I Know Leopard are no strangers to our site, having featured on a number of occasions throughout the past year and a half. But how well do we really KNOW I Know Leopard? With a show scheduled at Sydney’s Brighton Up Bar on Valentine’s night, we thought it was the perfect time to get to know… I Know Leopard.
1. Band name : I Know Leopard.
2. Where are you based? Sydney.
3. How did you choose your band name? One afternoon, we were in a fancy dress store looking for costumes for a jungle themed party. I fancied myself as a leopard so I asked the store clerk if he had anything similar to a leopard mask. He appeared to rise to the challenge confidently, leading us down an aisle and directly to a particular mask featuring the unmistakable face of Chewbacca. I said, “Nah, that’s not really the kind of thing I’m after. I’m after a ‘leopard’ mask. You know, leopard?” The store clerk, of Indian origin, replied disgruntledly in sublime broken English, “I know leopard!” He dropped Chewbacca on the floor and stormed off in a huff. We knew in that moment that we had found our band name.
4. Who are your members? Luke – Vocals, Jenny – Vocals, Todd – Guitar, Rosie – Bass, Matt – Drums.
5. How was the band formed? Luke and I are long time friends and have always written and performed in bands together. We started I Know Leopard as a new project from the ashes of some others.
6. In what ways has the band changed from when it was formed to today? Apart from our amazing new members Jenny and Rosie, we’ve slightly progresed and fine tuned our sound since we formed the band. We’ve always focused on good songwriting, without limiting ourselves to a genre or defined sound. We draw from influences but focus on writing original music.
7. Tell us a little bit about your sound. Our sound is often dreamy with a central pop aesthetic, usually structered around a beat or simple dynamic. We like to layer sounds and instruments over what at the core is usually a simple song or idea.
8. What are your members’ favourite songs of all time? Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar on Me
9. Tell us about your latest release. ‘Perfect Picture’ shares a lot of the same sonic sensibilities of our ‘Illumina’ EP but with a bit more of an upbeat kraut-rock inspired groove. It’s still lush with sparkling layers of strings and synths, and driving guitar lines throughout.
10. What do your future plans involve? Our future plans involve world domination. But first, most likely, another single and EP, and a few tours throughout this year.
11. Where can our audience catch you live? This Saturday Feb 14 at Brighton Up Bar is our first headline show of 2014 and first show after Laneway. We’ll be playing some new songs and also being supported by Battleships, who are a great band.
WEBSITE : www.iknowleopard.com
FACEBOOK : facebook.com/iknowleopard
TWITTER : twitter.com/iknowleopard
INSTAGRAM : instagram.com/iknowleopard