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Meet Skegss the Duo (and an Alien Friend) on New Single ‘Spaceman’

It’s the surf-rock band’s first release since 2022, conor lochrie, conor lochrie's most recent stories.

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Skegss are back with new music, but things are a little different for the surf-rock band.

Skegss have shared “Spaceman”, their first single since 2022, but it’s been in the works for a while.

“Made this song during the pandemic and it’s had a couple of versions, but happy we kept trying new things with this one and where we got it to. It’s funny how far we are from outer space, sleeping is hard sometimes but thinking about outer space is harder. With a shoulder shrug… Spaceman,” the band share.

In the accompanying music video, which you can watch below, we witness Skegss’ otherworldly encounter.

“We found an alien, his name is Ruku Chismun, which translates to Ricky Cheesemoon. Stuck on Earth, space is 62 miles away, so far without a spaceship!” says Ben Reed.

“He looked a similar age to us in light years, so we thought we would show him what we do for fun to cheer him up. He found a groove, he accidently fell in love and he lost his way twice. Can Ruku Chismun pull through…”

Also announced today, Skegss are embarking on a regional Australian tour in celebration of their new single this year.

Accompanied by Carla Geneve (except Victoria dates) and Good Sniff (Victoria only), they’ll perform in Torquay, Frankston, Ballarat, Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Jindabyne, and Ulladulla through June and July (see full dates below).

Following 2022’s double release of “Stranger Days” and “December”, “Spaceman” reintroduces Skegss to us as the duo of Reed alongside Jonny Lani.

The band announced last year that they were no longer a trio with the departure of Toby Cregan .

The news was confirmed in a statement shared by the musician on social media. “I have been so lucky to have been in @skegss for about 10 years and I have had some of the best times of my life and made friendships that will remain forever,” he wrote on Instagram.

Skegss’ last album, Rehearsal , topped the ARIA Albums Chart in 2021. Last year, we unveiled Skegss as the third secret headliner at The Courtyard Presented by Rolling Stone , which was held at the inaugural SXSW Sydney.

Skegss 2024 Regional Australian Tour

With special guests Carla Geneve (Except Victoria dates) & Good Sniff (Victoria only)

Tickets available via skegss.com

Friday, June 14th Torquay Hotel, Torquay, VIC

Saturday, June 15th Pier Bandroom, Frankston, VIC

Sunday, June 16th (Matinee U18’s Show) Volta, Ballarat, VIC

Sunday, June 16th (18+ Show) Volta, Ballarat, VIC

Sunday, June 30th Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD

Thursday, July 4th Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW

Thursday, July 12th Flamingos, Rockhampton, QLD

Saturday, July 13th Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville, QLD

Sunday, July 14th Edge Hill Tavern, Cairns, QLD

Thursday, July 18th Beer Deluxe, Albury, NSW

Friday, July 19th Tilly’s, Wagga Wagga, NSW

Saturday, July 20th The Station, Jindabyne, NSW

Sunday, July 21st Marlin Hotel, Ulladulla, NSW

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Skegss Announce 2021 ‘Rehearsal’ Nationwide Tour

By Jackson Langford

It’s been a few months since Skegss unveiled their highly anticipated second album  Rehearsal , and now they’re finally gearing up to take it on a nationwide tour.

The tour will feature six dates in six capital cities around the country this August and September, with the Byron Bay trio playing some of their biggest venues to date.

They’ll be kicking things off at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, before taking on dates in Hobart, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, wrapping it all up in Perth.

Skegss won’t be taking on the tour alone, of course. They’ll be bringing along fellow rockers Pist Idiots for the ride, making for a sure-to-be wild run of shows.

Check out all important tour info, and watch the band’s latest music video for ‘Bush TV’, below.

Skegss 2021 ‘Rehearsal’ Nationwide Tour

Tickets on sale 9am Friday, 11th June Pre-sale opens 9am Thursday, 10th June

Friday, 13th August Enmore Theatre, Sydney Tickets: Handsome Tours

Saturday, 21st August Odeon Theatre, Hobart Tickets: Handsome Tours

Saturday, 28th August Forum, Melbourne Tickets: Handsome Tours

Saturday, 4th September Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane Tickets: Handsome Tours

Friday, 17th September Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide Tickets: Handsome Tours

Saturday, 18th September Astor Theatre, Perth Tickets: Handsome Tours

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• UPCOMING TOURS

Australian Tour July 2022

After selling out shows across the country on their ‘Rehearsal’ tour, Skegss will be hitting WA for a long-awaited show at Perth’s Astor Theatre, and for their final show of the tour at The River, Margaret River.

All tickets purchased for Skegss’ Perth show at Astor Theatre will now be valid for Fri, 8 July 2022.

Filed under: Skegss

SKEGSS set for Australian tour this August and September

• June 28, 2016
• Verge Collection

Surf coast legends  SKEGSS  are gearing up for one hell of a tour through August and September with  Dumb Punts  and  Verge Collection  – if you’ve not yet been able to see what these lads are capable of generating on stage, here’s your chance.

Supporting their new EP  Everyone Is Good At  Something , SKEGSS are touring for the first time in a headline capacity since summer last year and for fans hanging out for the band, these dates are going to be the band’s last until this summer.

