Interview with Wing Defence

Wing Defence are a 5-piece hailing from Adelaide in Australia and have been making waves recently with their 2020 debut EP ‘Friends’ winning Best Punk award, Best Release, and Best Group at the 2020 SA Music Awards. 2021 has seen the band expand on their following garnering support from Triple J, signing to South Korean record label 'Sound Republica' and representing Australia at the online/hybrid music conference in Ulsan, APaMM.

They have just released their new single 'C4 Miles' and I was able to catch up with the band to talk about their new single, the formation of the band, and what's next for them.

Hi, how are you?

Excited. Thanks :)

How would you describe your sound to the readers?

Pop punk with a bit growl.

How did your musical journey start?

Paige and I met in the music scene in South Australia and formed a strong friendship in out and of music...we loved a bit of a laugh, a bit of fun, a bit of banter, so we decided to start a pop punk band called Wing Defence (named after the first player to go when your down a team mate in an aussie game called netball). We released our first tune Stuck and everyone seemed to really like it... and so the fun times began!

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Spiderbait, Dream Wife, Green Day, Michelle Branch, No Doubt.

Your new song ‘C4 Miles’ is out now, congratulations! How was the process of creating this song for you?

This one was very different from any other song we'd written before actually. Miles ( our drummer) came to us with a killer drum recording he's written which formed the base of this tune. Benny then sat down in the studio and added his glorious guitar riffs and then, the three of us (Skye, Paige and Benny) got together to write the lyrics. It was a really fun song to write and even more fun to play live.

You’ve said that ‘C4 Miles’ “tackles the impact alcohol can have in your life and the clarity that change brings leading to becoming healthier both mentally and physically” can you explain why this was important for you to write about?

All three of us (and most people around us) have been in situations we could have avoided if we didn't have 'a few too many.' We are all only social drinkers but even then you can make decisions or just act or say something you wish you didn't... the old cringe moment you get when you wake up from a big night. We are all really close and we talk these things through in the studio or just via the old school D&M. With help from each other, we've learnt ways to heal and deal with past traumas so they don't come sneaking up on you after those 'few too many.' Our friendship with each other forms a large part of our mental health.

Do you have a favourite lyric or line from the song?

"Copy and paste it" - every weekend, same thing, same cringe, repeat....Not any more!

What was it like working with Mario Spate on this song?

Mario is incredible. He seems to just get us and our sound every time. It also helps that he's one of our best mates too.

What’s next for Wing Defence?

International headlines baby! haha... no seriously though, some international touring would be nice. We'll be releasing an EP in 2022 as well.

And lastly, what have you been listening to recently? Can you recommend anything to us?

Dream Wife and a local SA band here whom we think are very cool... LOLA. Check em' out.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for us, it's really appreciated.

You can listen to 'C4 Miles' now on the streaming platform of your choice. Make sure you also give Wing Defence a follow on social media as well, as they are a band not to be miss out on.

Listen to 'C4 Miles' on Spotify here.

Follow Wing Defence on Spotify here.

Follow Wing Defence on Instagram here.

All After Midnight links here.

Music submissions and enquiries to aftermidnightblog1@gmail.com