School of Radiant Living: Realistic Idealists

They may have hippie ideals, but Melbourne’s The School of Radiant Living tell TIM SCOTT they’re not your average jam band.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.] The School or Radiant Living are unashamedly hippie, but in a good way. Their music is influenced as much by road trips and rivers as it is by records and rock’n’roll – their MySpace page even has a video of real life polar bears hugging real life huskies. But talking to Amy, Harriet and Georgia (the trio are supplemented by newish drummer Simon) it's hard not to get caught up in their infectious and positive approach towards life and music.

The band take their name from a movement active in New Zealand from the 1930s until the 1980s that taught a holistic philosophy of physical, psychological and spiritual health. “They were really into salads,” says Amy, who along with Harriet hails from NZ. True to their roots, the band play a stripped back indie folk that takes its cues from early Flying Nun, as well as British folk, shamanism and jam bands. Or in their own words “mysticalgaragefolkgrunge”.

“It's not that we are trying to be some kind of nostalgia band. We are not trying to be like the Strokes and evoke something of a different time. We don't want to be a throwback band,” Amy says.

“It's not that we are trying to be some kind of nostalgia band. We are not trying to be like the Strokes and evoke something of a different time.”

“It's like people nowadays are really into thinking more progressively but none of us want to be like our parents and be like hippies, I think people [today] have more cynicism. Not to sound negative but it’s just that people aren't so naive. That's kind of how we approach music. We are the kind of people that still recycle but then we'd punch some dude who hit his girlfriend. We are realistic idealists,” she laughs.

They are also a little punky, albeit in a desert boots over Vans kind of way; the kind of band that goes for a drive up Victoria’s Mount Buffalo during the height of bush fire season just for a spot of skinny dipping. “Some dude on a mountain bike got a bit of a surprise,” jokes Amy.

Forming from the ashes of Sleepless Nights (Harriet and Amy's bass and guitar combo), the band recently scored a Saturday afternoon residency at Melbourne’s Birmingham Hotel, where they’ve attracted the likes of The Twerps, Woollen Kits and Sydney’s Bed Wettin' Bad Boys as supports.

[Historical image is withheld pending rights review.] “Originally it was going to be at the Tote and we were totally chuffed when [former booker] Amanda [Palmer] asked us to do it,” says Georgia. “But when we heard the Tote was closing we jumped straight on the phone to Indra [Adams] at the Birmy and told him we had to have it there. Especially considering the awesome lineups we arranged.

“People have just been real cool to us,” she continues. “We have been getting mad positive responses from people. It's been real radiant vibes.”

And it’s with those some “radiant vibes” that the trio settled on their new drummer Simon, a sometime member of Woollen Kits. Harriet admits that his place of residence – in the outer Melbourne suburb of Ringwood – was another selling point. “We went to his house in Ringwood. He's an outsider in the same way that we are as we are from New Zealand and Wangaratta [in regional Victoria].”

Things don't look like slowing down for the foursome. A recording with Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s Mikey Young is on the cards, and there are also plans to release a tape on Idiotic Records, a new vanity label run by the UV Race, Georgia’s “other” band. There is even some interest from overseas. “Some dude in Portland, Oregon, emailed us about putting out a release; a Melbourne tape with us, The Twerps, Dick Diver and Woollen Kits. Doing a tape with all those bands really rocks my boat. Or is that floats my boat?” Georgia laughs.

“It's great,” adds Amy, “because all the bands sound a little bit like New Zealand bands too. It seems Melbourne is no different to other places around the world that seem to be having a Flying Nun revival.”

Bizarrely, just as we are talking about Flying Nun, a Clean song starts playing on the cafe stereo system. Just another one of those Radiant Living moments.

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The School of Radiant Living play their final afternoon residency at Melbourne’s Birmingham Hotel tomorrow (February 26). They’re also performing at the Cherry Bar tonight with Parading and The UV Race.