Sydney’s Static In Action began to take form some time in 2007. The band went through a name and personnel change before stabilizing as a three piece in early 2009. Band members consist of Harry Doyle, who tackles guitar and vocal duties, Alicia Penney who also provides vocals while plucking along on the bass, and Hector Smith supplying the drum beats. The three members of Static In Action cram together a goulash of influences into their post punk rock music. The meat and potatoes of the band is a Bad Religion mixed with Mudhoney sound, however, the true flavour of the band comes out with the mixing of Harry and Alicia’s vocals. This gives the band a distinctive sound that, at times, can be reminiscent of the Pixies. Harry Doyle describes the sound as, “Nineties social punk, new school punk, and hard rock”.
Adding to Static In Action’s uniqueness, is their self-titled, debut, double album. Released in November 2009 through the independent label, Out of Touch Records, SIA dishes up two discs worth of material for the general public to consume. The band, however, did not release the typical bloated ‘70s rock star type of double album; instead they went ahead and released the same record twice. One disc features the band as their loud and crass selves while the other has them playing the exact same nine songs in the exact same tracking order as an acoustic folk band. Static In Action’s music flows seamlessly from the head bobbing punky style of one disc to the more traditional toe-tapping sound found on the other disc. This is a band that offers up a stiff middle finger to those who feel the need to define a band through a definitive label based on their style. Static In Action has never bothered to sit down and hammer out a definitive sound, instead they chose to construct their very own undefined groove.
Among about fifty live shows, Static In Action has shared the stage with acts such as The Flatliners, The Grass, Alright Already, C’mon, and Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees. They plan on hitting the road pretty hard come the fall after their 2010 winter tour failed to materialize. When the band was asked what their long-term plans include, Doyle replied, “Put out a few albums and tour some. We’d love to play some shows overseas.” He went on to say that the band is working on a six song EP and plans on playing various shows throughout the Maritimes this Spring.
One part of Static In Action’s winter tour that did not falter is their March 5th date at Maxwell’s as part of the ECMA’s Loud Stage. The band will find themselves playing alongside Loud nominees The Motorleague, We the Undersigned and Black Moor. They will be playing the We Unite! Festival Too Loud Stage, March 6 at the Sydney Civic Centre.
“The more metal and hard rock the better,” says Doyle about the ECMA adopting heavy acts into their showcases. He also said that the band looks forward to seeing performances from Ricochet, Everyone In Cars, and the Motorleague. Word on the street is that Alicia is stoked about the possibilities of seeing Ruth Minnikin. With that said, it is easy to see how Static In Action develops much of its originality.
