It’s early days on a national tour. Perth-born band the Panics is hitting the road again. Its latest album, Cruel Guards, earned the band a J Award and debuted in the ARIA top 20. Frontman Jae Laffer is on his way to another gig and chats with FasterLouder from the road.
Jae Laffer is somewhere between Launceston and Hobart. It’s the Panics second day on the road and the band is taking in the sights. “It’s a nice part of the country,” he says, as his mobile phone threatens to cut out. “We like to make a holiday out of it.”
Today the band is driving around Tasmania. As part of its Don’t Fight It national tour, starting in Launceston was an easy decision. “It’s nice to visit places that bands don’t often go to. We’ve probably played there about four times. We got quite a lot of people last night!” he exclaims. “It’s nice to see it growing.”
While living in each other’s hip pockets can make or break bands, the Panics have been doing it for a long time. Laffer met guitarist Drew Wootton in school. Eventually, Wootton’s brother, Myles, joined as a drummer, followed by Paul Otway on bass and Julian Douglas on keyboard, vocals and guitar. The Panics emerged from Perth’s burgeoning music scene in the ‘90s.
“We’ve been hanging out for many years – working on songs together. Four of us live with each other. We work hard and enjoy spending time together. After a while you adapt your lifestyle to it.”
Relocating to Melbourne brought the band closer to the live scene. But there are always those trips home to Perth. “We wanted to setup a base on the east coast. But we still play in Perth. We go back quite a lot. We always try to fit it in at the end of a tour so we can catch up with friends and family.”
The Panics latest album, Cruel Guards, earned the band a 2007 J Award, along with an ever-growing legion of fans. “People have got to know us through the most recent singles. The response to the latest material has been great,” enthuses Laffer. “It’s been our most popular record. It’s good to play live because there’s a lot of energy there.”
As the Panics’ principal songwriter, Laffer admits that he draws a lot of inspiration from personal experiences. “The song ideas usually come from me. There have been a couple of times when I’ve worked on lyrics with others from the band. But generally, it’s my domain. I try to make lyrics more interesting by changing the point of view around, or telling the story in a different way.”
Having recently returned from a string of gigs in the USA and UK, the band is enjoying being back on home soil. Laffer says he is looking forward to the Australian tour. “We were offered more dates than what we have for our current tour. But we try to preserve our energy by not overdoing it. We’re playing well, the songs are good and the audience is great – so we can’t complain!”
Don’t miss the Panics Don’t Fight It national tour, continuing into May.
Thursday, 1st May – Great Northern Hotel, Byron
Friday, 2nd May – Currumbin Sound Lounge, Gold Coast
Saturday, 3rd May– Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane
Sunday, 4th May – The J, Noosa
Wednesday, 7th May – Newcastle Uni Bar, Newcastle
Thursday, 8th May – Wollongong Uni Bar, Wollongong
Friday, 9th May – Metro Theatre, Sydney
Saturday, 10th May – ANU Bar, Canberra
Wednesday, 14th May – Barwon Club, Geelong
Thursday, 15th May – Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc
Friday 16th May – Prince of Wales, St Kilda, Melbourne
Saturday, 17th May – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Sunday, 18th May – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
Saturday, 24th May – Capitol Bar, Perth
