Getting to Know… The Pits

Reading Time: 5 min read

On the 136^th interview on The Musical Hype, we get the ‘411’ from The Pits, a punk cabaret band from Newcastle, Australia.

“Fast guitars, loud drums and a rocking horn section matched with our bright red jackets hooks people and our brain busting lyrics keeps them around.” I’d say so, 🎙The Pits – I’d DEFINITELY say so! On the 136^th interview on The Musical Hype, we head to Newcastle, Australia. That’s where our interviewees, punk cabaret band The Pits hail. Indeed, unlike many rock bands, the collective brings in the glorious sounds of horns, complementing the standard line up. On Getting to Know…The Pits: Interview #136, 🎙Mitch and 🎙Matt answer our burning questions.

Let’s get this started off right. For those who may not be familiar with The Pits, what would you say makes your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

🎤 Mitch: We are a punk cabaret band from Newcastle, Australia. Our uniqueness probably comes from our sound, not a lot of bands have heavy guitars and a horn section and aren’t playing ska. Our uniqueness is how we rock the audience’s socks off, constantly keeping the audience on their toes by changing our style every song. Fast guitars, loud drums and a rocking horn section matched with our bright red jackets hooks people and our brain busting lyrics keeps them around.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did The Pits form and what were some of the goals or the visions you had as a band early on?

🎤 Mitch: I lived in Canada for some time and wrote most of our original songs then, when I eventually came back to Australia, I was really keen to play in a band again. I knew our drummer, singer and bass player from previous bands I had played in, so we all got together and jammed out the songs before playing our first gig. Our first gig just had midi horns on a backing track which obviously wasn’t the best sound, so we branched out and asked a few brass players to come play with us. Since then we have had a few lineup changes but it’s still the same philosophy and dream of playing full time music.

Let’s talk more about goals. Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 Matt: No, not really. Since the beginning our goal has always been to be able to take our music full time. Touring the world and hearing our music on the radio is definitely the end goal but short term we would like to play in a few more cities and maybe even countries.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

🎤 Mitch: Most of my influences come from my parents so a lot of bands/artists like; Elton John, INXS and The Beatles. But our main influence is Queen, their ever-changing musical style and the way they put on a show was unbelievable to my young mind, I was hooked and new what I wanted to be. Obviously, the other boys have their own influences, but I like to think this is what really influenced The Pits sound.

Ah, the fun stuff. What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance? Feel free to be creative.

🎤 Mitch: If you can remember the night it probably wasn’t that crazy haha.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

🎤 Matt: “Killers” would be my favourite song; it closes out our set, is high pace, high energy and I love every second of its madness. It was one of our first singles as well which gives it a bit of a nostalgia feeling.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 Matt: Dain is often a lead in musicals with Newcastle’s Very Popular Theatre Company. Mitch was sports champion of his high school year 11 and 12. Jaikob was the art champion of his high school year 10. Tristan never invites less than 3 girls to a gig. Hayden has the worlds most complicated locking system for his car doors, we called Guinness, but they refused to put it in their book. Boyd is a sheep farmer that works in a coal mine.

Closing this thing out, what The Pits currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.

🎤 Matt: We are currently planning on going into the studio for our second EP, it might be a bit different to what everyone has already heard from us, but we think you’ll love it anyway.

Thank you so much for sharing taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward.

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