"The Mechanics of Groove: Inside The Kite Machine’s Distinctive Sound"
(Artist Report)
Written by: Ginny Gaines
The Kite Machine is a rock band from Geelong, Victoria, Australia, and their story is one of a group of musicians who built their reputation by simply making music they enjoyed and putting everything they had into their live shows. The band was started by guitarist and singer Levi Anderson around 2011. What began as a musical project eventually developed into a full electric rock band, with drummer Kane Sherriff joining Anderson and Liam Brennan later coming aboard on bass. By the middle of the 2010s, the three had settled into the lineup that became the heart of The Kite Machine. Their music was different from a lot of the other bands coming out of Geelong because they mixed loud rock guitars with funky bass lines, hard driving drums and progressive-rock ideas.
The band quickly discovered that playing live was where they really came alive. The members have always considered themselves a live band first, and their concerts became known for being loud, energetic and full of movement. They weren't interested in simply standing onstage and playing their songs exactly like they sounded on a record. Instead, they wanted people in the audience to move, dance and feel the music. Their early recordings helped build that reputation, including the 2012 EP The Crook and the Skank and the 2015 EP Lunatics. The title track from Lunatics became a major early achievement when it reached No. 1 on Triple J Unearthed, giving the Geelong band attention well beyond its hometown.
Things continued to pick up with songs such as “Charlotte” and “Sinister Sound.” “Charlotte,” released in 2016, helped show people what The Kite Machine was all about: big guitars, a strong rhythm section and a groove that made the song impossible to sit still to. “Sinister Sound” took things a step further, combining a catchy vocal melody with heavy guitar, bass and drums. The band spent a lot of time working on the details of these songs, rather than simply recording the first versions they came up with. That attention to detail eventually paid off. Both “Charlotte” and “Sinister Sound” later passed one million Spotify streams, showing that their music had reached an audience far beyond Geelong.
In 2019, The Kite Machine reached another major milestone with the release of its selftitled debut album. The record brought together the sound the band had been developing for years. Songs such as “Walls” showed that the group could slow things down and create more emotional and atmospheric moments, while still keeping the heavy guitars and powerful grooves that had become their trademark. The album was essentially a musical snapshot of the band at that point on its path. Instead of trying to fit neatly into one genre, The Kite Machine mixed alternative rock, funk, progressive rock and heavier guitar music. The result was an album that sounded like a band determined to do things its own way.
The band also began looking for ways to make its sound bigger. In 2021, longtime collaborator and rock organist Cam Jerabek joined Anderson, Brennan and Sherriff for recording work. His organ playing added another layer to the band's already busy sound. The group released the two part single “5656 / Instant Pretty,” which gave the musicians more room to experiment. “5656” leaned toward darker progressive rock, while “Instant Pretty” explored a more psychedelic and melodic direction. Around this period, The Kite Machine was also attracting a surprisingly large audience in the United States. Anderson said that a huge percentage of their Spotify streams were coming from America, at one point giving the band almost as many listeners in Chicago as Melbourne.
What makes The Kite Machine particularly interesting is that their music has never been easy to put into one box. You can hear rock, funk, progressive music, alternative rock and even psychedelic influences mixed together. Anderson has explained that he usually writes the music first and works out the lyrics afterward, sometimes singing nonsense words while he develops a melody. The other musicians then help shape those ideas into finished songs. The band's influences include artists such as Muse, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, Tom Morello and Living Colour, but The Kite Machine has managed to turn those influences into something that feels like its own sound. Their songs can be complicated, but there is almost always a strong groove underneath everything.
Today, The Kite Machine remains an important part of Geelong's independent rock scene. Their journey from a local project started by Levi Anderson to a nationally touring band with international listeners shows what can happen when musicians stick with their own sound. They have released multiple recordings, played festivals and sold out shows, earned major streaming numbers and even had their music used in broadcasts connected with the NFL, Formula 1, Big Bash Cricket and the Bathurst racing event. Most importantly, they have continued to enjoy playing together. For The Kite Machine, the story has never really been about chasing fame or fitting into a particular musical category. It has been about making loud, funky, energetic rock music and getting people moving, and after more than a decade, that is still what they do best.
That will do it for this report about The Kite Machine. Thank you for reading and in closing, please know, Soundwave Music Media will be here and we will always do our best to bring you the rock music report. Please consider supporting our Soundwave Foundation with a donation! Rock On! Until next time...🤘
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Written By: Ginny Gaines
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