Atlas Abell is the lead singer of Flight to Dubai, a band of rising-stars from Sydney, Australia, whose song Hail Damage was featured on our #35 podcast. They are just back from an Australian tour in support of their recently-released EP ‘Frontal Lobes’.

My favorite thing to wear onstage:

Boots, jeans, a good leather belt and a shirt that breathes. Our set has an unforgiving, fast paced, and brutal capacity – we need to tread the line between sturdy workwear and cool, comfortable clothing.

The last musical instrument or musical-performance-related item that I bought and loved was:

I bought a Shure 55SH Dynamic microphone in 2012, first mic I ever bought. It gave me years of hard hitting performances, taking everything I could throw at it – it’s cactus now but it had a bloody hell of a run.

it’s so Roy Orbison

The musical instrument or musical-performance-related item that I really really really want is:

A Waterphone. It’s been used in so many famous horror film scores and just fascinates me

According to Etsy, which seems to be the place to buy one, you will either sound like a horror film OR like dolphins and whales

The artist who has influenced me most is:

Roy Orbison. Outside of having the best pipes in the world, (tone, capacity, resonance – The Big O has it all) I think our relationships with the stage/audience have a lot in common with each other.

 

Something I wish I’d known before joining/starting a band:

To affect others is to affect yourself. Take the good with the bad and aim for balance.

I live in Sydney, Australia.

It is where my house is.

The general vibe of Sydney is:

Policed, controlled and Orwellian: Lock-out laws, social limitations and a quiet, dying streets.

The Sydney lockout laws were introduced by the government of New South Wales in February 2014 with the objective to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence. The legislation requires 1.30am lockouts and 3am last drinks at bars, pubs and clubs in Sydney.

the best place to play music here is:

Botany View Hotel. Good atmosphere, central to other venues and cold beer

the best place to SEE music here is

Marrickville Bowling Club. Big space with great sound and even better line ups, cheap beer and a bowling green

If you don’t know what lawn-bowling is, as I do not, this provides just one more excellent reason to go to Australia. – Ed.

My favorite local band (aside from my own):

Satanic Togas. With a Devo-esque rock n roll vibe, their live show is great, their music is spectacular and all the members are stand up blokes

I collect:

Nothing in particular and everything at once. I just have a whole bunch of weird or nifty knick knacks that I like, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Usually with heavy nostalgic connections, a lot of records, old games and VHS, books and trinkets fill my room

My favorite thing to watch on tv is:

Serial Killer Documentaries. Sounds heaps twisted but I find it fascinating that someone could be wired that way; to take a life in the first place is such a wild and foreign concept but to continue doing it out of compulsion or will is absolutely alien to me and, in turn, enthralling to learn about.

The Zodiac Killer. So. Much. Fun.

In my fridge you’ll always find:

Cold Water. I get hot so easily and find myself not just wanting but requiring it – someone indulging in my cool beverages has almost ruined relationships.

A winter indulgence that I would never forgo is;

A good, strong cup of tea. Hot tea can warm even the coldest of hearts

If you’re going to buy me a gift, say in the under-$50 range, I would like:

I wear a lot of rings and love old clothes but a good book or record never goes astray – play it safe and get me a Stephen King novel(la)

The last music I downloaded was:

Tyrannamen – Self Titled. One of my good mates showed me a while ago and one of their songs was in a dream of mine recently so I haven’t been able to get off this album.

In my heart I wish I was:

Secure.

because

Don’t we all want an eternally rational worldview?

A beauty staple that I’m never without is:

At the moment, a comb. I got a shit haircut recently, so I bought this sick metal comb and it’s been in my back pocket for weeks. Outside of that I’m already too beautiful for need of anything else.

My personal analysis of the current state of the music industry is :

There’s a resistance that’s fighting against the lacklustre, mainstream pop rock bullshit that’s plaguing this country/the world. Diversity is finding its way to the surface and issues are being dealt with, slowly, but surely. I don’t think music ever gets better or worse era to era but at least there’s music worth taking in at the moment.

The best place to eat breakfast in Sydney is:

Bar Italia in Leichhardt. Their big breakfast is second to none, not to mention great coffee and a solid menu

My favorite website is:

fallingfalling.com. It’s an accurate representation of the inside of my head.

Editor’s note: Wow, yes, definitely visit that site

when people come to visit me, particularly if those people are cooler than I am, I take them to:

My mum’s house. Mum’s place always has cold beer, spare beds, great food and terrible home movies – the perfect way to see if someone’s really cool is to see how they treat your mum.

favorite seasonal beverage:

Tooheys New/Negroni. It’s pretty much summer 9 months of the year here so cold beer is a must and a Tooheys New goes a long way. Negronis are for the long cold nights when the whiskey’s run out.

the last meal that truly impressed me was:

Ribs in Plum Sauce from PHO236 in Newtown. Talk about a flavour palette; that was a perfectly balanced meal.

What’s next for you, music-wise:

We’re working hard and playing hard. Flight To Dubai has taken off in every sense of the word. We’ve been writing like crazy and are really proud of our progress, our trajectory is looking good so now we’re just putting in the hard yards to try to reap what we’re sowing. Outside of the band a couple of side projects I’m in (DogDown and COBWEB) are both pottering along at their own pace and will have results to be judged soon enough.

The Black Keys meet a theater kid who knows how to play a ton of instruments. That is our speculation, but we really have no idea who or what he’s about. Your Idiot Brother is an intriguing mystery, like something from a Nancy Drew book. (Featured on our #39 podcast, Long Neck.)

 

An all-female band from Canada who sound beautiful and look beautiful (that last part is not their fault). On our podcast I forgot to talk about their totally interesting high-concept video. Here it is:

(Featured on our #39 podcast, Long Neck.)