Rebecca Adeyeye chats with Amy, the lead singer of Brisbane band Sheppard. Prepare yourself for fashion, music and honey green tea….
Born and raised in Papau New Guinea, Sheppard started off as a duo in the bedroom of the blue haired beauty and lead vocalist Amy Sheppard. It was there that Amy saw potential in the voice of her brother who acted as a last minute harmonist for an assignment she was working on. The pair have since grown to be the six piece band we know today and are taking the music world by storm. Sheppard reached number one in Australia with their hit single Geronimo.
It’s clear to see that this up coming group take inspiration from British acts with their indie musical traits. It comes as no surprise that they would love to support Britain’s finest talent,
“Cold Play definitely, they’re our biggest influence, especially for my brother.”
Brother, George Sheppard is a singer as well as a songwriter. The siblings originally formed the band in 2009 and one of the remaining four includes bassist sister Emma. The third sibling in the band makes us wonder what type of talented DNA has been passed down through the Sheppard generations!
We wanted to know what Geronimo stands for, the message it conveys and the mantra they encourage. The empowering answers we were searching for was given by Amy who explained it carries the message of…
“Taking a leap of faith even if the odds are against it.”
She commented that when people are about to take a big leap they usually say Geronimo, and used an example scenario of giving a broken relationship another try. The term can be applied to anything and that’s why their fanbase relate to the c’est la vie mentality.
Their debut album ‘Bombs Away’ dropped last month in Australia and is set for release in the UK in October. However the sounds are available to pre-order on ITunes now! We’re anticipating a statement album from the Brisbane band and we’re eagerly awaiting what Amy describes it as a “juxtaposition” of songs.
We know we’re bound to hear inspirational metaphors and euphoric melodies similar to that in ‘Geronimo.’ Curious to know what the story and inspiration behind it’s production, Amy told us the overall theme is largely based around powering through a tough situation and experiencing liberation from your struggle,
“It’s like being the underdog, being knocked down but still having a glimmer of hope.”
Like most girls Amy and Emma take advantage of the opportunity to dress up and express their fun personalities through fashion choices. It’s evident that the girls style and music has evolved (see Amy’s blue hair) and perfectly matches their music.
“My sister and I like to dress crazy anyway, but now we have an excuse”
Amy and Emma choose a mix of unique outfits from independent boutiques. It must be pretty rad to be on tour with your sister and share each other’s clothes. Interestingly, Emma Sheppard used to study fashion before she turned to music. If she can design as well as she can play the bass guitar then we’re counting down the days until she releases a collection!
“The craziest things I’ve ever worn are head pieces and Jumpsuits”
We met the band at Oxfordshire’s idyllic Wilderness festival this summer. The picaresque scenes must be one in a million compared to the locations Sheppard have performed at. Their most memorable place they’ve ever played in is ‘India’ according to Amy! We imagine the cultural differences and the Bollywood interest offers a huge pop audience.
We all know that Beyoncé does a little prayer before heading out on stage. Some pre-stage rituals are top secret but Amy let us in on how to psyche up a band sensibly before the curtain call,
“We just try to get the energy up, I have a honey green tea to try and help with vocals.”
Amy justifies their relaxed rituals with the notion of less is more,
‘we thought we should do something quirky but we just get together and try to collect ourselves.”
So don’t miss the party soundtrack of 2014, get a copy of ‘Bombs Away’ for that next shindig of yours the neighbours will be encouraging the noise!
