A week in my jeans: What it’s like being in up-and-coming Australian band, Sweetie

“It was fun, messy. Very rock.”

Still riding the euphoric high following the launch of their new single ‘Liminal Bliss’, I could practically feel the golden, charismatic – and not to mention, effortlessly cool – energy radiating off of Lucy Warriner, Lily Keenan and Rikki Clarke from up-and-coming Australian band Sweetie as soon as their floating heads graced the presence of my Zoom screen.

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Despite it being early on a Sunday morning, the formidable indie-rock aficionados managed to make me laugh within a matter of minutes as we discussed what a week in the life really entails for four twentysomethings who go from working full-time, to band practice, launch parties, wearing matching Wrangler jeans and swimming in Port Botany on a random Thursday night.  So, to commemorate their new single launch, here’s a week in Sweetie’s jeans

Saturday

Rikki: Saturday was our single launch!

Lily: It was for ‘Liminal Bliss’, which is the first single off our upcoming EP. It was at a place called Waywards, which is a much loved inner-west venue [in Newtown, Sydney]. It wasn’t the biggest show we’ve ever played, but we just really wanted to do a fun, cheap, local rowdy show. And Waywards is a classic rowdy venue. So yeah, it was pretty packed and we got a bit loose.

Rikki: It was fun, messy. Very rock.

Lily: It was very rock. Our new EP is much more rock!

Tuesday

Lily: So, Tuesday night is band practice and typically everybody just rocks up in trackie pants. 

Rikki: I feel like Tuesday night, everyone’s coming straight from work. So we try to find something cool enough to wear to work, but also comfy enough to play in.

Lucy: It’s always hard to get to rehearsal [after work], isn’t it? But then once we do that, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh fuck yeah!’. [It’s] another type of energy that just comes from nowhere.

Rikki: Yeah, on a Tuesday morning, I absolutely hate the fact I have to go to Sydney so I can go to band practice and that I’ll get home super late. But then when I’m at band practice, I’m just like hell yeah, I’m having the best time. 

Wednesday

Lily: On Wednesdays, Lucy and I have practice for our other band, Megafauna, usually, so we have the double-barrel rehearsal. Then Rik’s usually working.

Rikki: Yeah, Wednesday I work from home so I’ll wear my biggest jeans and my smallest top. 

Lily: Lucy works with a bunch of venues in Sydney and a lot of those venues book bands. Rik’s an animator [and] a designer and she also has mad editing skills, so she does all the design work and assets for the band. Then I’m an art consultant and a curator, so I work with a lot of artists.

Rikki: [Lily’s] an artist as well! 

Lily: Yeah, so I have painted some of our like single covers and stuff.

Thursday

Lily: Thursday, we had a press shoot where we went out with our friend David Mahon – he’s an amazing photographer. And because we’re so busy, since everyone works full-time, fitting band around the rest of our lives is always a jigsaw puzzle, so we got there at 6pm. 

We went to this place called Mill Stream Lookout. It’s right next to the airport runway – like that’s on one side. And then the industrial port for Botany is on the other. It was dusk and there’s all these lights on the water from the port. 

Dave was shooting us with flash and we were running around and said, “Okay, how much does everyone love this band? We’ve got an idea, let’s get in the water.” So, at like 7pm at Port Botany, we all got in the water.

Rikki: Which was like the rankest water ever! And poor David, he dredged through it all in his brand new shoes.

Friday

Lily: I went to a gig on Friday.

Rikki: I also went to a gig on Friday!

Lily: Who did you go to?

Rikki: Meg Mac.

Lily: Oh, that’s right! So, Rikki went to Meg Mac at a Heritage Theatre down south. 

Rikki: Yeah, down in Thirroul, which is where I live. 

Lily: Then I went and saw Pyjama Sundayz which is the funniest, best band in Sydney. The show was at Mary’s Underground and it was a full experience. It was like a theatre show, but also a boyband show but then also like a full club night. It was amazing. 

I wore the Wrangler vest and my Wrangler pants, so I had the full Coyote Ugly outfit on, which was really suited to the 2001 style of music being played. What about you Luce, what did you do Friday?

Lucy: I just had some mates over to my house!

Lily: Yeah, after the launch at Wayward’s last weekend, we’re trying to not go out too much.

Saturday

Rikki: I watched a movie about a fly.

Lucy: I went to Campo Park for a bit and then went to the pub and played some pool and then was home by 9pm. 

Lily: So, we all had a recovery night!

Sunday

Lily: We’re actually together right now because we’re going to be doing some vinyl design layouts today!

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