Why Cry Club Is The Pop-Punk Band You Need To See At Brisbane’s Hidden Lanes Fest

Cry Club - Hidden Lanes Festival - Brisbane
Contributor: Kassia Byrnes

Once a year, a bunch of talented musicians, artisans and artists descend on Brisbane for the Hidden Lanes festival – oh and did we mention it’s free? While the first lineup announced Wollongong’s The VANNS and Melbourne singer-songwriter Tyne-James Organ as headliners, the final lineup is packed with exciting acts to keep an eye out for.

None moreso than Wollongong duo Cry Club – seriously, what’s up with Wollongong producing serious good music rn? 

Vocalist Heather Riley and guitarist Jonathon Tooke create tunes that tackle topics from homophobia and politics to flaky mates with an energetic blend of some powerful post-punk with a touch of glittering pop – and a whole lot of energy.

We spoke to Heather about Cry Club’s upcoming performance at Hidden Lanes and what punters can expect from one of their shows (all very excellent emojis also created by them, though I will be copying them for future use).

I would describe Cry Club’s music as…Bubblegum punk! Orrrrrr music for people who take cute filtered selfies of themselves crying for their Instagram story lol.

My favourite songs of ours to perform are…DFTM and Robert Smith. I feel my most confident and in control (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و

My pre-show ritual is…Rounding up everyone so I can do their makeup, warming up my voice, and having a teeeeeeny tinyyyyy sip of red wine.

My favourite thing about performing at festivals is…The atmosphere!! It feels like a big party, I’m a very social person and love to meet lots of people and see lots of other bands, festivals are so good for that.

Our fans love us because…We’re honest, we put every part of ourselves into our shows, and we LOVE THEM SO MUCH AS WELL.

٩(♡ε♡ )۶

The weirdest thing that’s ever happened at a show is…Someone tried to stage dive at one of our shows. I didn’t realise what was happening and then he hit the deck – not a single person attempted to catch him. It really was that School of Rock moment. Just so weird – why would you stage dive? At a Cry Club show? In a small bar? We’re absolutely not about that and wanna keep all of our shows safe for everyone.

The one thing you have to know about Jonathan is…He is literally so good at Mario Kart that when you play against him, all of the computer karts assume you’re terrible and scale in difficulty to how he’s playing. Like unless you’re a pro, the game makes it harder for you to win.

Alsoooooo he’s a messy bitch who lives for DRAMA.

At Hidden Lanes Festival, I’m most excited to see…Concrete Surfers!!! I heard so many good things about them at BIGSOUND but managed to miss every single show. I’m stoked to actually see them play!!

The Hidden Lanes Masterclass I absolutely must get along to is…Kat Walsh’s masterclass at Practice Studio!! I think it’s super important that everyone learns how to do basic repairs and maintenance on the clothing they own. To get more life out of clothes in an age of fast fashion is absolutely essential.

Also, Nom Nom Korean’s kimchi class because I can eat a whole tub in one sitting and would probably save soooo much money if I could make my own!!!

Head into Brissy’s Fortitude Valley on October 26th for fashion, art, food, music and a whole range of masterclasses. Here’s a little gander at the full lineup:

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You can get more deets over on their website.

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