Brandon Jack reveals why he ditched AFL for music career

FORMER Sydney player Brandon Jack reveals why he left AFL to pursue a music career, which has started to take off after he formed form a rock band and released his first single. HEAR IT HERE

Sydney Swans' Brandon Jack celebrates a goal with Sydney Swans' Dan Hannebery during AFL match Sydney Swans v Fremantle Dockers at the SCG. AFLr514 pic. Phil Hillyard

FORMER Sydney Swan Brandon Jack has left AFL life behind to pursue a career in music.

Jack, 23, spent five years at the Swans playing alongside brother Kieren, before realising this year he’d achieved all he could.

He played 28 games, his last against Carlton in Round 6 this year, but was ready to start his new life when he was delisted at the end of the season.

Jack has been writing songs since he was 10 after he got his first guitar, but only recently decided to start recording his music.

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It led him to search for talented musicians to form a band, joining forces with bass guitarist Richard Heath — who he messaged on Facebook — and drummer Jaxon Brown.

Together they are The Vitriots — a “garage-sounding rock band” — and have just released their first track A.B.A.C. on Triple J Unearthed, with Jack on vocals and guitar.

“Towards the start of the year I started recording some songs on my own just as a creative outlet because I had all these ideas,” Jack said.

“Then it got to the point where I was like, well I’ve got all these songs and I want to play them live but I don’t want to do them on my own because I’ve always looked at bands and thought it was pretty awesome to see guys making music together.

Brandon Jack has formed a rock band and released a song since being delisted by Sydney at the end of this year. Picture: Flloyd Ferris

“I was just reaching out to anyone I know who could help me out and not a lot of people I know play instruments.

“But I met these guys recently and Richo is a guy I’ve known for about six months now and he’s a Geelong fan, which is pretty s----y from his end, but we get on really well.

“We’ve played a few house parties and got a really good reception around the inner-west and Newtown area (in Sydney).

“Now that we’ve released something on the internet, we’re looking to secure some shows around Sydney as well.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A.B.A.C BY THE VITRIOTS ON THE TRIPLE J UNEARTHED WEBSITE

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“For us, we just wanted to put one song out there and put the feelers out to let people know we’re a band and that we exist essentially.

“We’re just looking to gradually build a bit of a following and hopefully some people like what we do and if they don’t then that’s OK but we’re still going to make music.”

The band has been together for five months, with a sound inspired by The Stooges, Nirvana and The White Stripes among others.

Jack in action for the Swans. Picture: Michael Klein

The Vitriots will release a new track on Triple J Unearthed this week and are working hard to release their first EP by February next year.

They work on their music out of a storage space in Sydney.

“We rent out a storage locker … I don’t think they know we use it for band practice,” Jack joked.

“We’ve never seen anyone else in there. There’s heaps of different storage lockers and we go in there late at night and make a whole lot of noise but no one complains.”

While Jack spent five years at the Swans after being picked up in the 2012 rookie draft, he always had a passion for music.

He worked hard to make a name for himself in the AFL, his best season coming in 2015 when he played 10 games.

Ex-Swan Brandon Jack, who is now part of rock band The Vitriots. Picture: Tom Fleetwood

But his love of music and writing songs never wavered.

“I’ve always wanted to make music. Growing up I played guitar and always used to write songs in my room,” Jack said.

“I started writing and getting better and better and sharing it with some people pretty close to me who said I should consider doing something with this because it’s pretty good.

“During the year obviously with football I was aware I wasn’t going to be at the Swans the following year because I hadn’t played a senior game in pretty much two years.

“I had to make the decision whether or not to pursue an AFL career any further. It was something I didn’t really want to do anymore. I loved playing footy but the professional side of it and training five or six days a week was just something I couldn’t really put my heart into anymore.”

Jack and The Vitriots practicing in the storage unit. Picture: Tom Fleetwood

Jack doesn’t consider his time in the AFL a waste.

“I made a lot of mates through it and I learnt a lot about myself,” Jack said of his time at Sydney.

“It has given me a lot of skills that I don’t think you can get in any other environment. Footy is a tough place and you’ve got to have a thick skin so in a way I’m grateful I spent a few years playing footy and I got to play at the highest level, which not a lot of people can do, so I did the most I could in my career.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A.B.A.C BY THE VITRIOTS ON THE TRIPLE J UNEARTHED WEBSITE

“I was never going to be a superstar football player of any kind. I guess it was courageous in a way to step away but I’m moving into something I’m more excited about.”

But Jack admitted playing predominantly in the NEAFL was tough as the Swans made finals and Grand Finals.

Brandon Jack with brother Kieran after missing the 2016 Grand Final, which the Swans lost to the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Colleen Petch

The Vitriots’ first track has received positive feedback.

Jack’s focus right now is on the release of the band’s first EP before plotting his next move.

He undertook some study while at the Swans, completing journalism subjects, but could move into the psychology space and has just been accepted into a course at a Sydney university.

As for what to expect from the EP, Jack said he writes about his own experiences.

“There will be a lot of songs about some personal experiences of my own and just a lot of things in the world that don’t make sense to us and the pressures of being young adults in today’s world,” he said.

“Looking at how social media has affected the world and how people interact with each other these days is something I can’t really wrap my head around too much.”

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The Vitriots, A.B.A.C

IN just 130 seconds Brandon Jack reverses decades of terrible music made by AFL footballers. A.B.A.C is a brash thrash that takes you back to hearing Arctic Monkeys for the first time doing I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. But the Sydney band cite influences that go back to Joy Division, the Stooges, the Buzzcocks and Bikini Kill and you can hear all of them in the DNA of A.B.A.C. The lyrics also suggest Brandon Jack is the rare example of an AFL footballer being turned away by a nightclub bouncer. In an era of increasingly soft young Australian bands, it’s nice to hear a bit of energy and venom. This is a fine Swan song.