SKEGGS have been flourishing as a live band over the past year; since signing to  Dune Rats ‘ label (Ratbag Records) and releasing their debut EP  50 Pushups for a Dollar , the Byron Bay trio have been keeping that fun and careless energy audiences were first drawn to in check all the while progressing more on the technical and creative side of things as a band.

Some cool music is still to come from these guys – very keen to see how these shows roll out.

SKEGSS AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES * Verge Collection not appearing

Tickets are available HERE !

August 11th | Rocket Bar, ADELAIDE* August 12th | Players Bar, MANDURAH August 13th  | Amplifier, PERTH August 20th  | Wrangler Studios, MELBOURNE | U18* August 20th  | Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE September 1st  | Newtown Social Club, SYDNEY September 2nd  | The Brightside, BRISBANE September 3rd  | Foundry Record Store, BRISBANE | U18* September 17th  | Great Northern Hotel, BYRON BAY*

———-

This content has recently been ported from its original home on The AU Review: Music and may have formatting errors – images may not be showing up, or duplicated, and galleries may not be working. We are slowly fixing these issue. If you spot any major malfunctions making it impossible to read the content, however, please let us know at editor AT theaureview.com.

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Skegss So Far From Spaceman Tour

Friday 19 July 2024

Skegss are going on tour for their new single Spaceman. Supported by Carla Geneve & Good Sniff.

Skegss are an Australian surf and garage rock duo trio originally from the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, who formed in 2014.

The band's line-up consists of Jonny Lani and Ben Reed. Their debut studio album, My Own Mess, was released in September 2018 and peaked at number 2 on the ARIA Album Charts.

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• Fri 19th Jul 2024, 7:30 pm - 11:00 pm AEST (Opens in new tab)

Space 44 & Select Music presents… SKEGSS – So Far From Spaceman Tour

Event description.

We are going on tour for our new single Spaceman, keen to come back and play some places we have been missing. Excited to come play a couple of new ones and get back into it! FRI 19 JUL - TILLY’S, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW + SPECIAL GUEST

Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix donates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity

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Skegss share new single ‘spaceman’ with music video ahead of national tour.

The So Far From Spaceman tour will see the Skegss duo head through the Australian East Coast including Torquay, Frankston and Ballarat

Today signals the first new music from Byron Bay boys Skegss since their 2022 singles ‘Stranger Days’ and ‘December’. ‘Spaceman’ sets out to reintroduce the lads Ben Reed and Jonny Lani as a slow rock simmer building to euphoric heights.

The track comes with a new music video and a tour announcement, seeing Skegss hit the road for the So Far From Spaceman Tour from Friday 14 June to play at Torquay Hotel, with Frankston and Ballarat the same weekend, before the boys venture into Queensland and New South Wales to complete a lucky 13 show run.

SKEGSS’ REGIONAL ‘SO FAR FROM SPACEMAN’ TOUR 2024

Featuring supports from Carla Geneve (ex. VIC) & Good Sniff (VIC only)

• FRI 14 JUN – TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY, VIC
• SAT 15 JUN – PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON, VIC
• SUN 16 JUN – VOLTA, BALLARAT, VIC *U18 MATINEE
• SUN 16 JUN – VOLTA, BALLARAT, VIC *18+ EVENING
• SUN 30 JUN – MIAMI MARKETTA, GOLD COAST, QLD
• THU 04 JUL – BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, NSW
• THU 11 JUL – FLAMINGOS, ROCKHAMPTON, QLD
• SAT 13 JUL – DALRYMPLE HOTEL, TOWNSVILLE, QLD
• SUN 14 JUL – EDGE HILL TAVERN, CAIRNS, QLD
• THU 18 JUL – BEER DELUXE, ALBURY, NSW
• FRI 19 JUL – TILLY’S, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW
• SAT 20 JUL – THE STATION, JINDABYNE, NSW
• SUN 21 JUL – MARLIN HOTEL, ULLADULLA, NSW

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews  here .

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by @skegss

Out now via Loma Vista Recordings, ‘Spaceman’ is a pandemic product, partnered with an extra-terrestrial music video that chronicles Skegss otherworldly encounters.

“Made this song during the pandemic and it’s had a couple of versions, but happy we kept trying new things with this one and where we got it to,” explains Reed.

“It’s funny how far we are from outer space, sleeping is hard sometimes but thinking about outer space is harder.”

The track is sure to slide into their live shows alongside their 2021 album  Rehearsal, which garnered them claims like triple j Feature Album Of The Week, debuted at #1 on Australia’s ARIA Charts, and marked their fifth consecutive year charting on triple j’s Hottest 100 chart with lead single ‘Valhalla’. A great addition to their So Far From Spaceman tour, as is their special guests including Good Sniff for the Victorian shows and Carla Geneve in New South Wales and Queensland.

Tickets for the tour are on sale now and can be purchased here . Give ‘Spaceman’ a whirl here .

The Animals The Farewell Tour: The Final Encore starts this week, with tickets to their Victorian shows still available

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Skegss  today share their single  ‘Spaceman’ , their first new music since 2022’s double release of ‘ Stranger Days ‘ and ‘ December ‘. An evocative rocker that simmers to a soaring, anthemic conclusion, the song reintroduces the band as the duo of  Ben Reed (vocals, guitar) and  Jonny Lani  (drums) for the first time.

