Wellington Music: The Eighth Note - Side Eye

Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:

We're Side Eye! Savanna Calton (bass), Ilja Gray (drums), Dianne Tennent (guitar/vox). Our music is basically post-punk, with a grungy/metal edge. We try to write music that's accessible but not boring. Stuff you can bop along to but you don't get sick of too quickly. We've gotten heavier as time has gone on, and as the political landscape has become more toxic and depressing. Songs are usually inspired by some event in the news or my (Dianne) general feelings of dread and dis-ease about how the world has changed in the past few years. It's been a really important outlet for me to be able to express my anger, but I like to include a comic aspect to the lyrics so that it's not all doom and gloom.

What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?

We had a fresh new song pop out a few months ago called 'Big Boy Bank Bucks'. I wrote some lyrics in response to the Stuff article about Christopher Luxon titled "‘I’m wealthy and I’m sorted’: PM makes no apology for capital gains on Wellington apartment". Then we had a jam session and Savanna came up with some super fun bass riffs and it all coalesced from there. It's an indictment on people who pursue massive amounts of wealth with a sense of entitlement, and also makes fun of them for thinking that having money is super cool. Another recent one was a fun one about consumerism called 'Optimal Hydration Technology'. It's got a bunch of spoken word style vocals about being obsessed with buying/selling the ultimate product, and then the song just ends with repetitive screaming. So there are those two and another new one called 'Public Servant' that we're planning on recording later this year.

Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?

We're on Spotify and Bandcamp. We also have a music video for Monster on our YouTube channel.

What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?

As a teenager I was really into ska, punk, emo and hardcore. The Living End's self-titled album was huge for me, I was obsessed with Less Than Jake's Hello Rockview. And then I think Converge's Jane Doe and You Fail Me were pretty impactful. Had a big Isis phase (the band, not the terrorist group).

Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?

We've played with some awesome bands so far! Some highlights so far have been Dartz, Displeasure/Unsanitary Napkin, Jilter off Kilter (RIP), Bxrt (RIP), Mana Mushroom and Pink Frosts (RIP). Would have loved to play with Ripship or Earth Tongue before they left the country. We were almost gonna headline with Cruelly at the Newtown Fest Curtain Raiser at Parrotdog recently but they were sick, so maybe we'll get another chance one day. NIGHT LUNCH. We really want to play with Night Lunch.

What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?

We love playing Meow. The sound on stage is always so good and there's plenty of room so it's a really good experience up there. Also love Gisborne Gold and Good Shout on tap.

In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?

In the past it's mostly been me getting an idea for a song, creating a demo at home with programmed drums/bass, and then bringing it to the band (because I'm shit at jamming). Ilja and Savanna are great at coming up with cool riffs on the spot, so we're tryna get the best of both worlds where I'm like a field researcher capturing their spontaneous jam sessions in the wild and then using them to craft a song in my laboratory.

Where/when is your next gig?

If we had submitted this earlier we could have told you about our Newtown Festival and Parrotdog gigs, but alas, we did not. We are taking a break from gigs at the moment. Hoping to make it to the famous Porridge Watson venue in Whanganui at some stage, and hoping to hit up Palmy too! Keep your eyes and ears peeled for Spring 2025.