Our musical prowess has yet again been proved, with the news that Perth indie-rock duo Mosquito Coast took out triple j’s prestigious Unearthed High award.
Come on, Perth, let's have a wee gloat. Our musical prowess has yet again been proved, with the news that Perth indie-rock duo Mosquito Coast took out triple j's prestigious Unearthed High award. Conor Barton and Naomi Robinson may still be in Year 12, but their sound is all grown-up, with clever lyrics, chilled-out melodies and vocals that would give Karen O a run for her money. We chat to drummer (and Churchlands student) Conor about getting kidnapped by triple j presenters, his most awkward gig, and why he can't wait for school to be over.
How did you react when you found out you'd won?
I got up really early, at like 5am, thinking they'd announced it over east. It hit 8 and there was a knock on the door and I still thought it would be the postman – but it was [triple j morning presenters] Matt and Alex. I just kind of stared at them. I had to get ready while they watched me eat breakfast.
Then what happened?
They kidnapped me – they took my phone off me,
we had to go full incognito – and went straight to Naomi's school to surprise her.
Was there a lot of squealing?
It was intense. They announced it in front of their whole school assembly, at arts day, which is always a huge, enthusiastic event anyway. If you can imagine 100 already hyped-up school girls… Well, look up the video!
There's a Harrison Ford movie called The Mosquito Coast. Is that where your band name comes from?
Yep, Naomi's a pretty big movie buff. We'd gone through so many names, and that one stuck. Ironically, she doesn't like the beach.
Worst gig you've done?
We didn't realise a gig was going to be at a family fete, so we were playing to grannies and children. It was really weird.
Dream jam sesh?
If you ask Naomi, she'd have a totally different answer. But mine would be Kevin Parker, Kanye, and maybe David Bowie. I feel like they'd come up with some pretty strange stuff.
So what's next?
I'm just excited for school to be finished so we can
hang out all day, every day, making music until we
get sick of each other!
Visit Mosquito Coast on Facebook for more info.
