GREEN ROOM: PASH
Pash are pulling heartstrings on their latest single, ‘Teenage Years’. Nic Bergoc from the up-and-coming, genre-defying indie act chats how they built their oh-so-tender tender track, band influences and what to expect at their next UniBar gig.
Image by Erin McKenzie
Congratulations on your new single, ‘Teenage Years’! The track capitalises on the fun Aus-indie sound the band owns. How did this song come to life?
Thank you! This song was written initially by Jett [Gazley], our singer, and myself one afternoon when just hanging out, recording some content. Jett had this riff that we both loved, and we began piecing little sections and lyrical ideas together. We then took it to the rest of the band [Orlando Elliot and Danny Maclean], who added their own ideas on their respective instruments, and it finally took the form of the song it is today.
‘Teenage Years’ touches on relatable, universal growing pains. It feels like the band puts a lot of themselves into this track…
Absolutely – this is probably the only song we’ve released so far, other than ‘Stay A Little Longer’, where we’ve really sat down and put our heart into the lyrics. When writing this track, we wanted to capture something we had all felt, both by being in love at various times and growing up – how feelings about someone can develop and change as your own perspective of yourself shifts with maturity [and you realise] that maybe you aren’t the ones for each other. We still tried to keep it light-hearted and fun. But yeah, this song is very important to us because it’s the beginning of us being vulnerable and putting our hearts and experiences [in] our lyrics, giving our audiences something a bit more emotionally heavy and relatable.
You’re taking to Adelaide UniBar on April 12 to launch the single. For those who haven’t seen you before, what should people expect from a Pash gig?
We like the sound loud and fat. We’ve really invested in making sure [Pash’s sound] is something people haven’t heard much before, so we love experimenting with how we can make each song as expansive as possible. But it is also a mixed bag: we have songs that are emotional and chilled out and some heavily electronic ones designed to dance to. People should expect to have fun, dance, be a little naughty and be blown away – that’s our aim for every show.
Why did you decide UniBar was the venue for this show?
For us, UniBar was a no-brainer. It had the space we were looking for, somewhere that could support the lineup we wanted, [and could support] a nice big sound and a large capacity. Some of the first shows we ever went to see when we were first getting into the scene were at UniBar, so it has a nostalgic place in our hearts. The single launch is going to our biggest headline show to date, and we wanted a venue that reflected that.
You’ve got a cast of solid support acts – Ethanrip, JesseMelancholy and Tonix. Why did you ask these artists/bands to play?
The idea for this lineup was to have support acts that were really different. We wanted to include bands and acts that we loved but also ones that the usual Adelaide scene isn’t super accustomed to. Adelaide has such a diverse and interesting array of talent, and we wanted to showcase that. We wanted to have some artists and bands that are refreshing and exciting.
Tonix are really unique and an absolute powerhouse in their genre. They have that huge sound and energy we wanted for the night and are insanely talented at what they do. Ethanrip is a rapper who also has such a good aura about him. His music is a great mix of hype Playboi Carti-type stuff and experimental -- it’s music that is not usually at gigs, so we really wanted to mix it up and showcase someone super talented who also brings the right kind of energy to the stage. Jessemelancholy is phenomenal. We came across his Instagram randomly a few months ago and [we’ve been] obsessed ever since. Not only does Jesse have some of the best-written, produced and catchy experimental pop songs, he’s also a genuinely kind and enthusiastic person. We can’t wait to perform with him.
[Heads up! There’s also a DJ set after Pash’s performance on the night by Nic’s boss, DJ LSP… an act that’s rumoured to be the most entertaining of the night.]
You’re quite fresh on the Adelaide scene, having debuted last April. Give us the backstory of who Pash are and how the band formed.
Pash started when Orlando and I experimented with some more pop/electronic-oriented music. We had written some new material and really wanted to get it out into the world, so we got Jett on board, as he was a good friend, and we knew he had an amazing voice. Danny joined pretty soon after as the drummer – he fit the group dynamic super well – he’s super talented on the kit. For us, Pash came out of wanting to create a sound that hadn’t been done before in SA and to see what would come out of us all putting our heads and hearts together in some form of collaborative experimentation.
You mix a diverse range of genres into your sound – reggae, indie-surf and electronic pop. Who are the biggest influences behind Pash and how have they driven your sound?
Yeah, it's quite a mix of things! Initially, we were really inspired by the Aussie indie/reggae sound that’s been around for a bit over a decade now. Bands like Rum Jungle, Kuripla Reach, South Summit and Manu Chao had a big influence in that respect. But as we’ve been playing and writing together, it’s taken on a sound that’s closer to indie pop with hints of electronic music. For Jett, singing-wise, artists like Michael Hutchins from INXS and Jeff Buckley have been big inspirations. Mako Road, as well as classic rock and metal, have been pretty inspirational for Danny’s [drum] playing.
We like such a wide variety of stuff that we also want to make a wide variety of things. But we’ll throw some more names out there – we’re currently loving Sam Fender, Pinkish Blu, Satellite Stories, Jungle Giants, DMAs, TOWNS and The Preatures.
Across the last year of gigging and releasing music, what do you think sets Adelaide’s music industry apart?
Adelaide has such a tight-knit music community filled with a lot of really lovely and welcoming people. We’ve made so many great friends and memories over the past year as a band and it's thanks to not only such a great young group of musicians but also a lot of really supportive venues and industry-related people.
What’s next for Pash musically?
After our big single launch in April for Teenage Years, we’ll drop two more singles that will be off our debut EP, which is coming out in July. We have some massive things planned for that one, including an interstate tour out east, which we are ridiculously keen on. But yeah, come to our shows to see us live and see if you dig us! And look out for the new songs we have dropping at the end of May, June and the start of July.
Pash ‘Teenage Year's’ single launch takes place at UniBar Adl this Friday April 12. Tickets available via Moshtix.
