Last Dinosaurs
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Last Dinosaurs

There was a time for most of us growing up where The Strokes had some sort of impact on our lives. Listening to the crooning of Julian Casablancas as he matched the heavy guitar in ‘Reptilia’ gave it’s fair share of epiphanies to the young teens who sat in wonder. For Last Dinosaurs, The Strokes were the catalyst that started it all for the band.
Beyond being the inspiration for Last Dinosaurs, it’s been a point of reference for them over the years and something that’s helped in the re-entering of bassist Michael Sloane into the band.
“Stylistically we’ve stayed the same because he’s really in tune with our band,” singer-guitarist Sean Caskey says.
“We’ve grown up together since grade nine listening to The Strokes and that’s literally what got us into making music – the Strokes. So we’ve been into the same music for ages.”
From the music the band produces to the shots that accompany them, everything seems to be dipped in nostalgia with a touch of sweet summer remembrance. With the band’s sophomore release, the only pressure felt was to maintain that comfortable feeling in each of their tracks.
“The pressure I felt was to do something cooler and better than the first album, because the first album to me was just like looking at old school photos,” he says.
“Even now I’m still slightly worried because I don’t really pay attention to the internet and stuff like that so I don’t really know what’s going on with us. I’m worried in that sense, but the only way you can really know what’s going on is with tours. So I’m just hoping this tour sells out and we sell out the Enmore and to me that’s a sign of success and that something good is happening to you.”
With Wellness now released and a series of sellout shows in June under their belt, it may seem like it all came out of thin air. Just what were the band up to in the years since they won our hearts with In a Million Years back in 2012?
“It’s weird because we actually did a lot of international touring, we just didn’t tour Australia. So it seemed like we weren’t doing much but we were doing heaps overseas,” Sean says.
“So it was really staying the same for us but we kind of forgot that we hadn’t played in Australia for so long. It was really really good to know that everyone was still around and they still cared. It was kind of dangerous how long we took, and I think maybe we were right on the edge of taking too long.”
Having played Splendour in the Grass earlier this year, with Sean’s only regret partying too hard in the lead up and playing a set hungover as a result, the band are more than ready to take the stage this summer at Beyond the Valley. After all, creating summer nostalgia is part of what they’re so adept at creating.
Written by Amanda Sherring
When & Where: Beyond the Valley Festival, Lardner Park – December 29 – January 1