Radio Free Alice, the Aussie troubadours taking over the UK indie space, are back with a third, venue-filling EP. They talk London crowds, influences, and broken promises.
The UK guitar scene continues to flourish. Bands are popping up all over the place, putting a fresh and exciting spin on a sound that seemed destined to be discared as patische. It’s not just British acts augmenting the space though; Radio Free Alice nestle seamlessly into the London new wave. This week, they played their last of six headline shows around the English capital in a month, selling out shows at the Windmill, Shackwell Arms, The George Taven and more. From their angsty lyrics and post-punk tendencies, you’d think them Hackney natives. But guess again – these lads are from down under.
There’s a real vivacity surrounding the Naarm/Melbourne quintet, epitomised by their excellent new EP. “Empty Words” is the band’s third and most impressive EP, with a deeper exploration of a wide array of the British guitar canon and Dry Cleaning producer Ali Chant at the helm. Lyrically topical and emotionally potent, there’s a lot to like about each of the four tracks, hinting at a big future for the band. Below, Wonderland get to know them before they take off.
Listen to the EP…
Read the interview…
Where did Radio Free Alice originate?
We started in Sydney, Jules and I met in high school there, playing covers at assemblies. But the band really came alive in Melbourne after we moved down in 2021 and met Michael and Lochie.
How would you define your essence as a band?
Melodic post-punk would be a simple way to describe it.
Do you feel at home in the UK?
Yeah very. Culturally, musically, comedically, we love the UK and its history. We’ve borrowed so much from it, not just musically. I think history is really important. You could be writing lyrics in the same pub that Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein. Australia’s got a lot of talent, but there’s a low ceiling.
How have the London crowds been? What’s a live show like?
Surreal. Seeing Brits shout lyrics back at us is very strange and cool. We’d love to think of our live shows as frenetic and vulnerable.
How’s the Aussie indie scene vs. British? Who should we watch?
The Melbourne scene is full of talent. Bands like Raindogs, Belair Lip Bombs, NPCEDE, shock corridor, sex mask are amazing, just to name a few. It’s a great scene for fostering talent. I’m unsure if London is a good in that respect, in terms of growing talent. Possibly not which I why I’m glad we started in Melbourne.
How are you feeling about the new EP?
Proud. It’s satisfying to watch our songwriting get closer to the sound we want.
What’s the story behind the title “Empty Words”?
The title touches on the theme that threads the EP together, which is having been promised a future that never came. The 20th century, although we didn’t live through it, appeared to all be leading up to some kind of real change, a true social revolution, and yet all the turn of the millennium offered was a never ending cycle of repeating itself. We haven’t progressed culturally in 20 years, it’s all just recycled pastiches of the past. Movies, TV, fashion, music. It feels like society was promised something better than this. All the revolution talk of the 20th century amounted to nothing. We are aware however of the irony of talking about this whilst being a nostalgic sounding band, and there is an element of frustration about that, feeling like we’re part of the problem. I suppose At least we’re self aware of that and want to talk about it. But I know we’re capable of producing something truly truly original, and we will. This EP is a step in that direction.
Talk us through the creative process.
Music first, always. We’ll jam for hours until something feels exciting. Lyrics come last.
What influenced the EP?
HighSchool, Fontaines D.C., Sorry, Provoker, MJ Lenderman, Sex mask.
What’s next?
We’re touring UK/Euro till September, then America and then UK/Euro again, then Australia. So a lot of shows. We’re also in the process of finishing our first album, which is going to come out next year.
