Transpacific stars Heart Beach want you to love to Tassie as much as they do

Tasmania’s Heart Beach have racked up some serious kilometres over the past few years. In 2016 they left Hobart for Canada, where they spent three months in Vancouver before taking off on a massive national Canadian tour with Vancouverite friends, Dadweed.

Post-tour they settled in Montreal, where they finished writing and started recording their third album Haircut with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Bilerman at Hotel2Tango.

“Montreal is fantastic. It’s like a big Hobart or a tiny Melbourne where half the people speak French and everyone plays in ten bands.”

After returning to Tasmania and before clocking into Junction Arts Festival, we caught up with the well-travelled Heart Beach.

Heart Beach didn’t leave Hobart for greener pastures, though. Tasmania, according to them, offers everything a music fan needs.

“Tassie has a huge and diverse music scene. Next time you’re visiting check out a show at The Bris or The Poobah in Hobart or the Royal Oak in Launceston.”

“Or go online and listen to Native Cats, Slag Queens, Feed Rick, Spiral Kites, All the Weathers, Peak Body, Small Black Lambs, Ewah and the Vision of Paradise, Just Jesus, Foxy Morons, Filthy Little Star, Meres. Or go to Rough Skies records, they release regular compilation series called Community.”

Heart Beach is one of the many local acts gracing the stage next week at Launceston’s Junction Arts Festival, an event focusing on and celebrating the diversity and talent of Tasmania’s arts scene. Held across five days from September 5th to 9th, the eighth annual Junction Arts Festival will see the likes of ISLA KA, The Saxons and Je Bahl, amongst many others, represent Tassie on the national stage.

“The whole weekend looks pretty great ! Going to see as much as we can and relive our Launie days when we both went to school there.” 

The last few years have been pretty non-stop for the gang, who are finally back in Tasmania after a massive stint overseas. Now that they’re home, they’re going to be taking it pretty easy for a little while.

“Well, last year we recorded our third album Haircut with a Grammy-nominated producer. It’s available for free digital download here but fair to say it’s been a commercial flop and basically, no one’s written about it. Next up we’re saving to press 150 copies, (mostly for our friends). Perhaps we’re a hard copy kind of band.”

We might have to wait a while to see any new releases from Heart Beach, but in the meantime, we’re gonna stream the hell out of Haircut. 

 

Catch them at the Junction Arts Festival next week.

Junction Arts Festival – September 5-9 – Prince’s Square, Launceston – Details