KELVIN'S PLACE | INTERVIEW + TRACK REVIEW

Straight out of Bunbury and now making noise in Perth/Boorloo’s thriving indie scene, Kelvin’s Place are the surfy two-piece breathing new life into feel-good alt-rock. Formed in 2023 when high school mates Judd and Darcy found creative chemistry in a music class, they’ve since evolved from covering Skegss and Hockey Dad into writing their own catchy, coast-bound anthems. Their upcoming debut EP captures the warmth of bedroom recordings, road trip energy, and the momentum of a band on the rise. We caught up with Kelvin’s Place to talk about their first jam, opening for Great Gable, and what’s coming next. This is a paid collaboration with 'Kelvin's Place.'

TRACK REVIEW

From the first strum, Know How hits with that unmistakable laid-back warmth—equal parts coastal nostalgia and raw sincerity. The track channels classic Skegss vibes with a hint of Adam Newling’s earthy storytelling, blending jangly acoustic textures with sun-drenched melodies that feel like a lazy afternoon with mates. There’s a beautifully casual confidence in the delivery, like a message passed between friends rather than shouted from a stage.

The line “that’s what life’s all about” sticks like saltwater on skin—simple, honest, and quietly profound. Whoever this track was written for, it feels like they’re meant to hear it on repeat. It’s heartfelt without being heavy, personal without being exclusive. Know How is a reminder that sometimes, the most impactful songs don’t try too hard—they just feel right.

LISTEN HERE

Tell us about the early days of Kelvin’s Place, what was the first jam session like, and when did you realise you had something special?

We started the band back in Year 12 in 2023. We’d known each other for a while but only started properly playing music together when we were both put in the same cert III music class. We started out by just playing covers for music assessments, but eventually realised we had the ability to write some pretty cool tunes with our combined musicianship. One moment that was definitely a wow moment was the day Judd wrote the riff for our song ‘Get Out’. That was the first point where we were like ‘Damn, maybe we can go somewhere with this.’

You recently opened for Great Gable in Margaret River, what was that experience like, and did anything unexpected happen on or off stage?

That gig was awesome. It was only the second time we’d ever played live so it was pretty daunting opening for such a well-established band that we love so much. The experience of playing our songs on stage to such a keen audience was like no other. It was definitely unexpected seeing members of other WA bands in the crowd and backstage and getting to meet some people whose music we’ve been listening to for years.

You’ve been building momentum in the Perth/Boorloo scene, what’s the live music community like over there, and how has it shaped your sound?

The Perth live music scene is insane. There are countless incredible bands, and opportunities to see so many of them every week. It’s awesome having so many people that are keen to get us up on stage, and other bands that have taken us under their wing. The key sound you’ll hear in venues in Perth is a nostalgic indie vibe, which has definitely had an effect on our indie surf sound.

Your music has a feel-good, surfy energy, what are some influences that helped shape that sound, whether it’s bands, places, or moments?

Our biggest influences are Skegss and Hockey Dad. Hands down. Those bands are the ones we were covering before we even began writing music, and no matter what we’re writing, we always seem to find our way back to a sound with a tone similar to theirs. The Perth scene has definitely had an influence on our music, with bands like Old Mervs, Fool Nelson and Spacey Jane on repeat in our ears. Coming from Bunbury, WA, there is a well-established surf culture, and surf music is on most peoples’ radar, so it made the most sense for us to fine-tune our sound to fit what our mates are listening to.

What can we expect from your upcoming debut EP? Is there a theme or sound you were chasing, or did it come together more organically?

We’ve been writing our EP for a couple of years, since the beginning of the band. The EP will consist of 4 songs, all with a different vibe. Each song has a different theme, but you can expect a couple of chill songs, and a couple of more bouncy ones. We take influence from a lot of different bands and songs, but our main hope for the EP is that people can listen to it while driving down the coast with their mates. All the songs were recorded in Judd’s bedroom, which makes the EP sound intimate and organic. Two of the songs, ‘Powerlines’ and ‘Know How’ are already available to stream, and the rest of the EP will be out in the coming months.

If you could teleport Kelvin’s Place to play anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go and why?

We’d love to play a touring festival like Groovin’ the Moo or Laneway at some point. The atmosphere at these events is electric, and to be able to play to such big crowds and be able to connect with so many people would be awesome.

How does the songwriting process work between the two of you, do you each bring different strengths, or is it more of a jam-until-it-clicks situation?

Our songwriting process flows really well. Judd tends to come up with a lot of the riffs and hooks, whereas Darcy tends to come up with chord progressions and structure. Both of us tend to come up with cool melodies and we share lyric writing credits on most of the songs. We complement each other really well, each bringing different strengths, so whenever we sit down to write or even just for a jam, we tend to come up with a couple of pretty strong ideas.

What’s one moment so far in your journey that made you stop and think, “Alright, this is actually happening”?

There’s really only one answer to this question. When we got the message from Great Gable asking us to open, we realised we may actually have a chance to make some waves with our music. That was an opportunity that we certainly did not take for granted and really helped us gain some confidence and momentum in the live scene.

When people come to a Kelvin’s Place gig, what kind of vibe do you want them to leave with?

Kelvin’s Place gigs are a place for people to have a good time. We don’t want anyone leaving a gig feeling worse than they did when they arrived. Our gigs are a chance for people to shut off and enjoy some music, and we want people to feel comfortable enough to sing along, dance around and have a good time. We want people to leave with a feeling of low stress and satisfaction.

What’s next after the EP? Any dream collaborations, wild ideas, or goals you’re working towards?

We have a lot of songs in the works beyond the EP. After it comes out, we’ll promote it as much as we can and continue playing open mics and looking for other opportunities to perform. For our newer songs, we’ll try to get ourselves into a studio and record them professionally. But other than that, we’ll keep cruising along and see how we go.

LISTEN HERE