Meet Northern Beaches band Rising Bliss

Rising Bliss is a homegrown Northern Beaches band whose unique sound has earned them a dedicated following in Sydney and beyond. We sat down with Rising Bliss's lead singer Luke Saunders and drummer Jason (Jase) Styles at 7th Day Brewery in the Brookie Trail (Brookvale) to talk career, the Sydney music scene and how Brookvale is becoming a beating heart for artists.

How would you describe your music?

Jase: There are so many ways to answer this question. I would say our music is emotional, our music is a journey. It's always very strong in narrative, but it's quite honest too. I guess it's within the world of rock, indie…blues, rock? Oh, man, the genre thing is so hard.

Luke: We're songwriters, we're storytellers, and we like to express real human emotion [in our music].

And your influences?

Luke: Jeff Buckley is a big influence of mine, and the Grateful Dead... Radiohead. Bob Dylan...

Jase: War on Drugs.

Luke: There’s so many.

Have you noticed an increase in the number of venues staging live music in Brookvale recently?

Jase: We’ve seen this district evolve over the over the last, I'd say, five or six years. It's incredible, I think of Brookvale when we were 18–23 (both Luke and Jase are 29 now] and it was a place to go do some retail shopping at Waringah Mall, or you’d just pass through to get to the beach. Now, it's a spot. It's a spot to grab a coffee. It's a spot to see friends. It's a spot to grab a beer at a brewery and watch some live music. It's become, from an art perspective, a bit of a beating heart.

Luke: There's a good music community. There always have been good bands coming out of the Northern Beaches. This district has been a nice testament to what’s still possible here.

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How do you feel about the music scene in NSW?

Jase: It's an interesting question. It's come up between friends and close collaborators, and I think it depends on what scenes you're connected with. I think in the last few years, after a heavy stoop following COVID, Sydney has really started to turn it on. I think the adversity of the pandemic pushed all these event curators and community organisers and cool collectives to throw gigs and parties, and to really think outside the box, moving out of those central business districts and using spaces in ways that weren't really being used before.

Luke: Lots of artists now are creating really unique venue experiences, like xmunashe. They’re not just gigging and gigging and gigging, but they’re putting time and effort into really special experiences that people are going to remember for the rest of their lives.

Jase: I think the beautiful thing about live music and art, and [having] districts that embody artistic values, is that it brings a beautiful collection of people together and creates community. It happens so organically. It’s beautiful to be a part of. From like-minded venue owners, to the attendees and the people experiencing the event, and the musicians and artists. It very organically creates this community of lovely people that have a beautiful view of the world and how we all want to live our lives.

What have you noticed about Brookvale and its developing nightlife?

Jase: [Before recently] it wasn’t even an option. You had Manly and Mona Vale, and then just this void of Brookvale, Dee Why and the rest of the suburbs in between. For sure, there’s been an increase in live music venues. It’s amazing to have more places for artists to share their music and connect with people.

Luke: The sorts of things happening in Brookvale give touring bands incentives to play [multiple shows in different areas of Sydney] and hit different communities. This attracts more bands, and bands with a bigger following.  

What would you like to see in NSW’s music industry?

Jase: More funding for event organisers and venue owners. They were hit so hard during COVID, and without these venues and these people willing to open up spaces for artists to share, from painting to live music to poetry and comedy, there’s no platform to share with the community.

What are some of your favourite venues to play at?

Luke: Enmore Theatre, that was probably the best venue I’ve ever played in. Metro theatre [too].

Jase: What else holds a little soft spot for us?

Luke: Oxford Art Factory. The gallery bar and the main room. We've played some really unforgettable shows, and [playing at Oxford Art Factory] was a big milestone to headline the main room.

What’s next for Rising Bliss?

Luke: We're working on new music at the moment. We've got a new body of work and a new sound that we are crafting. So we're just going to keep releasing the best music we possibly can and just get to down to making the art which is what makes our lives fulfilling.