Melbourne’s gritty rock trio cranks up the sound
Melbourne-based rock trio Standing Room Only (SRO) brings a passionate, energetic sound to the Australian indie-rock scene.
Made up of Aaron O’Brien (drums, lead vocals), Jim Currell (bass, backing vocals), and Bill ‘Fozzy’ Folino (guitar, backing vocals), SRO formed in 2017 and quickly made waves with their debut album Lost Highway in 2022, followed by singles like ‘Sunny.’
Their latest single off of their upcoming album, Big Machine, offers a glimpse into their evolution as songwriters.
Having shared stages with legends like The Animals and Baby Animals, SRO’s loyal following dubbed the ‘Roomies’ continue to grow.
With their upcoming second album, the band is revving up for even bigger things.
Listen to their track list here.
Check out the interview with Standing Room Only below.
HAPPY: What have you been up to today?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: We all still have to supplement our music income, so we all have jobs to go to.
JIM: I work at Melbourne Uni a couple of days a week testing & tagging their electrical gear.
My biggest issue is we also work at the Victorian College of the Arts and I get quite distracted with all their state-of-the-art studios and amazing access to instruments, lol.
HAPPY: Tell us a little bit about where you’re from, what do you love about it?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: We’re all Melbourne based with Azz and Fozz living on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula with access to the amazing beaches.
Jim lives close to the city.
FOZZ: You can’t beat the access to the beach.
I love my surfing and paddle-boarding.
I live in Mount Martha, so I’m literally five minutes from the water.
HAPPY: Big Machine has this incredible industrial vibe mixed with classic rock.
What inspired the fusion of these sounds, and how did the concept for the track come about?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: The lyrics were written by Jim when he was in the south of France.
It’s about the rigours of touring and how everyone involved is really just a small part of a big machine.
AARON: We were doing some writing at my house and Jim had these lyrics and an idea of the groove but no music.
Fozz handed me the lyrics and cued up a piece of music he’d written and told me to sing along.
We were kinda surprised at how easily the two pieces slotted together.
HAPPY: How did you incorporate the factory/industrial elements into the recording process of Big Machine?
Was it challenging to blend them with your rock instrumentation?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: We spent hours looking for sounds that would fit but part of the brief was that we needed to recreate it in a live setting.
We have never used backing tracks so we needed an idea.
FOZZ: Steve Vertigan was engineering the track and understood what we were looking for.
He went out and brought in this massive handrail that looked like something from a railway station.
He handed us a hammer and told us to smash it!
Azz also has this beautiful Ice Bell cymbal that we also used.
We don’t use the handrail live but we can still create a similar soundscape.
HAPPY: Big Machine feels like a statement piece.
What message or emotion were you hoping to convey with this track, and how does it reflect where SRO is as a band right now?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: Absolutely, it is a statement piece.
We wanted to convey that no one is above anyone else.
We’re just a small part of something much bigger.
JIM: For us, Big Machine represents a natural growth in our maturity as artists and we’re really excited to expand that with our next album.
HAPPY: What can fans expect from the rest of the record?
Will it follow a similar theme as Big Machine or explore new territories?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: The pre-production has all but been finalised for the new album.
We’re not a political band, but it does have a track acknowledging the nation’s indigenous history.
There are also mental health themes and the ubiquitous love themes.
AZZ: As we said, fans can expect a shift in our writing to reflect our growth as a band, but we will always maintain our gritty rock roots.
HAPPY: You’ve built a loyal fanbase known as the ‘Roomies.’
How has their support shaped your journey, especially as you gear up to release your second album?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: We’re not sure we’d have survived without the loyal support of our roomies.
FOZZ: One thing we pride ourselves on is our accessibility to our fans.
Many are now close friends, and we still shake our heads when we look out into an audience and see them dressed in the SRO gear!
HAPPY: Your logo—the waistcoat and chequered tie—has become iconic.
What’s the story behind it, and how does it represent the band’s identity?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: When we began this journey, we were very strong about a look that was reflective of those iconic bands who had a theme.
Think Kiss, Devo, Daft Punk et al.
JIM: We were really just trying to avoid the standard jeans and t-shirt look.
We also wanted to stand out in a sea of bands on the scene.
With the waistcoat and checks, accompanied by a drummer who not only stands and plays but sets his kit at the front and centre of the stage, we certainly have achieved that.
HAPPY: Looking ahead, what’s next for SRO after the release of your second album?
Any dream collaborations or venues you’d love to play?
STANDING ROOM ONLY: We are really looking to tour this album nationally and iconic pub venues like The Bridge in Sydney, The Gov in Adelaide, The Triffid in Brisbane and, of course The Tote here in Melbourne are all on the radar.
AZZ: We’re always on the lookout for collaborations.
We will regularly go and catch a band on a rare night off.
I personally would love to do a recording with the amazing Rob Hirst of Midnight Oil as producer.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
FOZZ: Music and the beach.
If I could play music on the beach, well… that’s the dream.
JIM: Family, music and these two knuckleheads beside me.
I’m very fortunate to play music with two of my great mates.
AZZ: My two little pups Mac & Angus.
Oh, and playing music with these two (pointing at Jim and Fozz).
I have to say that don’t I?
