Jake Clarke is what you might call a true fan.
The local man has followed The Southern River Band (SRB) for three years now and hasn’t looked back.
He loves the band so much in fact, that after reading last week’s Examiner front page he asked for a number of copies of the paper and proudly showed Examiner staff an image of lead singer Callum Kramer tattooed on his arm.
“I don’t know what it is that attracted me but it’s the fact that they are so in touch and how they connect to their fans on a live level and in their music,” Jake said.
“The are absolutely an accessible band and I think that is what appeals to me the most, you can catch them anytime, anywhere.
“With the big international bands, you’re lucky if you can catch them every five years or so but with this band you can catch them every few months and it’s like.. let’s go.”
And it’s not just the music that Jake loves but the whole scene, which has also made him some lifelong friends.
“I’ve made some pretty amazing friendships and it’s about the band’s ability to connect people through their music and live performances as well,” he said.
“They have a connection with their fans that I have never experienced before,” he said.
Jake said he heard one song and was completely hooked.
“The song that got me into them it was the track ‘Chimney.’
“The first time I heard that song and the guitar solo kicked in I was completely blown away. “It was through my brother because he was into them before me and he said there’s a new band called SRB and they’re local and I listened to ‘Chimney’ and that was it, the rest is history.”
And Jake’s not stopping there, he’s already pre-ordered the band’s new album and is going to both of the band’s album launch gigs.
“I have now seen SRB live 15 times and I am going to the next two gigs, my tickets are already booked,” he said.
“The new album is coming out in mid-August and I have pre-ordered the bundle of the vinyl signed by the band and a cap, a vinyl slip mat and a t-shirt.
“I have a couple of their vinyls at home and listen to them as often as I can and I even have them playing at work sometimes.
“I have caught up with Cal in the past and he’s a top bloke and that’s what makes him and the band so appealing, he always takes time for his fans, I love that.”