“Made this song during the pandemic and it’s had a couple of versions, but happy we kept trying new things with this one and where we got it to,” explains Reed.

“It’s funny how far we are from outer space, sleeping is hard sometimes but thinking about outer space is harder.”

‘Spaceman’ is out now via Loma Vista Recordings alongside a spirited, cinematic video that chronicles Skegss’ otherworldly encounter.  “We found an alien, his name is Ruku Chismun, which translates to Ricky Cheesemoon. Stuck on Earth, space is 62 miles away, so far without a spaceship!” says Reed.  “He looked a similar age to us in light years, so we thought we would show him what we do for fun to cheer him up. He found a groove, he accidently fell in love and he lost his way twice. Can Ruku Chismun pull through…”

To celebrate the new release the band have also announced they will be kicking off their regional  Spaceman Tour  on  Friday 14th June  in Torquay, playing 13 shows across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, including an Under 18 Matinee in Ballarat.

SKEGSS’ REGIONAL ‘SO FAR FROM SPACEMAN’ TOUR 2024 Featuring supports from Carla Geneve (ex. VIC) & Good Sniff (VIC only) FRI 14 JUN – TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY, VIC SAT 15 JUN – PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON, VIC SUN 16 JUN – VOLTA, BALLARAT, VIC *U18 MATINEE SUN 16 JUN – VOLTA, BALLARAT, VIC *18+ EVENING SUN 30 JUN – MIAMI MARKETTA, GOLD COAST, QLD THU 04 JUL – BEACH HOTEL, BYRON BAY, NSW THU 11 JUL – FLAMINGOS, ROCKHAMPTON, QLD SAT 13 JUL – DALRYMPLE HOTEL, TOWNSVILLE, QLD SUN 14 JUL – EDGE HILL TAVERN, CAIRNS, QLD THU 18 JUL – BEER DELUXE, ALBURY, NSW FRI 19 JUL – TILLY’S, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW SAT 20 JUL – THE STATION, JINDABYNE, NSW SUN 21 JUL – MARLIN HOTEL, ULLADULLA, NSW For tickets head to  skegss.com

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In the six years since their inception, Skegss (singer/guitarist Ben Reed, bassist/guitarist/vocalist Toby Cregan, and drummer Jonny Lani) emerged from their laid-back, Australian small town roots as unlikely anti-heroes of the country’s vibrant rock scene.

Their riotous releases have sparked circle pits and stage dives all over—from dingy pubs and skate parks, to 20K capacity festival stages—and led the three lads on countless world tours. They’ve even topped the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts numerous times and, their debut LP My Own Mess reached number two on the album charts and earned an ARIA Award nomination for ‘Best Rock Album’ and more recently, ‘Rehearsal’ claimed them their first #1 record. 

Australia's coastal sensation never lost their underdog flair despite their achievements, and it's that same spirit that defines their second studio album, Rehearsal —a 13-track thrill ride through modern disillusioned youth. Rehearsal was recorded at The Grove Studios with Grammy-award winning producer Catherine Marks (Foals, Wolf Alice), who added a veteran's finesse and expanded upon the rustic charm of demos the band tracked at The Music Farm using vintage gear from the ‘60s and ‘70s. From Reed's self-made lyrical philosophies inspired by his favorite stand-up comedians to Toby Cregan's reflections on life and his dog, Rehearsal is the most candid and electrifying snapshot we've seen of Skeggs yet.

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Skegss: “We’re stoked we live in Australia – we’re keen to grab the bull by the horns”

The Byron Bay trio’s new album may be titled ‘Rehearsal’, but as their raucous gig at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl showed, they’re more than ready for the big time

“S he almost killed us,” mutters burly bass player Toby Cregan. His two bandmates in Skegss shake their heads in awe and relief.

The Mullumbimby-based trio are drinking contraband Mountain Goat beers and holding court in their dressing room before a headline slot at a sold-out, all-ages drug- and alcohol-free event at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Cregan, whose broad shoulders prop up an Illawarra Steelers throwback jersey, throws a beer NME ’s way. Drummer Jonny Lani calmly sits rolling a cigarette, the true embodiment of his early nickname Johnny Layback. Eccentric frontman, guitarist and synth wizard Ben Reed moves around the room wearing dark sunnies, his purple face mask sucking in and out disconcertingly whenever he chuckles at in-jokes.

Skegss are talking about the woman who produced their second album, ‘Rehearsal’, drill sergeant Catherine Marks. “She’d be in the studio from 10 in the morning until midnight,” Reed remembers, “and we’d be like ‘What the fuck is going on here? We’ve never worked like this!?’”

“For the first album [2018’s ‘My Own Mess’] we’d record at night and have a few beers and stuff but she banned drinking,” Cregan says, sitting bolt upright. “But I was putting Jameson in my ginger ale. ‘You’re doing such a better job today because you’re sober’,” he says, pitching his voice up. “But I was, like, low-key drunk as hell. Joke’s on you!”

“T hey’re not big talkers,” NME ’s been told pre-interview by two different handlers. But the midday libation has the desired effect on Skegss, as they chat about love, frustration, ambition, surviving a pandemic and ignoring the noise from crusty old dudes: “ Y’all still in the band Jonno? You do feel like a bit of a drop-kick,” Lani self-deprecates. Reed, for his part, addresses this on ‘Rehearsal’ single ‘Under The Thunder’ : “ I’ve got forgiveness to earn / My business is none of your concern .”

