18.02.2025 • BY Jake Stolte
Ahead of the Tracks party at the Villa Noosa Hotel this Friday, we caught up with Mid Drift to find out more about them.
The Tracks Party Tour is set to return this Friday, kicking things off at the Villa Noosa Hotel. The show will be headlined by Gold Coast based band Bootleg Rascal who are known for their eclectic mix of hip hop, reggae, indie-rock, dub and electronica which combine to make one cohesive unique sound. They will be supported by Radium Dolls, who bring a dynamic blend of rock ‘n’ roll, Mid Drift, who provide sun-soaked indie surf-rock with wavy guitar licks and laid-back vibes and Catching Salmon, who fuel the night with skull-thrashing riffs and unapologetic punk energy. The night will be hosted by Ain’t That Swells’ Jed Smith, the larrikin voice of surfing culture, who is set to bring heaps of shenanigans. Purchase tickets here.
The first 100 people through the door will score a Tracks T-shirt (worth $60) and there will be heaps of giveaways from our partners including a Burzerk e-bike worth almost $4,000. Anyone who buys a ticket to any stop on the tour will be automatically entered into a draw for a chance to win.
Ahead of our show at the Villa Noosa Hotel, we caught up with the crew from Mid Drift to learn more about the band made up of Sarah on lead vocals, Daniel and George on guitar, John on Bass and Rowan on Drums.
Tell us a little bit about the origins of the band?
(Sarah): Mid Drift has been together for around two years. I’ve always loved music for as long as I can remember and played a bunch of random instruments growing up. I feel super lucky to be able to now play in a band with the best people I know.
(George): We all come from different musical backgrounds. I personally started playing live gigs in New Zealand when I was about 15 and joined my first band at 17. We all moved over to Australia to give it a whirl. After a few years, that band disbanded, and I was desperately seeking out another project to join. Then, around two and a half years ago, I stumbled into these weirdos, and now they can’t get rid of me.
How would you describe your sound?
(Sarah): Indie-pop/rock, surf-rock and little sprinkles of reggae, soul and r&b.
(George): We all channel inspiration from heaps of different influences. I love everything from Tom Misch to Fontaines DC. Dan comes from a heavy metal background and John somehow manages to bring up Red Hot Chilli Peppers any time we write a song. Rowan loves everything from Yussef Dayes to Nickelback. I guess from all our different influences, that’s how we’ve created our sound.
(Sarah): Around the time we wrote our EP I’d been listening to a lot of Ocean Alley, Royel Otis, Peach Fur – oh and also Benee. We had the opportunity to support Old Mervs a few times throughout the creation of the EP and they’ve been a big influence for us.
(Daniel): I like to think that we’re all pulling in slightly different directions and the middle ground we find is Mid Drift.
Do you guys have any links to surfing?
(Sarah): My goal this year is to get barreled hahaha – we’ll see how that goes. I’m bringing my board with me so I can surf before the show on Saturday night because last time I surfed in Noosa a turtle was swimming right next to me – it was very spesh.
What can people expect from a Mid Drift show?
(Sarah): Some very mid chat. Just kidding – people can expect a couple of cheeky new songs and lots of energy!
(George): Lots of stompy dance moves from John, some toe tapping from me.
Career highlights so far?
(George): Number one would have to be traveling interstate together. We always have a blast on the road. The opportunity to tour with bands bigger than us is always awesome. All the love we’ve had on our song Nicotine has been an absolute trip, and I couldn’t be prouder of how that song came out. Selling out our upcoming shows in Sydney and Melbourne has been amazing. We really didn’t think we would be able to pull it off on our own, but we couldn’t be happier with the response we got.
(Sarah): A huge highlight for me is all the lovely people and bands we get to meet, some of the best people I know now are people I’ve met through music. Another big one for me is getting to travel to all these amazing places. I absolutely can’t wait to get over to WA to play our show and then just explore while we’re over there.
Your favourite Mid Drift song?
(George): Currently, mine would be Ice Cubes in Hot Tea. That’s a sick one to play live. It’s upbeat, and I get to play a fun little solo.
(Sarah): Nicotine. It’s pretty nuts seeing people in the crowd screaming along to the lyrics so it’s definitely one of my favourite songs to play live – you just can’t describe the feeling. It’s also probably our first song to be picked up by people from all around Australia and even the other side of the world. To hear people say the lyrics you wrote in your bedroom are super relatable to them and that they love the song is pretty special.
(Rowan): The opportunities that Nicotine has created for us have been awesome. Plus I got to write in a little drum solo, so it scores points for me there.
If you were to make a band out of professional surfers or any other famous people, who would be in it and what instrument would they play?
(George): You’d have to put Jack Johnson in the mix since he was a pro-surfer before he became a musician. He’d be the guitarist.
(Sarah): Mick Fanning punched a shark so that’s pretty rock’n’roll – definitely would be good on the drums
(Rowan): Stephanie Gilmore is front woman because she’s epic.
If you could play a festival with two other headliners of your choice, they can be dead or alive, who would you pick?
(Sarah): This is such a tough question. For me I’m going to say of course Amy Winehouse and of course Ocean Alley.
To purchase tickets for our Noosa show this Friday 21 March, click here.
