Laura Palmer is a band built on a love for Twin Peaks, strong songwriting, and badass pop/punk. Since forming in mid-2013, the band has slowly built a platform of touring extensively in support of the likes of Snuff, Off with Their Heads and Paper Arms. I spoke to lead guitarist/singer Niam about the upcoming tour with the USA’s The Slow Death and the release of their forthcoming EP. Laura Palmer is set to take their prominence to the next level, despite their small existence.
When I first read the name ‘Laura Palmer’ it seemed that I might be set to interview a female solo artist. After a few moments it was realised that Laura Palmer is a Twin Peaks reference and that the band is simply a fan of David Lynch’s strange yet wonderful work. Niam explained the influences that Twin Peaks had over the band. “Apart from the fact that we like Twin Peaks, I wouldn’t say that it influences our writing in particular. We really just thought the name was cool and I was a pretty big fan of Twin Peaks for years. The Twin Peaks/David Lynch stuff is more on the art side of the band; we have a t-shirt with Laura Palmer’s face on it. The music side of the band is pretty separate from the Twin Peaks stuff. A lot of lyrical influence for me comes from personal experience. I used to tour a lot with other bands and there’s a lot of tough times that comes with that stuff.”
Accompanying The Slow Death on their upcoming April Australian tour would be an exciting prospect for any band. With The Slow Death’s obvious pop-punk influences and Laura Palmer following along the same suit, it was evident that the bands would complement each other’s styles throughout the tour. I was curious as how Niam felt about the idea of bills that boasted a range of genres. “You don’t want the difference in genre to be too crazy, but I suppose it really wouldn’t affect how a gig would go. You can’t really dwell on genre too much these days, and I think if you like the band then there’s nothing really to worry about. Touring with The Slow Death is going to be fun. Touring is always fun.”
On top of the upcoming tour, Laura Palmer is also planning the imminent release of their first EP. A debut EP release is always an exciting and unnerving time for any band, regardless of how established you are. The release combined with the tour gives the band a chance to promote and establish everything they’ve been doing over the past nine months. “The EP should be out very soon. We just finished recording a month ago and we’re just working through the final mixes and working out stuff with record labels. It’s in the final phase of being ready.”
Despite only existing as a band for a mere nine months or so, it’s admirable to see a band with confidence in what they want to do and an already strong and established style. Niam was happy to discuss the musical direction of Laura Palmer and their musical influences. “Despite our ‘indie’ genre label, we don’t sound anything like those go-to indie bands like Joy Division or The Smiths. If anything we’re more punk-rock or pop-punk than indie rock. We really love a lot of ’90s indie rock bands.”
When&Where: The Barwon Club, Geelong – April 24. With The Slow Death
Written by Xavier Fennell