Lani and Reed were childhood mates who fell out of touch then orbited together in Byron Bay around 2014. It was decided they would form a surfy, garage rock band with Cregan and Noa Deane on guitar. Originally called The Single Fins, they said au revoir to that moniker after Reed was in a shop in Japan and took a shine to the name of a French-made acoustic guitar.

Many people first saw Skegss playing up – not playing – at Splendour in the Grass 2015: they were the four loosey-goosey dudes gatecrashing Dune Rats ’ filmed interviews. The band had in fact just signed to the Dunies’ Ratbag label, which then released singles ‘L.S.D’ (“It’s not about acid, more like ‘Live.Sleep.Die’,” Cregan said at the time, unconvincingly), ‘Rock’n’Roll Radio’ and ‘Fun’. Ratbag and Warner Music slung out debut EP ‘50 Push Ups For A Dollar’ in 2015, then the band gigged until they had a bunch of songs ready for an album and hit the studio with Dylan Adams for a two-week period to record ‘My Own Mess’.

(Prior to the ‘50 Push Ups’ release, Deane paddled off into the distance to chase his pro-surfing dreams. He’s gone from number 654 in 2019 in the World Surf League to a current ranking of 90.)

‘My Own Mess’ debuted at number 2 on the ARIA Charts and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the ARIA Awards, losing out to Amyl And The Sniffers ’ self-titled debut. Skegss toured the globe, selling out Los Angeles’ Roxy Theatre and New York’s Bowery Ballroom, and followed with a double EP vinyl compilation album , ‘Holiday Food/Everyone Is Good At Something’ in October 2020.

And then – nothing. The coronavirus pandemic meant even though they’d finished ‘Rehearsal’ (more on that shortly), Skegss wouldn’t get to play shows and would remain, monotonously, in rehearsal.

So Reed bought timber and “made a couple of tables with resin in them just to have some hobbies. I ended up doing some work at a few timber mills in Ocean Shores.”

Cregan had a rougher time. “I was pretty tripped out by the lockdown; we weren’t doing anything. I was trying to write songs but wasn’t inspired, it was like trying to flog a fucking dead horse,” he says.

“I was writing songs about being stuck inside and thinking, ‘How many dumb musos are doing the same thing right now?’ I learnt how to record songs better, that gave me purpose.”

Lani lives in a solar-powered shack in the muggy forest of The Channon, very much off-piste, 18 kilometres from Lismore. “I loved it, hey, I didn’t play drums for three months… it was good,” Lani says, causing his bandmates to buckle with laughter. “I have a little property, so I built a stone wall. I’m a stonemason.”

“I was writing songs about being stuck inside and thinking, ‘How many dumb musos are doing the same thing right now?’” – Toby Cregan

Then two singles lifted from ‘Rehearsal’ cracked the triple j Hottest 100 of 2020 . Backed by clever clips, ‘Fantasising’ landed at 66 while ‘Under The Thunder’ came in at 27. Pretty good in a year with no shows where the three were surviving on JobKeeper.

“It was a real surprise. It’s so cool when you get in, we didn’t get told beforehand,” Reed says. “It gives you a gauge. People fully like our tunes; you get so pumped.”

Lani looks up from his bespoke durry: “We couldn’t play shows in 2020; you wonder if people are gonna like it [the new songs]. You don’t need the constant validation, once a year is fine.”

“It’s the biggest music democracy in the world,” Cregan declares. “Or so they say,” he adds, realising he sounds like he’s drunk the triple j Kool-Aid.

A crackly speaker above breaks up the bonhomie to tell us that Skegss have 30 minutes to the show. Reed and Cregan flinch, Lani doesn’t bat an eyelid. “That freaked me out, I thought we were late on stage,” Cregan says. More tins are cracked.

“We haven’t played a big show in, like, a year… and today’s gonna be a big show,” Cregan continues, pensive yet pumped. NME informs them the show sold all tickets – nearly 3,000 of them – in 45 minutes.

“Really? That’s siiiick,” Reed buzzes. Lani smirks, licks his papers and seals the dart.

The Sidney Myer Music Bowl’s attendance record was set in 1967 when The Seekers played a homecoming concert to 200,000 people. A year later, the Guinness Book Of Records certified it the biggest concert in the Southern Hemisphere.

Today, things are a little different. COVID-safe restrictions mean keen teens are grouped into pods where – in theory – they will enjoy the rock and/or roll music of the four bands on offer, then file out in an orderly line.

A solid idea, in theory.

For those still not getting it, Skegss are now Very. Fucking. Big. Millions of streams big.

“We couldn’t play shows in 2020; you wonder if people are gonna like [the new songs]” – Jonny Lani

Their live shows cause mass singalongs, scream-alongs , fainting, the works. The cult is real: Reddit threads are devoted to rumours of solo projects, Skegss-inspired doodling and desperate pleas for rare merch. When the trio played a livestream during lockdown for Fender and Bandsintown, a fan recorded the unreleased ‘Running From Nothing’ and put it up on YouTube , setting off a chain of frothing comments. “I get stoked when little organic things like that happen,” nods Reed.

