Five Minutes with Camp Cope

We caught up with vocalist Georgia Maq before the trio's album launch tour kicks off this week.

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12 months ago Melbourne's Camp Cope weren't even a band, yet just last week they released their debut, self-titled album which landed at #36 on the ARIA Albums Chart and #9 on the Australian Albums Chart. To top off the (warranted) hype around Camp Cope's debut release, this indie-punk three-piece are preparing to kick off their album launch tour around the country, starting with a sold out show in their home town of Melbourne this Friday. We caught up with vocalist and guitarist Georgia Maq to chat about how quickly everything has come together for Camp Cope and to see how they're feeling on the eve of their biggest tour.

So Camp Cope has only existed for about 11 months and you guys have already manged to write and release an album that's just debuted at #36 on the ARIA Albums Chart and #9 on the Australian Albums Chart; you must be pretty stoked with what you've accomplished in less than a year?

Yeah it’s been really amazing and humbling, the response and support that we’ve received from people. It doesn’t feel like 11 months, we’ve worked super hard to get where we are and I spent a lot of time playing solo, so I feel we’ve built ourselves off of that.

It usually takes a bit of time for bands to 'click' artistically and start writing decent music together, how did you manage to make it happen in such a short amount of time?

I think our musical compatibility comes from our strong love for one another and the friendship that we’ve got. It makes the writing process so comfortable and supportive.

And how did the band come to be? Were you guys already mates outside of music?

Thomo and I were already friends from just around town, we became good friends really quickly because of our shared interests and sense of humour. Thomo had always supported and encouraged me to keep progressing with my music and we had a jam one day and then a couple of weeks later I met Kelly in a kitchen in Footscray while I was getting a tattoo, and she mentioned that she played bass. It felt like the stars all aligned. Sometimes I stress myself out thinking about what if I’d never met them.

You have some really interesting song titles on the album (Lost: Season One and Jet Fuel Can't Melt Steel Beams to name a couple), would you be able to tell us a little about these songs and how they earnt their names?

Song names were always a struggle for me, because it’s hard summing up a collection of lyrics. Lost: Season One was fairly easy because it just came from the lyrics, and although it’s a pretty heart breaking song, I try to find humour and light heartedness in order to maintain the hopefulness, so I think the title helps the song from being too dark and angsty. JFCMSB isn’t named after a meme, it’s just the truth. The song is about the Orwellian way that the media and society try to convince you that lies are the truth. Like victim blaming. And 9/11.

Are there any artists that you'd say played a big part in shaping the sound of the record?

I listen to a lot of female/female-fronted bands, because I feel a personal connection with other female musicians, so that definitely influenced the sound I wanted from the band and my own voice. Hop Along, Cayetana and Shit Present, to name a few, influenced this record the most.

You kick off the album launch tour this Friday night in Melbourne, what better way to start a tour than with a sold out show! Have you been surprised at all with the hype around the upcoming tour?

Yes, definitely! We were so scared about booking the John Curtin for the album launch because we weren’t sure if we could fill the room, so it was a huge surprise when they announced that it sold out.

We know you've had a few big support slots in your first year as a band, but how pumped are you guys to be getting out on the road for these headline dates?

I think we’re all a bit more anxious about this because previously we had supported incredible musicians who bring a crowd, so it was an easy experience.

What are Camp Cope's plans for the rest of the year after the album launch tour wraps up?

We’re playing quite a bit around Melbourne over the next few months. I’m very keen to start writing more material, I’ve got a few songs that I’m really anxious to turn into full band songs, so I can’t wait for when we’ve got time to write.