Polaris
Image: Photo: Daniel Anderson
Almost every modern Australian hardcore band will mention the legendary Parkway Drive when asked about their influences. Very few however can say they’ve been lucky enough to play alongside their heroes. Even fewer can say they got to play with Parkway Drive as they commemorated a specific album which drew them into the genre. Sydney band Polaris though are one band which can claim all of those things, having supported Parkway Drive on the recent 10 year anniversary of Horizons tour.
“Horizons was one of our collectively favourite albums. So to be on that tour was unbelievable, we kind of had to pinch ourselves every night,” said Polaris guitarist Rick Schneider.
The Horizons tour was also special for Polaris due to the sheer volume of shows as well as the responses they received from audiences.
“Most Australian tours these day’s you’re lucky to get five shows in, a lot of tours are just the three shows along the east coast. So to be able to play 13 shows in a row, with 12 of those sold out, was completely unlike any other tour,” reflected Schneider. “We’re also pretty used to shows where the crowd aren’t particularly interested in the support act but on pretty much every show of that tour we had people getting involved from the start to the end.”
That crowd support perhaps came thanks to the release of Polaris’ incredibly successful debut album The Mortal Coil in November last year. The record peaked at number six on the ARIA charts and was also chosen as a Triple J feature album. The success of the record has seen Polaris quickly break out from being an unsung hero to one of the leaders of the heavy music scene in Australia.
According to Schneider the biggest change The Mortal Coil has imparted on Polaris’ future is simply that, “it’s weird looking ahead to this year and realising that there aren’t any support slots coming up, it’s all just us doing headliners or looking at international opportunities.”
With their success Polaris are excited to step up their game in terms of live shows, not just in their own performance but also in regards to the level of support acts they’re bringing along. For the first time ever Polaris will be welcoming along an international act as one of their supports which Schneider said is, “really exciting because it’s been quite a while since a band on our level has done that.”
Apr 14. Factory Theatre, 105 Victoria Rd, Marrickville. $27+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.factorytheatre.com.au
