Bowen band Gleezus tops Battle of the Bands at Townsville Folk Festival
A teenage grunge band from the Whitsundays are going from strength to strength after winning Battle of the Bands, with a whole community gathering to celebrate their bright future.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A teenage grunge band from the Whitsundays are going from strength to strength after winning battle of the bands competition “Fast Track to Foots Hill” at Townsville Folk Festival.
Gleezus was formed at Bowen State High School and named after their music teacher Jack Gleeson and have clearly learned from their musical idols how to give a powerhouse performance.
“We looked at each other and we were like, s--t dude, it’s happening,” drummer Brock Medhurst said.
“We just had countless people coming up to us (and) all the feedback we got from the Townsville festival was about stage presence.”
Playing a high-energy set of Wolfmother, Nirvana, Talking Heads, Foo Fighters and more won them the chance to perform on one of the main stages.
Brock, bassist Ashton Shepherd and guitarist Jack Homewood have been jamming together for about two years, but the win in Townsville alongside new vocalist Kameron Stoneham opened some big doors for the band.
They said they immediately started receiving emails from promoters for other gigs, offering a chance to perform at Airlie Beach Music Festival and Great Barrier Reef Music Festival among others.
They’ll also be facing off against the entirety of Central Queensland for the All Schools Battle of the Bands on August 25 in Rockhampton.
Half of Bowen attended a special Hanson Park concert.
Coming back home, they said “when we walked down the street they all came up” to congratulate Gleezus on the win.
Even for Kameron, who attends St Catherine‘s Catholic College in Proserpine, said it was “surreal” having people congratulate them in a “completely different town”.
Their confidence on stage clearly benefits from a very proud support team of parents – particularly Ashton’s parents Cherie and Naythan Shepherd who help the teens manage logistics and travel to various gigs.
“Every single show we’ve ever played, my dad sends a chat to the group and says “melt some faces”, and we plan to melt as many faces as we can,” Jack said.
Chatting to the eponymous Mr Gleeson revealed nothing but pride for the success Gleezus has seen so far.
A musician himself, Mr Gleeson said it was “very humbling” to have inspired students to such heights in his first ever teaching post but also said all credit should go to the teens themselves.
“It’s been really, really lovely to see them develop their skills and talk about music,” Mr Gleeson said.
“It means a great deal to me (but) you’ve got to give them room to be themselves, like consistently giving a teenager direction is probably the worst idea.
“Having those big moments purely be your own is very important.”
Mr Gleeson has already met with the band to offer whatever support they need, especially as Gleezus begins to pen original songs.
“Nothing is like seeing a band live,” Kameron said.
“Just that energy to have a crowd in the palm of your hand … like jumping around the stage and getting everybody else involved is just the greatest feeling.
“Even after you get off the stage you’re still like shaking from the excitement.
“It’s just so cool.”
Check out Gleezus on their Facebook and Instagram to see their upcoming gigs.
Originally published as Bowen band Gleezus tops Battle of the Bands at Townsville Folk Festival
‘Record-breaking’: Figures show staggering amounts of rainfall across NQ
North Queensland has broken records numbers over the last two weeks of wet weather and flash flooding across the region, with some places recording more than 2m of rain.
Mum, stand-up comic reps NQ this Survivor series
The business development manager turned comedian, now turned Australian Survivor contestant has revealed how she prepped for the world-renowned series ahead of its premiere.