The Immigrants (formerly Kody) are the next biggest rock outfit to come crashing out of the Inner West; with ambitious plans of album releases and national and international touring, they warrant as much support and backing as they can get from the local community they feel so passionate towards.
Headed by exciting front-man, guitarist, and lyricist, Darren – with his raw, powerful voice; reminiscent of driving force vocalists of yonder, Cave, Cohen, Waits; accompanied by live-wire drummer Lucas Tolentino, lead guitarist Nazo Nazarian and cool AF, bassist SuZen Raj Bajracharya (Zen); The Immigrants have powered through the entertainment lockdown period of 2020-21 by turning to and tearing up Sydney’s busking scene.
You’ve probably already encountered them in Hyde Park, Pitt Street Mall, Town Hall, Newtown Train Station, etc. In a period where live music was virtually banned their iconic sounds could be heard blasting out as they imposed their dynamic riffs on Sydney-town and Inner West districts when very little else was going on.
The Immigrants came together in 2018 as the brainchild of Darren Browne who recruited each electric member over a weeklong recruitment binge from none other than Gumtree. The outfit was complete and performing within three days of coming together – a sure sign of big things to come, and they haven’t taken their foot off the accelerator since.
In September 2020, The Immigrants released their self-titled EP, with hit-single Lonely Bones gathering attention in Sydney, Brisbane, and unexpectedly, Texas, USA. They dropped a single (Saturday Night) in April 2021, with Despise (single) set to be released on August 19 – an evocative track that has a deep meaning for lead-singer, Darren.
The band has kept a consistent momentum since their inception in 2018 but the impacts of the pandemic shutdown have been dire, and though The Immigrants have persevered, inspirationally, through the worst of it, they talk sombrely about a music scene, slow out of the blocks, struggling to get purchase, where once it was notorious and thriving.
However challenging, it’s a battle The Immigrants will not back away from. The next step for The Immigrants will be an album release, Australian tour, and perhaps and international tour when it’s safe to do so.
The Immigrants have a steady plan for a heap of future gigs in Sydney and especially in the Inner West. They’re gunna be big but they need the community support and support from local venues and promotional services to do it. Get behind em!
