What do you do when your band is invited to open for Oasis? Grab a pint, of course
That's precisely what Sam Cromack, frontman of Brisbane-based indie-rock band Ball Park Music, says they did when they received the call inviting them to join Noel and Liam Gallagher on tour in Australia later this year.
'We've come to not expect these kinds of massive, mind-blowing opportunities,' says Cromack. 'At first, they just say you're in the mix with a bunch of other bands, and in the past, we've known that's not good. We never come out on top. So it was truly a euphoric moment when we got the call to say the contract is signed, it's real, it's going ahead.'
Opening for Oasis is undeniably the biggest opportunity they've received since forming in 2008, says guitarist Dean Hanson. 'We've played live so much over so many years in so many different places, so getting up in front of tens of thousands of people will be great. It feels like we've been practising for over a decade.'
It's hardly overnight success. They have released eight studio albums, six of which have featured in the ARIA top five. Earlier this month their new album, Like Love, became their first ARIA Albums Chart No.1 when it debuted in the top spot, also becoming the first Australian No.1 this year. They've done more than 500 live shows, including at SXSW in Texas, and will set out on a Like Love national tour in May.
But supporting Oasis is next-level – Ball Park Music will be playing huge stadiums (Marvel in Melbourne and Accor in Sydney). If these spaces are even a third or half full by the time the band begins playing, Cromack says it will still be their largest audience by far.
As nerve-racking as this may sound, he says the stage, regardless of its size, will always be a safe space.
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