100% to each performance. If you've seen our Sweet Talk music video that gives you a bit of insight to the charisma she has live. For Pat and Adam the shift to an electronic set up has always been a fun challenge. We play multiple synths, bass, guitar, electronic drums and backing loops live which means a lot of instrument swaps and the risk of something in the set up not triggering properly. There are plugs and leads going everywhere we play live but we have gotten pretty good at making it work!
You guys have such a unique blend of genres and amazing energy on stage. Who would you say are your biggest influences when it comes to songwriting and performing?
Alpha Street: One of our biggest influences starting out was the band CHVRCHES from Glasgow. They had this really unique, synth-pop sound that I (Pat) just couldn't get enough of. Adam was also heavily into the NZ electronic duo Broods. Penny, coming from the punk background, was influenced by bands like Paramore, including their more recent work which had headed in a more indie/pop direction.
If you could recruit any other artist in the world that you think would be a perfect addition to the group, who would you pick and why?
Alpha Street: It would have to be musician and producer Jack Antonoff. Not only for his work in own band Bleachers, but also his ability to write and produce amazing pop music e.g. songs from Taylor Swift's 1989 Album and Lorde's Melodrama album. Antonoff always has a bit of an 80's vibe to his songs which we love.
What is next on the Alpha Street bucket list? We can’t wait to see and hear more from you all!
Alpha Street: A 5 track EP is definitely on the cards for this year, as well as another Music video for the next single release. We hope to play some bigger and better shows also, potentially some festival spots or interstate shows. We are currently working on adding a live drummer to our shows which should bring the energy and dynamic up even more. Hopefully live music starts to return to its former glory soon!
Interviewed By Sarah Curry
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