Words by Kate Lockyer
“I just want to play live shows and release amazing music. That’s all I could ever really want, isn’t it?” So says Noah Blockley of The Rions.
Sydney band The Rions have had their feet on the gas since breaking onto the music scene by winning Triple J‘s Unearthed High just three years ago, and this November and December they’ve cranked the ignition in the minivan for their biggest headline tour yet.
They’ll be hitting Miami Marketta in the Gold Coast on November 3, The Station SC in Birtinya on November 9, and The Princess Theatre in Brisbane on December 14, so bring along your Night Light to see their dazzling stage presence for yourself.
The Rions have already had a busy year, coming fresh from a co-headline tour with Pacific Avenue throughout Europe and releasing their newest EP, ‘Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be’ in September.
The band is made up of Noah Blockley on vocals and bass, Tom Partington on drums, Asher McLean on guitar and Harley Wilson on guitar and piano.
As I spoke to Noah, they were in Cairns in the back of the van, about to kick off their first show of the tour.
What’s your pre-show routine?
I definitely try and make sure I, almost, stay as healthy as possible. It’s the classic making sure we get enough sleep, and making sure we’re well-rehearsed… making sure the setlist is up to scratch. Just making sure everything is in place so there’s no worry or rush.
How is it different playing in Europe as opposed to Australia?
Especially the people in the UK, they love music so much that you almost don’t see anyone filming or anything, they’re really enticed in just watching the show, and it’s really awesome. Overall it was quite similar, but it was so much fun and everyone over there was so lovely as well.
Do you have any favourite songs to play live?
I always love to hear the crowd singing Minivan, that’s always a special favourite moment of mine. But also I love to play new songs, when we get to spice up the playlist a little and we get to show people stuff that we just released or stuff that we’re working on.
So, off the new EP, are there any you’re really enjoying playing?
Yes, I’m really loving the way Friend is sounding. Very excited to be able to play that one live, it’s a very sweet moment in the set.
Are there any songs you find a bit tricky to play live?
One of the earlier songs we used to do. I was a bit younger then, so my voice was a little bit higher and less used – when we did Disassociation in the studio I definitely pushed myself a bit, and (onstage) I used to try and sing every note that I did in the studio. But I’ve changed it up a little bit to make it easier for me to sing.
Are there any key things you’ve learned from touring?
We try to keep our sets as tight as possible; everyone knows their instrument, as well as, this tour, Harley’s brought a piano on, because he’s always loved to play the piano. So, learning how to integrate playing the piano live and doing that kind of stuff is really special. We get to experiment, we get to do some fun stuff because we’ve got a great team onboard and they can make it easy for us to try and make the show exactly what we want it to be. Learning to make things as tight and as strong as possible is something that we’re continuously trying to do.
How does the songwriting process work with you guys?
It works differently every time. There’s definitely been songs we’ve worked on as a group. A lot of the time you will see Harley has a lot of strong ideas which he’ll bring into the studio, which we’ll build on. So he’ll write some lyrics and chords, and we’ll work on melodies together, and adding Tom’s drums and Ash’s parts. But then there’s time where we all sit down together and write a song together, and I think that we all have something to contribute. Sometimes we sit in a circle with acoustic guitars and we work on lyrics and melodies. Just taking in everyone’s opinions is always our strong suit. I think that’s how we get the best songs as well.
Are there any songs that mean a lot to you personally?
I try and connect with every song in a way, but I also would say that I really like how Time Will Try really integrates some stuff from when us four boys were kids, integrating our friendship rather than something about the band – it’s more about how we’re mates together.
Are there any themes that have inspired the songs in ‘Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be’?
I think we’re matured a bit since the ‘Minivan’ EP, we’ve experienced a bit more life, there’s a bit more heartbreak. So there’s some strong influences coming into writing the lyrics of just experiencing life and getting older, and maturing and realising there’s a lot to it, and a lot that you can write about in this world. So trying to make as many beautiful songs that can connect with a lot of people. You’ll see that quite a bit in this EP.
Were there any sounds that you were particularly going for?
Yeah, when we went to the writing process, it was kind of, ‘let’s show people what we can do, and let’s show how we can experiment in a way that still sounds like us’. But also, you hear it in Friends, there’s more of like a country twang to it, we really wanted to integrate that slide guitar. Ash is so good at writing those little lines that we were like ‘ooh’ every time he’d write something.
And then you hear Physical Medicine, where we took inspiration from the 1975, making it a bit more synthy. So taking inspiration from little things in stuff that we’d been listening to, and trying to integrate it in a way that also sounds like us.
