The Panics lead singer Jae Laffer is nervous. Not that he’s a nervous type of fellow, no. He’s nervous with good cause. Why? Because this February Perth born and bred The Panics will be hitting Kings Park with some very special guests… the WA Symphony Orchestra (WASO).
‘To be nervous is to kind of care about what you’re doing,’ explained Laffer to OUTinPerth. ‘I’m not nervous because I feel like we’re a really capable band; we’ve got a whole bunch of people who are very good at their jobs and it’s the idea that you get to be backed up by all these very professional players.
‘For guys like us, who taught themselves and just learned off listening to records, it’s a fun thing. It’s nice to get a mutual respect from people who can play Mozart but perhaps have never written a song themselves; it’s just nice, the respect from both sides and what you can make between it.’
The Panics have spent the last six months in Manchester developing their sound, a sound which garnered attention from Happy Monday drummer Gaz Whelan, the man responsible for bringing them to the UK. It’s an opportunity which has opened many doors, including this one.
‘I love rock music that works with orchestras well and it’s fascinating when it works really good,’ Laffer said of the fusion. ‘So much of my favourite songs are generally Motown tracks with big string sections and old Rolling Stones and Beatles tracks; that’s what turns me on.
‘When I was approached to do something with WASO you suddenly have this nice idea in your head that you finally get to make something up like Eleanor Rigby, you know? That kind of thing is exciting to me. The idea of being able to have fifty people with all these instruments at your disposal and what you can make with it (is) just awesome.’
The Panics appear alongside WASO in Kings Park on Saturday February 20. For more information visit www.waso.com.au or to purchase tickets visit www.ticketmaster.com.au.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