Another thing happened naturally back in 2014: they met artist Jack Irvine at Space 44, a brohemian gallery in Cronulla. Irvine ran the space with Skegss’ co-manager Aaron Girgis and designed a gig poster for the band which took the freeform ebullience of Keith Haring and mixed it with gnarly ’80s Mambo vibes.

Irvine’s playful take on the Shredder logo has become ubiquitous: a red and yellow Skegss t-shirt recently showed up in Claudia Karvan and Kelsey Munro’s hit Stan series, Bump . You can even buy a cheesy ‘Under The Thunder’ black tie. The snaking line at the merch desk later in the day indicates business is a’booming.

While trying to understand the hype, some pundits may peg Skegss as slacker dudes more interested in punching cones than exceeding expectations. But they’ll find ‘Rehearsal’ disproves that characterisation. The Difficult Second Album offers rough-as-hessian rock ( ‘Valhalla’ ), mid-tempo indie hummers (‘Running From Nothing’), Jane’s Addiction-by-numbers (‘Curse My Happiness’) and campfire torch songs (‘Lucky’, ‘Wake Up’). With ‘Rehearsal’, Skegss are on the way to occupying rare air with Hoodoo Gurus and Australian Crawl.

It also exudes a more measured exuberance. Call it hugs over drugs. Where Reed sang “ You’re young once / And you’re old forever ” on ‘Got On My Skateboard’, he now muses “ One day our eyes will be shut / We’ll be pushing up daisies from the ground ,” on ‘Picturesque Moment.’

In fact, with album opener ‘Down To Ride’, Skegss already seem to be asking fans if they’re ready for the band’s next chapter. “It’s actually about not needing much to be stoked, just letting life play out,” Reed explains. “As you get older, and you’re in a pretty sticky, hell-shit situation, you’re like ‘I know I’m gonna see the other side of this, I’ve just gotta hang on and I know I‘ll see the sunshine’.” He grins.

‘Down To Ride’ was one song where Marks – who has worked with Foals , Wolf Alice and PJ Harvey – demanded the band step beyond what they’d done before. They hit The Grove Studios in Somersby late 2020 along with Chris Collins, longtime mixer for the band. “He’s our translator, he understands our references,” Lani reasons.

“Catherine had great passion and got the best takes out of us. There was one song she was going off so hard on the tambos,” Cregan says, whacking his shorts and shaking himself like a dog busting for piss, “that she ended up with bruises all over her thigh.” The contusion, which happened during ‘Picturesque Moment’, was “pretty impressive”, Marks confirms.

“I heard an interview with her talking about us, ‘Those Skegss boys, the bloody scoundrels!’ What did we do?” Cregan asks incredulously, forgetting about the sneaking-whisky-into-soft-drinks studio hack.

Marks doesn’t recall any official ban on drinking: “I think I attempted a ‘no beers ’til 2pm’ rule but failed miserably.” As for the secret sipping, “I was unaware of this,” she laughs.

A textured, feminine touch also comes through on ‘Running From Nothing’ courtesy of Reed’s partner, Mahalia. She echoes the chorus, unadorned and aloof, contrasting his’s reedy tones.

Turns out Reed’s muse brings the nightly news. “My girlfriend was telling me about some dream she’d had. I started writing about it and that became ‘Running From Nothing’. She tells me about a lot of her dreams and I write them down.”

Cregan is compelled to talk about the elephant in the room: “Usually when someone is telling you about their dream you find a feature on their face and stare blankly.”

Reed sniggers. “I try and write songs on guitar all day every day just for that moment to happen – when a song comes and forms itself on the spot, like ‘Running From Nothing.’ That’s why Mahalia sings on it, she was there when it happened.” The effect is similar to Velvet Underground and Nico’s ‘Femme Fatale’.

“I like the fact Mahalia’s not trying to sing, she’s just talking,” Reed says, getting doe-eyed.

Cregan sings about complexity in his own relationship on the jangly punk banger, ‘Bush TV’.

“The ‘Bush TV’ is when you’re camping and looking at the fire. Every arvo I go out the back of my house where I have a little firepit,” Cregan explains. Then he gets down to brass tacks.

“That song is about me going away on tour and my girlfriend liking me more; absence making the heart grow fonder,” he says, looking vulnerable. “It’s pretty literal.”

“I try and write songs on guitar all day every day just for that moment to happen – when a song comes and forms itself on the spot” – Ben Reed

Indeed: ‘Bush TV’ opens with Cregan singing, “ No-one wants to be around the same person every day / And if they do that’s OK but that person is not me .” The chorus soars with a passive-aggressive warning. He remembers: “Benny was like, ‘You gotta get a chorus’. He made up the ‘ Waaaait until you miss me ’ bit.” Tumultuous times aside, things are back on track and she’s now his fiancé.

Reed channelled a different vibe when writing the grunting, masculine ‘Valhalla’: Big Viking Energy. The song started with a riff he wrote when he was 17. “I’d always been trying to find the words then I thought about all the Viking movies I’ve ever watched and tried to create something completely new.”

Speaker: “Five minutes until the Good Sniff performance.” The door swings ajar and a disembodied head pokes through the door.

“Fucking hell, this better be a cover story,” quips co-manager Danny Rogers. He’s guided the careers of Gotye, Baker Boy and D.D Dumbo and is a co-founder of Laneway Festival.