I’ve noticed in your songs that often there are different layers to it – like in Minivan, you’re listening to it, thinking, this is a bop, let’s go explore in a minivan! And then you listen to it more closely and realise there are some deeper themes here like uncertainty, or finding your identity, as much as it is about exploring with your friends. Is that something that you were conscious of when writing, or something that sort of came naturally?
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. I think it’s something that we will definitely consciously think about, trying to make sure that everything that we write has a bit more depth to it than the surface level of what you’re hearing. So when we think about songs like Minivan, we were like, ‘let’s make sure that if someone is listening and connecting with the lyrics, there’s something in there that really attaches to them, and can kind of adapt to their own life story, rather than obviously just being – which I’m very happy if people want this song to be, ‘let’s run away in a minivan’, that’s great – but if you want to listen to the lyrics a bit more deeply and connect a bit more, I think you can find something in every song that we’ve done. But we always try to make sure that it’s able to reach everyone, everyone can interpret it in their own way. I’m not going to be offended it you interpret something that we’ve written in a way that adapts to you and doesn’t mean exactly what we were thinking in the song, because that’s what music is, and that’s what it is for, for everyone to experience it in your own way.
How did you land on the title – ‘Happiness in a Place it Shouldn’t Be’?
That was something that Harley approached us with, and we were like, it has such a nice ring to it. And at the time of writing the EP, there were a couple of transitional phases in some people’s lives, and it was just about finding happiness in those times. And I feel like that’s kind of how the EP came together, so the title just resonated so well – just finding happiness in those places that may not be the lightest times in your life, but making sure you can always find a place to smile. And that’s what the EP could be to someone – if you’re having a down time, and you listen to the EP, that could be your happiness in a place it shouldn’t be.
You’ve probably ticked a few things off the bucket list this year with your Europe tour, but do you have any goals of what you want to do next with the band?
Definitely. I think being a younger band and starting out, we have yet to release our first album, but I definitely want to do a headline Europe tour at some point. We’re definitely growing everything that we can, and trying so many different angles and finding what works for us. I just want to play live shows and release amazing music. That’s all I could ever really want, isn’t it? Just connect with people and make sure The Rions is something for everyone.
What do you guys do when you’re not playing music?
We all have different hobbies. Me and Tom like to go play a bit of golf. I actually really love sport – watching sport playing sport. Or hanging out with my family or my girlfriend. Ash loves to rock climb. Harley’s very creative, so he’s always writing and making videos – he’s a very talented video content creator, so he’s always editing.
But this is what we love – this is a holiday for us, what we enjoy doing. And we’re hanging out with each other, just hanging out with our mates.
Who are your Top 3 Aussie artists on your playlist at the moment?
This is so tough, I’ve been listening to so many! …Holly Hebe, Lime Cordiale, and The Velvet Club.
Anything else you want to say?
Feel free to go listen to the EP, and we still have a couple of tickets left, so if you do want to come down and catch us, we’d love to see you down there.
‘Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be’ IS OUT NOW – LISTEN / STREAM HERE
‘HAPPINESS IN PLACES’ AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Presented by triple j, UNIFIED Artist Management and Select Music
Sat 21 Sep – Rock The Bay Festival, Darwin
Fri 25 Oct – Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns
Sat 26 Oct – Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville
Sun 27 Oct – Magnums, Airlie Beach
Sat 2 Nov – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
Sun 3 Nov – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast
Fri 8 Nov – Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone
Sat 9 Nov – The Station, Sunshine Coast
Sun 10 Nov – Beach Hotel, Byron Bay
Fri 15 Nov – Uni Bar, Wollongong
Sat 16 Nov – King St Bandroom, Newcastle
Sun 17 Nov – Dee Why RSL, Dee Why
Fri 22 Nov – Horsham Showgrounds, Horsham [The Push/ALWAYS LIVE]
Sat 23 Nov – The Pier Bandroom, Frankston
Sun 24 Nov – Torquay Hotel, Torquay
Fri 29 Nov – Northcote Theatre, Melbourne
Sat 30 Nov – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide
Thu 5 Dec – Prince of Wales, Bunbury
Fri 6 Dec – The River, Margaret River
Sat 7 Dec – Metropolis, Fremantle
Fri 13 Dec – Roundhouse, Sydney
Sat 14 Dec – Princess Theatre, Brisbane
Sun 29 Dec – Beyond The Valley, Barunah Plains
Tue 31 Dec – Lost Paradise, Glenworth Valley
Thanks to twnty three