An era that began seven years ago in the Trevallyn Primary School music rooms will come to an end on Saturday when Scattered by Sundown play their farewell gig.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After an appearance at Party in the Paddock earlier this year and a Rock Challenge Final win in 2013, the Launceston four-piece will come together for a final fling at Club 54 before bassist Victor Wilson pursues studies interstate.
Set to appear on an all-Launceston lineup featuring The Saxons, The Sleepyheads and Hurricane Youth, the band’s lead guitarist Travis Parkinson said the time was right to wind things up.
“We’ve officially been a band for six years and we’ve just never split up,” Parkinson said.
“Now Victor has gone… we’ve been together for seven years and I don’t really want to have another bass player, plus we’ve all got a lot of other stuff going on... I feel like we’re all branching out.”
Parkinson, Wilson and drummer Harrison Sondergeld were first united by celebrated Trevallyn Primary music teacher Tony Smalldon, who incidentally also taught the band’s frontman Connor Claridge to play guitar.
Claridge co-wrote a song that helped the band win the Rock Challenge, but wasn’t to join Scattered by Sundown - then called Alexis - in a permanent capacity until the band’s college years.
“Even since I’ve been there it’s been three or four different names,” Claridge said.
“Harry came up with (Scattered by Sundown) but it turns out he just stole it from the name of another band's EP or album or something.”
Claridge said the Club 54 show was the perfect way for the band to say goodbye.
“We went into college when The Saxons were leaving so we watched what they were doing the whole time we were in college.
“I have their EP in my car still so they were kind of our big brothers in a way, and if we ever had questions they always had great answers.
“The Sleepyheads we’ve also watched because they’re one of Launceston’s best bands and Hurricane Youth have come up heaps over the last year, so it’s great to be able to do a gig with all those three bands.”
Scattered by Sundown will play at Club 54 at 9pm on Saturday. Entry is $10.