Let’s play word association. What pops into your head when I mention Australia? Kangaroos? Crocodile Dundee? Dingos? Well, I am sure at least one of those popped into your head, but Australia has also given us some pretty kickass music as well. Let’s see, there’s AC/DC, INXS, Silverchair and Men at Work just to name a few. All of those bands managed to cross the oceans to the US and establish success here and beyond. Well, it’s about time that we add another name to that ever growing list and one that’s well deserved. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Heaven The Axe.
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Heaven The Axe consists of an all star cast of Australian metal musicians (Mat Silcock, Matt “Skitz” Sanders, Tommy Rossell, Trav Price, Aramis SV….and some surprises soon (keep an eye out) teamed with the core unit of lead singer Phoebe Pinnock and guitarist Steve Watts, whose musical and life adventure began years ago. The band released their debut album Sex, Chugs and Rock ‘N’ Roll in 2011 and their fan base began to grow like a brush fire in the outback. The band’s working on a new album, so to whet the appetites of fans everywhere, they just released a new single entitled “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate” which shot right up to #2 on the Australian Metal iTunes Chart. I had a chance to speak to lead singer Phoebe Pinnock recently and we had quite an interesting conversation…
Johnny/Rock Revolt: Hey Phoebe! After all this time of watching your career, it’s so cool to finally be able to talk to you. I have to tell you that the new single, “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate” kicks some major ass! The first word that popped into my head when I heard it was INTENSE. Is this an indication of the direction that the new album is taking?
Phoebe Pinnock/Heaven The Axe: Hi Johnny, HA! Yes! I make no apologies for being an intense woman, and Steve is an intense, legendary man. We are extremely passionate, deep-feeling, unconditionally loving people who write music to take out our emotions and crazy mind/heart creations on the world in the hope of providing an outlet of expression for others. There is nothing greater than singing out your pain or joy, and as we feel deeply – we sing and play just as internally. The new single was really an adventure for us, but we are currently working on ballads and some really catchy hooky, riffy rock songs, so I would expect the next record to be diverse and versatile. We don’t like to confine ourselves because when someone says “genre” it’s usually just a retail guy that needs a “term” to use. Metal is about breaking rules, defying expectations and being intense mother fuckers! Tell your sales story walking! We like to explore ourselves as artists intensely – very sincerely right down to the carbunkles on our swashbuckles.
RR: Your vocal delivery on the new song is insane! You’ve definitely raised the bar on that one as I don’t think there’s anything on your first album with that much grit and emotion to it. Was it difficult to deliver a vocal performance like that?
Phoebe: At first it was just impossible, I hadn’t yet thought in that voice to create it. It didn’t exist, until one day a burning rage and hurt came up in my life, which I allowed myself to feel thoroughly. Now, I am so grateful for that because I went to rehearsal with a boiling a well of hell in my stomach, walked inside the Axe Mansion where the boys were smashing it out brutally rehearsing the song and grabbed the mic and just exploded this rage. I absolutely tore the anger from my guts and threw it into the sonic dimension. The voice came from true anger, hurt, rage and vengeance. And if I’m really happy on a day where I have to sing it, it’s a real skill to have conjure that pain and utilize it live. But generally, I have to think of something and bring it to the stage, I kind of have to just start singing it, and do some ninja-tai-chi-moves on stage to push that anger out, wherever it comes from when singing that song.
Watch “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqhtbonR5w0]
RR: The video for “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate” is totally badass; a straight forward performance piece and I love it. Do you have a preference to that kind of video visual as opposed to ones in which you have to act?
Phoebe: Thank you. You know what? It’s a humble, real-to-the-core video clip, no frills; exactly as we are in our mates rehearsal space. It was really comforting and freeing to put it out as being so real. I felt it really connected with people and it was just so exciting that the single went to #2 on iTunes Australia Metal Chart almost immediately, which is completely unheard of for an independent, unsigned Australian band. Being on this journey, I find the more layers I peel off and allow people to see inside of us, the better we are able to be honest and true to our art. We’re not comedians (but we do try), we are deep-feeling, sincere, crazy loving cats with our heart on our sleeves and I don’t apologize for that one bit. Why should I? There’s room for everyone in this world – may as well take up the room here for the real me.
RR: What’s the music scene like there in Australia as far as other bands in your genre, touring opportunities, etc.?
Phoebe: It’s a very passionate underground scene, with little mainstream support. Thank god for the interwebs! We really are very excited about venturing overseas after touring ballistically here and that’s what we are looking forward to.