Skegss headlined a stage at Laneway in 2019 while Loma Vista A&R Ryan Whalley was there to see Denzel Curry . The story goes that Rogers took him to see Skegss’ set, Whalley’s jaw dropped and he signed them on the spot.

“Hey man, we wanna go and watch Good Sniff,” Cregan says politely. NME pushes our luck and asks one more question: How ambitious are Skegss?

“We’re ambitious,” Reed replies carefully. “I think it’s wise to just observe the world for a while and see what happens. It’s a bit sketchy going somewhere and getting caught aye. If Coachella was on tomorrow, we probably wouldn’t go.”

Skegss were booked to play the two-weekend Californian music festival before the pandemic hit and scuttled everyone’s plans. “We’re stoked we live in Australia and keen to grab the bull by the horns and tour here. These all-ages shows are important. We’ve always gone out of our way to make sure there are no restrictions on who can watch us,” Reed says, putting his shades back on. “When I was growing up some of the most pivotal shows I saw were all-ages gigs.”

3 .45pm. 27 degrees and muggy, a mostly cloudless sky. Ruby Fields finishes her set and the crowd swells. The SKEGSS logo bursts onto the giant LED screen and crowd chatter rises like a flock of loquacious Corellas.

Backstage, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard ’s manager and ex-drummer Eric Moore sits with Amy Taylor of Amyl And The Sniffers, who’s posing for pics with young, blushing fans. It’s clear many in the crowd are not only seeing their first show in a year, but for some, the first rock show of their lives.

The MC is in piss-take mode as the ‘The Pina Colada Song’ plays loudly. “Please welcome the worst band to ever play the Sidney Myer Music Bowl: SKEGSS!”

Girls jump up and down and boys punch the air, all sinewy frames and teen vivacity.

Skegss bounce onto stage, beaming ear-to-ear, and rip straight into ‘Valhalla’. Cregan and Reed give each other wide-eyed, WTF looks as the crowd use the lower register of their mostly unbroken voices, “ My Valhalllllaaaa, hmm-mm-mm .” “It’s pretty fun to do a gig again,” Reed chirps.

‘New York California’ causes pandemonium. Fans are getting out of hand and out of their allocated pods, congregating, grinding, singing the shit out of each song into right each other’s mouths. A harried stage manager runs past NME . He sprints side of stage and shouts into Skegss tour manager’s left ear. David Herington, also known as Bunny, then strides onto the stage.

“The Bunny Man has told me everyone has to go back to their own thingos or we have to stop,” Cregan says in jocular tones.

Kids saunter back to their places. Skegss play ‘Save It For The Weekend’, it all kicks off again and they have to tell the crowd to settle down. This happens four times across the gig; the band never lose their cool.

‘Up In The Clouds’ begins and a fairy floss cumulus props above, still as a painting. A teenage boy with an orange bucket hat lets his lower lip hang as he drawls the lyrics: “ Waking uhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp .” It’s almost an out-of-body experience, watching a concert in real life, watching a band kill it, watching humans have the best time while the rest of the world is having the worst time, stuck in, as Reed put it “a hell-shit situation”.

The sun is shining.

Skegss ‘Rehearsal’ is out now on via Loma Vista/Caroline Australia

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Absolutely mental, a great atmosphere was so much fun, they interacted with the crowd really well and having a surprise visit from Pist idiots was a great bonus. Skegss sounds as good live as they do online, definitely worth seeing them even if you don't know all their songs, just a great atmosphere surrounded by great people listening to great music

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i've never seen a mosh pit go so hard. heaps of fun, yet also probably the most sweat i've ever been drenched in, and i don't know how much of it was mine. def recommend

one of the best concerts i have ever been to. would recommend the skegss to anyone tbh. I love the atmosphere they bring and the music. overall 10/10 concert

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Arpichaya Yubol shoots a career-best 61 to take the first-round lead at ShopRite LPGA Classic

Arpichaya Yubol, of Thailand, tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Arpichaya Yubol, of Thailand, tees off on the 12th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

A turtle is removed by staff at the 11th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Nasa Hataoka, of Japan, tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Narin An, of South Korea, tees on at the 12th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Hannah Green, from Australia, and her caddie stand near her ball in the tall grass on the 11th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Jin Young Ko, of South Korea, tees off on the 12th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Stephanie Kyriacou, of Australia, hits from the fairway on the 12th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Brittany Lincicome tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Jenny Shin, of South Korea, tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Wei-Ling Hsu, of Thailand, tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Jeongeun Lee6 chips on the 12th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.(AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Ayaka Furue, of Japan, lines up her putt on the 10 hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J.. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Jeongeun Lee5, of South Korea, tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic golf tournament, Friday, June 7, 2024, in Galloway, N.J. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

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GALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) — Arpichaya Yubol followed a career-best finish on the LPGA Tour with a career-low 10-under 61 on Friday and took a two-shot lead over Jenny Shin after the first round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

The 22-year-old Thai player, who finished fifth in last week’s U.S. Women’s Open, had eight birdies and a chip-in eagle playing in calm conditions in the morning on the Bay Course at Seaview Resort. With a 60 within her grasp, she narrowly missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth hole, her last of the day.

Hannah Green is the only other player to shoot 61 this year, doing it at par-72 Seville in Gilbert, Arizona, in March.

