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Backstage With WAXFLOWER

As gigs are on pause, Home is the new Backstage. Get behind the scenes with Waxflower this week.

Backstage With... Waxflower - GIG GOER

Following the release of their infectious new single Again, we catch up with Waxflower‘s frontman Tristan Higginson to talk about the band’s creativity and productivity during these uncertain times, lockdown trends, and his fascination with Mechanical Keyboards.

What advice would you give to your pre-lockdown self?

Make the most of every show, every opportunity. I think it’s easy to take that stuff for granted, almost as if you’re entitled to it. Just goes to show that all of this can be taken away at any moment for whatever reason, it’s really solidified how lucky we are to be able to do what we do in any fashion.

How, if at all, did lockdown impact your music making and producing process?

We have been pretty lucky all things considered. Our studio dates fell in a short period of time between restrictions easing and clamping down again in QLD/NSW. Writing and recording this release was quite emotionally taxing on me, so although I’d like to say I’ve been more productive with my writing – I’ve spent the majority of lockdown reconnecting with other aspects of my life. It’s really only been in the last month or two that I’ve been actively writing again, I think sometimes those breaks are necessary to make sure you don’t burn out under the stress.

What has been the most unexpected/challenging part of lockdown, whether pleasant or unpleasant?

I’m largely an introvert, so I didn’t really expect lockdown to have as much of an impact on me as it did. I definitely took my pre-covid routine for granted and found myself missing the ability to separate my work space from my personal one. In terms of music, it has been extremely hard to not be out there playing shows. It was such a constant in our lives for so long, it feels very unnatural to not be out there.

Backstage With... Waxflower - GIG GOER

How would you sum up your 2020 in one sentence?

High highs and low lows.

If you had a quarantine character, what was it like?

Mostly content recluse.

Name 5 things that got you through lockdown.

– My lovely girlfriend
– Wine
– Podcasts
– Music
– Mechanical Keyboards

What’s the most interesting thing you discovered over lockdown (could be a revelation about yourself, a new TV show, a new hobby)?

I’ve become deeply enthralled with building Mechanical Keyboards. It’s so lame, I love it. I’ve wasted so much time lubing individual keyboard switches, trying to make the keyboard sound and feel as nice as possible to type on. It’s so silly!

Backstage With... Waxflower - GIG GOER

What lockdown trend do you think we should take into the future, and which ones should we ditch?

Keep the option to work from home, keep everyone’s obsession with banana bread, ditch Instagram live shows.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2021?

We’re lucky enough to have a release planned for 2021. Hopefully we can tour it as much as we physically can, we’re itching to get back out there.

What does music mean to you?

Music is and will always be a constant in my life. I’ve always turned to music, writing or listening, in my times of need. It’s allowed me to step far out of my comfort zone and learn more about myself. When we started this band I was in a bad place mentally, and I can attribute some of my progress to experiences we’ve been lucky enough to have.

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