“We’re friends first and a band second”: Deadshowws discuss the release of their new album, You In Colour 

Grunge gaze, fuzzy melodic ripples, alternative emo, raw, visceral, melancholic. 

Deadshowws are a grunge-gaze, alternative emo band from the Central Coast who have been releasing music since 2019. Daringly raw and beautifully stirring, their debut albumYou In Colour was released this May and is packed with fuzzy, melancholic guitars, honest lyricism, and contagious energy akin to Title Fight, Movements and Superheaven. I spoke with Connor Massey, vocalist and guitarist of Deadshowws, to delve into the band’s history, ethos and creative process.  

Deadshowws’ music is packed with emotion and sincerity. Massey tells me about the core rule the band tried to stick to when writing songs: “If it’s not personal, and if you’re not putting, like, a piece of yourself into it, then it kind of lacks that thing that makes it special…If you’re not gonna put your own emotions into it, then how can you expect it to evoke emotion in someone else, you know?” This authenticity shines through in their songwriting across You In Colour.  

“If you’re not gonna put your own emotions into it, then how can you expect it to evoke emotion in someone else, you know?”

Deadshowws’ origins lay in high school –– three teenagers bursting with music and full of dreams. Initially a Hockey Dad-inspired three-piece, Connor Massey and fellow guitarist and vocalist Connor Dean started playing covers in drummer Darcey’s garage, working their way up to become a pub fixture. As Massey reminisces about their first pub gigs, he laughs about his teenage fashion style: “I had this corduroy orange Hockey Dad hat on, and this really big, white button-up shirt on, unbuttoned down to the chest… It was so, so bad”. But this didn’t repel Taj from his desire to join the mix. Entranced by the band’s stage presence, Taj approached them after a gig. They were instantly thrilled to add him into the mix, filling the group’s bass-shaped hole.  

Massey and I discussed the difficulties of growing up in the Central Coast music scene. In a surf- rock dominated space, it felt like there wasn’t much room for their alternative emo sound. It was a hard scene for them to cultivate a following; however, one venue became a safe haven for them. Now permanently closed, Rhythm Hut in Gosford was once a colourful, all-ages creative space that provided bands with an affordable space they could bring their cousins and siblings to for their first gigs. Massey expresses frustrations at the lack of all-ages gigs: “All-age shows are so important. It’s not like you just wake up one day when you’re 18 and start listening to music. You listen to music pretty much your whole life”. While the band struggled to feel at home in the Central Coast, they especially enjoy touring Newcastle and Brisbane, spaces budding with alternative culture and heavy music.  

in a surf-rock dominated space, it felt like there wasn’t much room for their alternative emo sound … Now permanently closed, Rhythm Hut in Gosford was once a colourful, all-ages creative space thAT provided bands with an affordable space they could bring their cousins and siblings to for their first gigs.

One of the things that struck me most about Deadshowws was their emphasis on friendship within the band over all else. “We try really hard not to lose sight of the fact that we’re friends first and a band second”. I asked Massey what his favourite aspect of being a musician in Deadshowws was … Recording? Writing? Performing? Massey replied, “Honestly, it’s the moments in between”. He reminisces about the free moments on tour where they spend time as a band, playing Magic: The Gathering, or Dungeons and Dragons: “Don’t get me wrong, I love playing music with them and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else…but my favourite moments are just us hanging out”. 

“We try really hard not to lose sight of the fact that we’re friends first and a band second”.

From peppering in obscure samples to their songs––often from 1940s-50s radio––to playing energetic, emotionally charged shows, Deadshowws maintain a high standard of originality, authenticity and vulnerability in their music and everyday lives.  

You in Colour is available to stream on bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal 🪀 🚗 🎲