“I feel like I just start to play golf, like happy golf like every hole,” said Yubol, who won as a professional in Thailand. “Because I feel like my (confidence) is coming back from last week in the U.S. Women. It was the greatest week in my life and it’s make me more confident for this week.”

Yuka Saso followed up her second U.S. Women’s Open title with a 2-under 69 on Friday. Hinako Shibuno, who was runner-up last week to her Japanese countrywoman at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, opened with a 66.

Yubol’s 61 matched the tournament record shared by Sei Young Kim and Sakura Yokomine in 2018. Annie Park ended up winning that year.

Shin, who has one win since joining the tour in 2011, played in the afternoon with stronger wind. She had nine birdies and bogey.

“Well, the fact that every hole is birdie-able, compared to last week, just helped a lot,” Shin said. “A little bit easier just kind of going after the pin, which I didn’t do at all. So, yeah, it was fun. That was the biggest difference: It was fun.”

Narin An shot a bogey-free 64 and was three shots back. The 28-year-old, a two-time winner on the Korean LPGA, is seeking her first U.S. victory.

Brittany Lincicome, the 38-year-old whose eight tour wins include this event in 2011, had her best round of the year playing with a new putter and was part of a large group at 65.

“I feel like I’ve been so close the last couple weeks,” said Lincicome, who has missed five of seven cuts this year and is looking for her first win since 2018. “Right on the bubble, missing the cut by one most weeks. So it was nice to get out there and get a round under par. Hopefully, we keep it going and see what we can do the next two days.”

Brooke Henderson, who won this event two years ago, also shot 65 alongside Nasa Hataoka, Megan Khang and amateur Rachel Kuehn, a 22-year-old from Wake Forest, who overcame a bogey-bogey start.

Defending champion Ashleigh Buhai shot 67.

Yubol has resurrected her game over the past two weeks. After finishing in a tie for 49th in her first event, she missed the cut in her next six. She rediscovered her form in the U.S. Women’s Open last weekend and shot 68-69 in the final two rounds to earn $465,375, her biggest payday.

Yubol said her manager visited her before the Open and they spent hours talking about her game. His message was he believed in her and she should believe in herself and stop worrying about losing her playing privileges.

It’s worked, so far.

This version corrects the spelling to Arpichaya.

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Air's Moon Safari is an era-defining French album worth celebrating, 25 years on

There's no telling how many special moments have been soundtracked by Moon Safari, the acclaimed 1998 debut album from French duo Air.

An era-defining record of pristine, space-age lounge music delivered with cinematic atmosphere and a distinctively French je ne se quios , Moon Safari was a universal critical and commercial success upon release.

The lush easy-listening music was perfectly suited to post-club comedowns, hip cafes, and make-out sessions: smooth and dreamy enough to be played in the background, but singular and masterfully crafted enough to reward close listening.

It proved highly influential, too. But the wave of mellow, down tempo imitators and 'chill out' CD compilations it spawned struggled to surpass Air's chic, exquisitely woozy beauty.

'It was not meant to be played live'

Jean-Benoît Dunckel, one half of Air alongside Nicolas Godin, never expected Moon Safari's enduring success.

"We never imagined this album could work that way worldwide," he tells Karen Leng on Double J Lunch. 

"It took time, it took decades, [but] the success is not by us, the audience made [it]."

This year, the duo has been playing Moon Safari in full around the world on their first tour in seven years, including Australia.

"It was not made to be played live," says Dunckel. 

"We had to adapt it for the live [setting]. That is what the people want to get — this special feeling they heard the first time… to live again these feelings."

Having played two nights at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid Live , Air will live-stream their show at London's Royal Albert Hall this weekend.

"It's a beautiful venue," says Dunckel, who is keen to preserve a pristine performance of the album online for future access.

"It's really important to do that because… people can also discover the band live. Some people appreciate the live versions more than the recorded versions."

Performing as a trio, alongside drummer Louis Delorme, Air play inside an oblong box adorned with dazzling lights and visuals, which morph from swathes of minimalist colour to the perspective of a spaceship enjoying interstellar travel.

"We play in a box of light. It looks a bit like the studio on the cover of 10 000 Hz Legend," says Dunckel, referencing the band's second studio album — a weirder, wilder reaction to Moon Safari.

"It could be a home, it could be our world, our head, our architectural concept. It helps for people to enter into a world… people like [that] intimacy."

Dunckel says people often ask: "Are you not bored to play these songs you play for 20 years now?"

"Sometimes I struggle — because you have to concentrate, and you have to play. But I'm never bored. It's always a pleasure."

Moon Safari is a product of its era, but it's also aged beautifully.

It's an evocative listening experience, from the moment lengthy opener 'La femme d'argent' ushers you in with the sounds of water and slinky bassline, through to the weightless pop and robot-voiced melodies of 'Kelly Watch The Stars' and 'New Star in the Sky'.

In 1998, its retro-futuristic arrangements already sounded timeless. 25 years later, its ability to transport your mind and imagination elsewhere hasn't dated one iota.

"It could be a journey, a love story," remarks Dunckel. "That's why we're really attached to it. I think the audience is searching for that, too.

"It helps human relationships in every way," adds Dunckel. Over the years, Air fans have shared "so many stories" of what the album means to them.

"Most of the time it's for love. It's always, 'I met my girlfriend or wife this time'."

