You can count on Trophy Eyes for three things: a great time, great music, and for support when it all goes wrong.
The band was formed seven years ago in Newcastle when lead singer John Floreani took a leap of faith and approached the then Second Opinion group to ask if they were looking for a singer.
“We started in 2013 and Trophy Eyes was already a band called Second Opinion,” Floreani says.
“They had formed in high school and I had just moved to Newcastle and I was looking to join a band.
“I didn’t really know how to get involved but I remembered their drummer sent me a message a few years before, saying: ‘Listen to my band’, so, I messaged him and asked if they’re looking for a singer but he said: ‘We’re looking for a drummer but if you can sing better than I can, I’ll drum’, so I went along and we played a few songs.
“I was nervous, and I hadn’t done that before, but at the end they invited me back and I thought: ‘Oh s***, I got the job’.”
Since then the band, which consists of front man Floreani, bass player Jeremy Winchester, guitarist Andrew Hallett and drummer Blake Caruso, has been on the up.
“I think there have definitely been some humbling moments,” Floreani says.
“I come from a small town in NSW, I grew up in Mudgee and when I was a kid the population was like 2,500, so moving from there and growing up in that way of life I really wasn’t expecting to make it out of there.
“But then I found myself in the alps in the north of Italy with the band and it’s those kinds of moments where you go: ‘Damn, look what I did’.”
For Floreani, there have been so many highlights, including going to America for the first time and meeting their record label, to playing a festival with 14,000 people in the audience.
“That was quite an incredible thing,” he says.
“We just wanted to play shows but playing something like that was an eye opener.”
He describes the band’s sound as “energetic, punk rock mixed with rock mixed with pop”.
“And it’s kind of emotional,” he says. “So, emotional, energetic, pop rock punk.”
While the pandemic put the world on pause, Floreani says its been nice for the band to have a break.
“We’ve spent this time writing, we’ve enjoyed this time to relax and be at home and focus on the inner workings of Trophy Eyes,” he says.
The end is in sight for the band, however, as they will start touring again later this month.
The group will land in Newcastle on Sunday 29 November for a show like no other.
Floreani says it’ll be a chance for the audience to get to know them better and hear them play some of their favourite songs.
“It’s going to be a really fun night,” he says.
“If you want to learn about us and have a conversation and be in a real space with the band, I urge you to pick up a ticket.”
The future for Trophy Eyes is also bright, with new music on the way.
“Immediately we are writing new music and we are looking to record that really soon,” Floreani says.
“Hopefully, we’ll have some more shows and more travel and maybe an album next year, we’re just taking it slow.”
For more stories like this:
