With their spandex pants, glam make-up and the all important big hair, POWERSTRYDE have successfully teleported hoards of partygoers back to the 80's when Van Halen and fluorescent t-shirts reign supreme.
Forming in 1984, the Australian 80's tribute band refuse to play "Jessie's Girl" at all costs and claim they will play nude if they reach 27,000 like on Facebook prior to their next gig in November. So get liking!
Danny (Vocals), Dave ( Guitar), Yiorgs ( Bass) and George (Drums), have the 80's running through their veins and you'll be sure to hear them play the likes of Bon Jovi, Poison, Guns 'n' Roses, Whitesnake, Kiss, Def Leppard, Europe, just to name a few.
Music News recently caught up with POWERSTRYDE to discuss paternity tests, revlon eyeliner and staying true to themselves all in the name of the 80's.
Music News - Can you tell me about the early days of POWERSTRYDE? How did the band form?Yiorgs - We all met at a Winger tribute show in Pakenham South in 1984. The funny thing was that we were the only ones that rocked up to the gig! Even the band didn’t rock up! ….so we met that night, got chatting and found that we shared the same music interests; 80s ROCK & decided to form the band.
Our first gig was a charity ball for the NLA (Narcotics Legalisation Authority). Thankfully for us, no other bands were available that night and the event organiser had no other choice but to book us. In a nutshell, the gig wen off except for the fact that our drummer didn’t rock up; he had a bender the night before & spent the next few days in hospital.
Music News - What genre best describes the band?Yiorgs - Any ROCK or heavy metal that was played in the 80s & that involves big hair and spandex \m/
Music News - The band formed in 1984. How have you sustained longevity in such a fickle industry?Danny - We haven’t. After forming in December 1984, & gigging relentlessly for the next 23 days, we decided that we needed a break. Our reformation was delayed by our drummer’s 10 year stay in rehab.
It was only following Tommy Lee’s home video with Pamela Anderson that made us realise that 80s rock needed to be brought back to the forefront of the music scene, inspiring us to reform POWERSTRYDE. It must be said that our longevity since reforming has been made possible by our rigorous touring schedule; 2 gigs a year.
Music News - You all dress up when you’re on stage and look like you’re having a lot of fun? Can you tell me more about that? Dave - We live, breathe & snort 80s ROCK. Wearing make-up, spandex & zucchinis down our pants comes with the territory….as for having fun on stage, that comes with performing the greatest music in the world. People give Justin Beiber a hard time because he is such a miserable little c**nt. Wouldn’t you be miserable if you had to sing that shit? Poor kid! Just think of how happy he would be if he was able to perform some Van Halen each night?!?
Music News - What can people expect to see when they come to one of your shows?George - Middle-aged men wearing female clothing, a little nudity, bad make-up jobs, ….but seriously, we pride ourselves on our live show, changing up our setlist as frequently as possible to keep things fresh for our regular, die-hard crowd, performing songs that will please any 80s rock fans, from the mainstream songs to those a little less known but just as rockin’. Most importantly, people can expect to see a packed house, full of people having the time of their lives, reliving good memories and losing themselves in the moment, all in the name of 80s Rock.
Music News - Which artists have influenced you?George - Skid Row, Poison, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Kiss (pre-85)…..you get the drift. Anything to do with 80s ROCK & big hair!
Music News - What hurdles have you had to overcome, to get to where you are today?Yiorgs - Fitting into our spandex pants, middle-aged balding and receding hairlines. Avoiding paternity tests has also caused us some hassles.….also, refusing to play Jessie’s Girl has been an issue. We lost a couple of gigs over that one, but we stay true to our roots & promise never to stray from 80s rock.…& our last drummer’s 10 year stint in rehab also caused some issues.
Music News - How do you juggle both band and work commitments?Danny - Work by day, POWERSTRYDE by night….but make no mistake, POWERSTRYDE is the main priority! Our day jobs are simply there to make sure that we can afford that new pair of spandex or that new eye-liner from Revlon….the bare essentials. If we start performing more regularly (like more than once a month), we may consider quitting our day jobs.
Music News - What is next for POWERSTRYDE?Dave - Moving out of our parents’ homes would be a good start….maybe some girlfriends….but otherwise, more of the same. We will continue to make the world a better place by bringing 80s ROCK back to the forefront of the Melbourne music scene and we’re going to have a great time doing it….& we’ll probably live off our parents for the foreseeable future…& take whatever we can in the female department, irrespectively of the physical ailments from which we’re suffering as a result of the ageing process….LONG LIVE 80s ROCK!! \m/
Music News - Anything you would like to share?George - Our next gig is on Cup Eve, which is Monday the 3rd of November at the Dorset Gardens Hotel (335 Dorset Road, Croydon). In honour of the cup, we are offering free rides on the POWERSTRYDE pony for a select few, backstage, after the show!! I highly recommend it! … so, if you’re free on this night, come down for a great night full of energy and 80s ROCK! …& even if you don’t like 80s ROCK, you can just come for the pony ride….whatever you prefer! \m/
…& everybody please, click onto our new Facebook page (www.facebook.com/POWERSTRYDE) & ‘like’ the page! If we get 27,000 ‘likes’ before our next gig, we will play naked! …& every ‘like’ after 20,000 wins a date with a band member of their choice; please note that the recipient of this prize will have to pay the bill on the date as we’re all really broke at the moment.
Check out POWERSTRYDE's Facebook page here
www.facebook.com/POWERSTRYDE
