Perth Rocks Festival is happening Sunday, 15 September 2024. Stephanie Jewell continued to speak to some of the bands ahead of the festival to get to know them and what fans can expect to see. For her next interview Steph spoke with Callen Vandenhelm (bass) and Eric Stewart (guitar). These guys will be joined on stage at Perth Rocks by their bandmates Jayden King (vocals and guitar), Nathan Wolfenden (drums) and Jon Flynn (guitar). This was a really fun interview filled with lots of jokes and laughter as Callen and Eric told me how heaven // alone came to be, and what to expect at Perth Rocks.
Steph: Tell me how heaven // alone came to be, what is the origin story there?
Eric: It started with my best mate Jayden and I. He had just come out of a different heavy band and I had never been in a band but we started becoming really close mates. We both explored a new genre of music and that really brought us together as mates and musically. Then we put a little team together, mixed and matched a few pieces until we found the dream squad right now. That is sort of where we are right now, and here is Callen.
Callen: I came into the picture just a little bit after the start of this year, some things fell into the right sort of places. I got a call from out of nowhere one day, kind of late at night, and I couldn’t say no.
Eric: We are a real vibe-based band, everything is based around vibe rather than ability and all that. So Callen came to one of our little underground shows and introduced himself and when things kind of fell apart, instantly Jayden and I were like ‘Callen, he’s the man’. Straight away, he was the first name. I called him that night on the way home and he was like ‘yep, where do you need me?’ I was like ‘yep, this guy is a trooper!’ and since then, he has passed the vibe check for sure.
Steph: Are you glad that you answered that call Callen, or disappointed it wasn’t a late-night booty call?
Callen: Well, there was disappointment at the start – (laughs)
Eric: I think you came over that night too! Was it that night or the next night?
Callen: I came over the next night and then it was the booty call (laughs)
Eric: He was actually originally going to be the guitarist and he said ‘hey I am happy to do the bass’ and we thought ‘yeah, lets do it man’. And since then its been working out great!
Callen: Bass is just where it is at!
Steph: And speaking of where it’s at, what has been happening behind the scenes, what is heaven // alone working on at the moment?
Callen: Very fun things, that is for sure. We have got a couple of cheeky little projects off to a couple of different sides that are being put together sort of as we speak, which is pretty cool! And some things that we can’t talk too much about.
Eric: There is stuff happening, we are just finding our feet and momentum now. We definitely are very motivated to just pump out what is in our souls that will get that vibe out there and attract more people that are in the same vibe. You see, there is a big need for that these days in the music scene. Every show we are at, we are not really like anyone else, we are kind of in between a show or in between a band. There are always people that come and say directly to us that I came for you, and I like the vibe and I hope there is more of that in Perth. So, let’s try and spread that!
Callen: It is super surreal, that’s for sure, but we are definitely chasing that.
Steph: Talking about good vibes, how did you come to be involved with Perth Rocks?
Callen: Funnily enough, I have been long term friends with Jacob and the guys from Legacy Alive. It just so happened to be that I saw the applications come up and I know the guys so put our name down. A little while later, Jacob reaches out and he says ‘oi, what are you doing applying for my festival?’ So, it’s like, yeah! Its just a very happy little coincidence really, things just fell into place really well at the right time.
Eric: It was obviously a good choice to add Callen to the band, you know, good vibes, attracts good things, and we get this nice festival show out of it! It is our first break-out festival show and we definitely want to have more of this, especially with the outdoor / indoor vibe, the bands and who is there. This is definitely something that we are so happy to just get our foot in the door in. We have been waiting for this since the moment that we heard this is happening and this has been like our sort of milestone for the end of this year. Perth Rocks, outdoor festival, let’s go!
Steph: That is exciting! Who are you most looking forward to seeing on the line-up?
Callen: Definitely Illyria, they are some close friends of ours and we have kind of grown alongside them.
Eric: Legacy Alive, they are a couple of stand-up guys, and Belgravia, another upcoming Perth band that we really love their vibe and that’s priority number one. We love them and their music and are just keen to share the stage with them.
Steph: You have mentioned that your sound is a bit in-between genres, how would you describe your sound for those who haven’t heard of heaven // alone?
Eric: We decided on the term ‘heavy gaze’. I don’t know if that is a term that is coined or not, but sort of in between the heavier alt-rock and shoegaze influences. We feel like we sit somewhere in between. I don’t know if you could put a real name on it but that is what we call it, ‘heavy gaze’. It sounds good to us!
Steph: I can’t wait to see you guys hit the stage on Perth Rocks! Thank you so much for your time!
You can catch heaven // alone and all the other awesome bands playing at the Perth Rocks Festival on 15 September 2024 at Port Beach in Freo. Grab your tickets here. For more information, check out the Perth Rocks Festival on Facebook or Instagram @perthrocksfestival
You can follow heaven // alone on Instagram: @heavenaloneau | Apple Music | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube |
Photo credits: Gabrielle (Gabbi) Morri and André Avila
