“It was just us spending every spare minute banging away on our guitars, singing our favourite songs and trying to write a few of our own.” continues Josie DeSousa-Reay.
Charlie (a.k.a Dash ) and Josie (a.k.a Will ) first met at an inner-city alternative school in Melbourne. As luck would have it they started hanging out, became great friends and found themselves singing together as part of an a Capella group. And so, through circumstance, rather than any grand design, the story of Dash and Will began. Did I mention they had just turned thirteen?
“We missed a pile of school through music but they were always fine with it,” says Charlie.
“In all honesty we can thank algebra, it was either that or write a song………..sweet,” adds Josie mischievously.
Having earned an Australian government “buzz” arts grant in Year 9 to record a demo of original songs, they hooked up with Melbourne alt country sweetheart, Barb Waters. The demo was entered into Music Oz, an Australian Government funded song writing competition. Unbelievably they landed second prize, some of these songs eventually making it onto their debut album. Ok they were fifteen by now!
The gang at Gigantically Small heard Barb’s demo and so it was that only a year later the girls found themselves performing a beautifully shambolic and totally under-rehearsed showcase that somehow radiated charisma, great song writing chops and sublime harmonies. A deal was signed with Gigantically Small and later they joined up with the gang at Mercury. They were getting rather old. Sixteen!
What next? Find a name! Dash & Will is what they would have been called by their parents had they been born boys. OK, sorted. Now, play some open mic nights, write more songs and head into the recording studio for the first time.
Again fate played its fortuitous hand. Both girls had grown up in music loving households and been exposed to the classics, everything from the Beatles to the Stones and a bit of Elvis, thru’ to the not so classics, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and The Divinyls. Heading into the studio, their musical upbringing gave both the girls an understanding of what they were looking for. It’s no surprise then that this session spawned the first two singles, Pick You Up and Fighting Over Nothing.
“It was weird, we never really spoke about it, but we were both really at home in the studio from day one,” says Charlie.
Adds Josie “somehow it just felt natural…. thanks mum and dad.”
Eighteenth birthdays had been celebrated and year twelve was over, no more school, ONLY MUSIC, so now there was definitely cause for celebration! Time to get OUT OF CONTROL!
With half an album completed the girls hit the road starting out as an acoustic duo touring with the likes of Matt Costa, Faker and Ben Lee. Next up, they got themselves a bunch of mates and started a band and headed out on the road on their first tour, performing a crazy schedule of chaotically fun filled shows on Rock The Schools. If that wasn’t enough they then got to get all stadium like; playing alongside The Kooks, Future Heads, End Of Fashion, Little Birdy, Tings Tings and all of the major festivals: Falls, Southbound and Homebake.
Coming off the road the girls went straight back into the studio to capture the energy and antics of touring: the loud guitars, the smashing drums and the mad times with old and new friends and so here we are we with OUT OF CONTROL, the first single taken from this session.
“If ever a song summed up a time and place for us it’s Out Of Control! Without giving too much away we had plenty to write about, as we learnt what life on the road is like,” explains Charlie with a wry smile.
Here we are now in 2009, and the girls, nineteen years young, find themselves recently chosen by A.R.I.A as the future artist of 2009, and Melbourne’s The Age newspaper as “the act most likely to succeed for 2009.”
It’s only the beginning and there’s no doubt there’s plenty more waiting just around the corner but for now, turn up your radios and get Out Of Control pumping on your stereo! The future’s certainly looking damn nice for these two.
