Bombs Away! With Australian band Sheppard
By Ho Shu Hui
Here in Singapore and performing the opening act for Irish band Kodaline on Thursday was Sheppard, the Australian band of hit track Geronimo. The six-strong ensemble, which was named after the 3 Sheppard siblings George, Amy and Emma, released their debut album Bombs Away in the summer of 2014, which topped the Australia hit charts for three weeks and was even nominated for Album of the Year and Song of the Year among a strong of other nominations at the 2014 ceremony of ARIA Music Awards.
The band was in a cab in Sydney when they first heard their breakthrough hit playing on the radio. “We were like ‘OMG THERE IT IS’ and went crazy on the cab – so much so we nearly got chased out of the cab,” laughed singer George Sheppard. “I don’t think the cab driver realized that that’s our song; he probably just thought we enjoyed it,”
The band’s easy camaraderie first started in 2009, when Amy Sheppard was working on an assignment for her university.
“I just wrote a song, got George to sing the harmonies on it, and ever since then, we just kept writing,” said Amy, in between some smiles. “I think it’s the fact that we just wanted to make music – we didn’t had the intention of writing music like ‘oh yes, let’s start writing’ – We just got together and connected creatively such that it just all came out!” added George.
Their love for music and wanting to create music sparked the start of the band, bringing together younger sister and bass guitarist Emma Sheppard, as well as guitarist and producer Jason Bovino, guitarist Dean Gordon and drummer Michael Butler. The unique influences of the band have caught the attention of both music labels and music lovers worldwide, amassing both local and international presence in the music scene.
“If the band didn’t take off, I don’t know… I would be pretty lost,” says Amy. With the successful debut of the Australian band, we are sure that Sheppard is the band to look for as we await their second album!
(image credited to the respective owners)
