Photo by McLean Stephenson
With their newly released debut album, Black Sun, Australian five-piece outfit Gold Fields are on the cusp of an incredible year. Singles "Treehouse" and "Dark Again" have quickly lured in listeners and attracted radio spins, as the band launches from down under into the U.S, having also made their American television debut Wednesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Speaking with Variance, frontman Mark Fuller—who doesn't usually like to watch videos of himself—admitted that their Kimmel debut is an exception. "It's sort of a bit nerve-wracking to think that we're going to be on TV at all, let alone such a massive show that we are all fans of. When we got the call to play, we couldn't believe it."
Although new to on-screen performances, their delectable '80s-dance-meets-'90s-rock blend of pop isn't completely unfamiliar to TV viewers. And while ad syncs are usually grey areas for many bands, Fuller believes working with New Balance and other companies helped Gold Fields. "It's good for an up-and-coming band like us because it does definitely help you sort of reach more people when you're working with a company or a brand that already has a following. I think for us it was more about the actual project itself that we thought was interesting, and we love producing music and the challenge of someone coming and saying, 'we want you guys to help us create something.'"
While its power has come into question in recent years, radio—especially alternative radio—has helped propel this Aussie quintet. And according to Fuller, "it's the medium that music still lives on. I know there is the Internet and TV. Radio is still the No. 1 thing. Hearing your song on the radio is the best feeling you can get after you released it." He continued: "The response from American radio has been mind-blowing to us. In Australia, there is Triple J, sort of the one station in Australia, if you're getting played on that, you will probably be able to tour the country and sell tickets to shows in capital cities purely just based off being played on Triple J. It blew our minds how many different radio stations there are in America that were playing our music, which is awesome."
Fuller also acknowledges that the band has made no secret of their musical influences, giving credit to fellow Australian acts Cut Copy and the Presets, as well as Brand New and others that have impacted their sounds. "Anyone who has listened to Cut Copy and the Presets can see that we're fans," he admits. "[Growing up], we listened to Brand New and From First to Last. When we were 13- and 14-years-old, those were the bands we used to go see. We probably listened to pop and rock music. When were at a legal age and started going out, we started listening to a lot of electronic and dance music. Those things combined is what you can hear in Gold Fields."
The band will also make their return in March to SXSW, something the singer is optimistic about.
"It's just a massive adventure and you never know what is going to happen," he said. "At the same time, everybody you meet works in music or loves music, so it's a pretty awesome place to be for a band. To get the opportunity to play in front of people who might help them do what they want to do or just support them, especially a young band, is a pretty amazing thing. We are really looking forward to it. This year, we're going to be playing even more shows."
Gold Fields' Black Sun is out now via Astralwerks. In addition to SXSW and a performance Thursday night in L.A. at the Troubadour, they will also be touring later this year with Capital Cities. See the dates below after the video of their Kimmel appearance. They performed "Moves" as well; click here to watch.
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Upcoming Shows:
2/28: Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
3/2: Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
3/5: San Diego @ The Casbah
3/6: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
3/8: Las Vegas, NV @ Hard Rock Café
3/11: SXSW @ Republic Live (Daily Motion Showcase), tbc
3/12: SXSW @ Antone’s (Pandora Discovery Den Day Party), 2:40pm
3/14: SXSW @ Waterloo Records (Waterloo Records In-Store), 3pm
3/15: SXSW @ Lustre Pearl (FILTER – Dickies Day Party), 4pm
3/16: SXSW @ Maggie Mae’s Rooftop (Aussie BBQ Showcase), 10pm
4/23: Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom*
4/24: Tuscon, AZ @ Solar Culture*
4/26: Austin. TX @ Stubb's JR*
4/28: Houston, TX @ HOB Bronze Peacock*
4/30: New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues*
5/3: Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore*
5/5: Norfolk, VA @ Jewish Mother*
5/8: Boston, MA @ Paradise*
5/9: New York, NY @ Irving Plaza*
5/10: Philadelphia, PA @ TLA*
5/13: Toronto, ON @ Mod Club*
5/14: Cleveland, OH @ Cambridge Room*
5/15: Detroit, MI @ The Shelter*
5/21: Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep*
5/22: Aspen, CO @ Belly Up*
5/23: Fort Collins, CO @ Aggie Theater*
5/24: Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre*
5/29: Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre*
5/31: Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades*
6/1: Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho Restaurant and Music Club*
6/5: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues*
6/6: Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre*
*Tour dates with Capital Cities