The Seabellies

the seabellies are kyle, trent, steph, edward, antony and sean

2010 saw the Seabellies release their stunning debut album By Limbo Lake. Hitting the road the Seabellies began a string of tours late last year, finally wrapping up earlier this month. We were able to ask the band a few questions before they buckle down to work on album number two…

If Limbo Lake was to exist, and who’s to say it doesn’t, I imagine it would be a place brimming with blind hope, passion and well, a little desperation .

As a concept itself, limbo is ultimately a midpoint – it is neither here nor there. Reflecting this, every element of the Seabellie's sound serves to engender this same sense of surreal.

I can honestly say I’ve played this record countless times, finding or feeling something different with each listen. Some of the tracks to look out for include Young Cubs, Board the Apartment and my personal favourite Trans Ending. 

How did your band name, The Seabellies come into being?

The name Seabellies came about through a short story that Trent wrote during his Uni days. It has a bit of a morbid underlay but the story was about a man that he found washed up on a beach when he was younger, the story was entitled “The Seabelly”  which later morphed into the band name.

By Limbo Lake’s sound is lush, layered and at times has almost orchestral elements (Ices: Death and Love)- what goes into creating the perfect mix?

Lots and lots of time and experimentation. Six minds can create a tangle of creative chaos but in the end it irons out into a result that we all agree on and love, which can take a while but we always get there. We try to put in as much variety in our sound to create songs that keep opening up to the listener on repeated listens.

You’ve just wrapped up an impressive set of tours across the country for By Limbo Lake, what’s the best thing about playing live?

The energy and excitement you feel from the crowd, nothing beats a full room of fans singing along to the songs. 

Are there any particular gigs or memories that stand out?

Just recently we played at the Sydney Good Vibrations Festival which was pretty cool. It’s bin a while since we were on a big stage like that so it was fun to have a bit more room to move than usual.

I’m a little in love with all your film clips - in particular the narrative, beauty and desperation of Trans Ending. How do these concepts come about?

The concept to the Trans Ending film clip was developed by Sydney director Tom Noakes. We usually have a rough idea of what we want to be conveyed in the clip in terms of mood and theme. This is pitched to various directors who come back with their treatments and we chose the one that closely resembles our initial vision for the song.

What’s in store for the rest of the year?

We’re all on our way over to Europe to travel for a few months which may coincide  with a few European showcases. Of late we have been busy demoing tracks to a new album of which we plan to record later in the year, then back on the road for more shows to tie it all together.

Given your pick, if The Seabellies could take to the stage with any artists (alive or dead) who would they be?

Any of the following would be an absolute dream come true- Radiohead, Coldplay, Band of Horses, Midlake, The Shins, Mew, The Dears and Doves.

By Limbo Lake is available at all music stores (the album art is great too), and you can also have preview and buy from Itunes.