RR: I know it won’t be an easy task to take on, but we would love to see you here in the US. Are there many female 
fronted metal bands in Melbourne? Here in the US, it’s still seen somewhat as a gimmick, which sometimes it is, and a bit of a hurdle for some bands to get over, i.e., “Oh, it’s another band with a hot chick out front on the mic.” By the way, just to clarify myself, I don’t in any way see you as a gimmick. The first time I heard “Enemy” made me a fan without ever seeing you.
Phoebe: Ha…never thought of it like that; a gimmick….LOL! Why is that; because it’s an idealized thing? I have found through developing my inner light and building upon from the challenges in my past and learning not to give so much of my physicality in my performance or image, the music just takes over the brutality of what may have been appearing to others through image. When this started out, I never considered myself trying to portray a sexy image or anything, I am just me and god damn it if I want to dress like a Whitesnake groupie to go buying groceries from the supermarket, well baby that’s just who I am! But as a musician, I have found that because I have long blonde hair and a pretty face, if I tone it down like we just did for the new single, it appeals to a lot more women and people who are more interested in the music, which is what I’m here to create. It’s all about not trying to look sexy. The music is speaking to a primal sexual energy inside us all. I think this whole “trying hard to look sexy thing” is so boring right now, although it is just who I am; a rotten, attention-grabbing tart! I just want the music to speak my heart and hopefully people will see that. And I will dress how I like which is true to being the real me, rather than a filtered, conjured me.
RR: Since we just addressed that, let me ask you what the toughest obstacle that you think the band has faced so far in your career has been?
Phoebe: There are personal challenges that come up in everybody’s life, and as a group of intense, extremely close-knit individuals, I am so proud that we have always chosen unconditional love and brutal, unbridled honesty; to be committed to winning through any challenges that may arise. Breakdowns are inevitable in all bands lives, it’s how you pull through with love and respect which will redefine the chemistry and interpersonal relationships that create bands who will stay together for years to come.
RR: How difficult is it touring with a bunch of sweaty guys? You’re definitely severely outnumbered!
Phoebe: I’m not complaining; I just lounge around all over them in the backseat. They are my brothers; there is a great deal of familiarity and fun between us. It’s actually kind of like a dream because Steve is the love of my life and this is our dream and we are lucky to share it together when so many musicians have to go on the road and leave their lovers at home.
RR: Some singers seem to slip into character when they hit the stage. Are you the same on and off stage? 
Phoebe: There are many parts of me, like different outfits in a wardrobe, but they are all parts of my wardrobe. The only difference with who you see offstage and who you see onstage is a woman who has a big spotlight on her heart, soul, pain, insecurities, vulnerabilities and connectedness lit up for you and amplified and penetrating into your being. Offstage, I’m just going to ask you about your astrology signs and tell you what the planets are doing, which I don’t go into much detail with a mic and a circle pit.
RR: Let’s talk about “Little Phoebe” for a minute: Did you play dress-up when you were little and dream of being a rock star? When did you know you wanted to sing in a band? Was there a specific moment growing up? Were you one of those kids who was always the center of attention or were you the shy, quite one?
Phoebe: When I was five years old, I saw some kids in sequined leotards in a concert singing and dancing to “Catch a Falling Star and Put It In Your Pocket” and I will never forget that moment because I knew right then and there that the stage would be my life. I didn’t even know I could sing then, I just knew that was it for me. At school offstage, I was bullied a lot, but at school onstage, I was complete and I was in control of them.
RR: Every superhero has an origin and a band is no different. How did all of you come together?
Phoebe: The first song I ever wrote when I was 13 was about a hot, long-haired tattooed, sexy young guy that I saw driving a panel van. I went home and wrote “Hey Mr. Bad News (I wanna see the back of your panel van).” Steve approached me a few years later and asked me to sing with him, I played him the song, told him the story and discovered that it was him driving the panel van that day. We fell madly in love after 18 months of being best friends and touring in our acoustic duo. That was 13 years ago. As long as my husband and I are into creating music, as we will never ever break up, then Heaven The Axe will live.
Stay tuned Rock Revolt readers, for the story of Heaven The Axe is just starting to heat up. As mentioned before, the band’s hard at work on a brand new album. If the first single, “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate” is any indication of what lies ahead, we all better buckle up because it’s going to be a crazy, intense ride.
By: Johnny Price, Lead Senior Journalist
CONNECT WITH HEAVEN THE AXE :
WEB | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | REVERBNATION
Get “Good Things Come To Those Who Hate” at:
Artwork Credits:
Photography – Matt Ware
Styling by: Lanie Phelps – Rebel Goddess and Jemma Smith – Princess Avenue
Photo Credit (B & W of HTA backstage): Antony Pinder
