From forming in their mate’s bong shed in Coolum, Queensland 2016 when all three members were seventeen, to scoring a 24-carot bona fide viral hit on YouTube with ‘Smoko’ (currently up to 7.2 million views) and headlining the Electric Ballroom in London in two short years, The Chats ascent has been rapid to say the least.
Following their forthcoming first appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festival in August, the Australian pub rock trio (they prefer ‘shed rock’) have also announced that they will be closing 2019 with a full UK tour in December, culminating in a headline show at The Forum, London on December 14th.
The Chats represent everything that’s good about Australia and nothing that’s bogan: a rebel spirit, gallows humour and the endless hedonistic pursuit of A Bloody Good Time. Cold stubbies within close reach, 24-7.
The trio met in music class while at St Theresa’s Catholic College in Noosaville, a suburb of Noosa, Queensland, two hours north of Brisbane, and began practicing in the shed in nearby Verrierdale (pop: 775) during their final year of education (the school’s website notes “Whilst their music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, they have certainly made an impact, and they continue to Dare the Dream.”). Their name meanwhile comes from the nearby suburb of Chatswood; in certain Sydney suburbs “chat” also means shit ie. “Your singlet’s fucking chat, mate”.
Drawing influence from the same fertile Australian pub rock scene that spawned everyone from AC/DC and The Saints to Cosmic Psychos and The Hard Ons, while sharing a similar singular self-contained approach (if entirely different sound) to their art as such latter-day Aussie rock heroes as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, The Chats simply describe themselves as “dropkick drongos from the Sunshine Coast of Australia”. It’d be difficult to argue otherwise
Their dress-down image of mullets, shorts, sports tops, thongs or a sandals-and-socks combo, and cheap sunnies celebrates this fact. But don’t by mislead: The Chats are sharper than you think, and they write killer songs that hold their own in any era. Their self-titled debut EP was recorded in their school’s studio in 2016 and featured seven joyous sky-punching tracks that combined 60s garage punk and 70s new wave punk (highlights included ‘Mum Stole My Darts’ and the 53 seconds bratty thrash of ‘Yeah Nah’). It was followed in 2017 by Get This In Ya, another thrilling seven song slice of economic, stripped-down, early Buzzcocks/Ramones-styles punk tension, whose lyrics read like a litany of things to hate for youthful malcontents the world over (overdue social security payments, lack of bus fare, Nazis).
With two hundred gigs under their belts, The Chats began 2019 by signing a publishing deal with Universal Records and started their own label records, Bargain Bin Records.
Still in their teens, The Chats have mastered it. Mozart began composing at the age of four, but these boys were born singing anthems, and their forthcoming debut album seems destined to be the greatest collection of music ever made, not only in Coolum, Queensland, but the entire universe. Every other musician should probably give up today.
See The Chats live at the following dates. Pre-order tickets at: thechatslovebeer.comavailable this Friday June 28th:
Nov 30th Brighton, Concorde 2
Dec 1st Oxford, 02 Academy
Dec 2nd Norwich, Waterfront
Dec 3rd Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Dec 4th Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
Dec 5th Newcastle, Riverside
Dec 6th Edinburgh, Summerhall
Dec 7th Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
Dec 9th Glasgow, Garage
Dec 10th Manchester, 02 Ritz
Dec 11th Birmingham, 02 Institute
Dec 12th Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach
Dec 13th Bristol, 02 Academy
Dec 14th London, 02 Forum