Back in 1998, Dunckel told triple j that while hiking in Iceland, his guide revealed Moon Safari was his love-making soundtrack.

There's "probably" plenty of babies in the world with some of the album's DNA in them since, Dunckel estimates of a new generation discovering Air for the first time.

"As we are getting old now, it's becoming that people say, 'oh yeah, my parents were listening to Moon Safari when we were travelling in a car; this family time'."

Sexy Boy, the surprising queer anthem

For many, debut single 'Sexy Boy' was their first introduction to Air. A seductive slice of synth-pop that brought vocoder back to the pop charts and sung in both French and English.

It's a seemingly simple song but Dunckel notes there's "a lot of tolerance and freedom" embedded in it.

"Sexy Boy, first of all, is a strange title because it breaks a certain taboo. The taboo is that heterosexual boys can check out other boys," he explains.

"Also, it became a gay slogan in a way. A gay anthem."

The song took on a new meaning in late 90s Paris when the electronic music scene's wider acceptance of the LGTBQI+ community led to more club and techno nights dedicated to queer punters and DJs emerging.

"There was a lot of gay parties," says Dunckel. "Homosexuality is everywhere in the world, and it's always existed, always there. So, it was important to liberate this movement."

Originally, the song's titular phrase was inspired by Parisian fashion culture.

"People are checking each other out all the time… In Paris, when a couple is meeting another couple, the girl is not going to check out the boy. She's going to check out the other girl: analyse what she wears, how she behaves, what is the fashion or type of the boyfriend.

"Sexy Boy is speaking about that. The fact a man wants to be a pretty man and he is checking [out] other boys."

A popular soundtrack choice, featured in teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You and noughties TV drama Queer As Folk, 'Sexy Boy' is also a testament to youth.

The French verses are "celebrating that golden age of being young," Dunckel explains.

"When you're young you don't realise you're at the top of your life. You have a lot of power, actually… because you're beautiful. Your skin, hair, you feel great, you have a lot of energy."

The makings of a classic

Despite its iconic status, Moon Safari was actually the last roll of the dice for Dunckel and Godin.

Raised in the conservative suburb of Versailles, the pair began making music together after meeting at school. But after having their demo tapes rejected by every record label they approached, they quit music and instead focused on their studies.

Each had established careers — Godin in architecture, Dunckel in mathematics — when an opportunity presented itself in a close friend landing a role with Virgin Records imprint Source.

They landed a deal with the label but ditching their jobs for a full-time career in music to support their burgeoning families was a gamble.

"We were 26 years old. We were not sure we come be musicians for the rest of our life," remembers Dunckel. "I was already working [as] a physics teacher… I had a baby."

Thankfully, their risk was rewarded when their debut album became a breakout international hit. Air was swiftly lumped alongside a fresh wave of Parisian artists reinventing the electronic music scene in the late 90s.

Dubbed French touch, the movement included Cassius, St. Germain, Étienne de Crécy, and Daft Punk, who recorded their breakout 1997 album Homework down the street from where Air made Moon Safari.

"There was a kind of energy circulating all over Paris," recalls Dunckel. "Paris is kind of small; all the media, artists and business part of it [were] working all together."

The worlds of music, fashion, contemporary art, cinema — "everything was mixed," Dunckel says.

"At this time, new generations of young people coming from the suburbs are even inside Paris and mixing all these rich, futuristic concepts together with new machines, samplers, computer programs to make music."

A fond farewell to youth

Despite being poster boys for the future of French music, Moon Safari was an evocative, nostalgia-drenched ode to Dunckel and Godin's past.

"In a way it was the end of my youth… That's why the songs [on Moon Safari], there are a lot of regrets and it's a goodbye to our youth and the innocence of it.

"It's full of vibrations from teenage times."

Although labelled an electronic act, Air's music wasn't rooted in beats and house music. Instead, they armed themselves with analogue Moog and Korg synthesizers, vintage drum machines, vocoders and the trusty Rhodes piano.

The resulting compositions bore the esprit of Serge Gainsbourg, electronic pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre, and the 1970s film and TV soundtracks of Dunckel's childhood.

There's a fondness for the psychedelic grandeur of Pink Floyd and ELO. But also, Burt Bacharach arrangements, particularly in the wistful French horn topline of ''Ce matin là' (This morning) and the easy-going 'You Make It Easy' and 'All I Need', both featuring the lyrics and vocals of Godin's then-neighbour, Beth Hirsch.

From its lush, otherworldly sounds right down to its title, Moon Safari gives rise to cosmic ideas and conducive to escapism. That spirit is central to Air's entire ethos.

"I think music exists in paradise and you can feel this [album] is in a strange interface between our world and something else."

Such ephemeral expressions might be surprising coming from a former physics teacher, but Dunckel says "both sides of your brain help" when it comes to making emotive art.

"There is a mathematic aspect of music, that analyses and helps you perform and conceive music. But there is something else happening, your heart is talking.

"As a musician you're organising the vibrations of your heart and the feelings into music… vibrations travelling into space and air."

"When I do a song, it's all about 'what do I feel?'" Dunckel concludes.

"For me, good means it affects me. No good means I don't feel anything… if it affects me, it's going to affect others, too. They're going to feel the feelings I do, too."

Air live-stream their performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 1 June. Details here .

Hear Karen Leng hosting  Lunch on Double J from midday Monday to Thursday.

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