Up and coming local band, The Phosphenes, have recorded their first EP and look forward to growing their presence in the music scene with more gigs and hopefully the recording of another EP.
Toby Vinton, Reece Depasquale and Rosie Bowman, better known as The Phosphenes, are finding their rhythm in the music world just one year after joining forces. The trio of young musicians are all students at St Columban’s in Caboolture, meeting and forming their band in early 2022. Now, they also have an EP under their belts and are eagerly looking forward to spending more time performing gigs as they continue to spread their wings on their journey to one day hopefully becoming professional musicians.
“Reece found the name of the band on Instagram and thought it sounded cool. Phosphenes are the squiggly lines and shapes you see when you close your eyes really tight.”
With idols including the likes of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, Robert Smith, Stewart Copeland, Jimi Hendrix and Chris Cheney, The Phosphenes who also list bands Nirvana, The Living End, Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance, The Cure and Radiohead as influences in their style, play a mix of alternative rock. As the lead guitarist and singer in the band, 17-year-old Reece along with 15-year-old bassist Rosie had played together previously before they discovered 17-year-old drummer Toby and The Phosphenes came to life.
“It all came about at the start of 2022 at school when I had moved from Burpengary and Reece reached out to start a band,” Toby says. “Rosie was the best bassist at school and she and Reece had already played together a little bit before.
“Reece found the name of the band on Instagram and thought it sounded cool. Phosphenes are the squiggly lines and shapes you see when you close your eyes really tight.”
It’s hard to imagine recording your first EP at such a young age, but The Phosphenes have had a general interest in music for most of their lives, deepening their dedication over the last year as they spent time practising and performing together. Their EP is called Loose: The Demos and features original songs called Loose, Summer Be Mine, Growing Up, Self Confidence (Lack Of), Enemy #1 and Without You. It’s available on all major streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music and more.
“We recorded our demo EP at Airlock Studios in Samford and we did everything within a day,” Toby says. “There's probably a few small mistakes here in there, but overall, we're extremely proud of the work we put in to the EP.”
With a strong support base and the backing of their families, this dynamic trio are sure to go far in the music world.
“All of our parents are super supportive of our music, which is something we're all extremely grateful for,” Toby says. “Our long term plan is to hopefully play music professionally and be able to travel the world doing it.”
With Toby and Reece undertaking their final year of high school and Rosie going in to year 10, they’ll all be busy with their studies, other hobbies and interests (cricket and soccer for Reece, rugby and baseball for Toby), as well as cramming as much band time into their schedule as possible.
“We've already played open mic nights at Solbar, which is something we plan to continue,” Toby says. “We're really looking to get out and play gigs as much as we possibly can.
“We’d really love to be able to get back in the studio to record some more songs as well. But other than that, you’ll find us playing any and every event that we can at school.”
Follow The Phosphenes on Instagram @thephosphenes_band