After winning Passport to Airlie in 2019, Lash78 will make their triumphant return to the Airlie Beach Festival of Music this year, bringing an evolved sound but the same enthralling energy.
Hailing from Melbourne, Lash78 combines the vocal talents of sisters Lauren and Sheridan Harvey who, with family members entrenched in the music scene, were destined to perform.
“Growing up, we attended rock concerts together and that was from the time that we could walk, really,” said Sheridan.
In late 2008, Lauren joined the cast of ‘Billy Elliott the Musical’ taking on the role of ‘Debbie’ for the shows Melbourne run.
Meanwhile, Sheridan was developing and showcasing her skills, getting into the busking scene and performing at festivals, conventions and on radio.
At the ages of seven and eight, the sisters joined forces and busked together for the first time at Tamworth Country Music Festival, hence the name Lash78.
“Post-Lauren being on Billy Elliot, we just kept busking because it was such a phenomenal opportunity,” said Sheridan.
“We connected with councils, we were getting council gigs, getting flown to Queensland and Adelaide for a couple of conventions, so the experience and the contacts we got out of that, you couldn’t put a price on that.”
17 years later, Lash78 have an EP to their name and a wealth of experience on the stage, performing with the likes of Lee Kernaghan, The McClymonts, Adam Harvey, Russell Morris and Mahalia Barnes.
Throughout it all, Lauren and Sheridan have remained true to themselves and true to each other.
“We’re really authentically us all the time,” said Sheridan.
“It’s really chaotic sometimes but we’re also able to snap it back together when it comes to crunch time.
“We’re very lucky that we get along most of the time which helps the dynamic,” added Lauren.
“We’ve been raised to have each other’s backs.
“It’s amazing, we’re very close, we’re very present in each other’s lives.”
“But also, we’re able to challenge each other to take that next step musically,” said Sheridan.
“We can probably push each other more than friends can because, at the end of the day, we’ll still have to have a family dinner together,” said Lauren.
The music industry has changed a lot since Lash78 last performed at the Airlie Beach Festival of Music and Lauren and Sheridan say their sound has too; a fusion of every genre they grew up listening to.
“We’ve always had the same vision for our music,” said Sheridan.
“We started in the country market and made our way into pop and that rock pop side came in as well.
“That was an emergence of every single thing that we’d grown up with.”
“For the people who were at the festival in 2019, they can expect a surprise,” added Lauren.
“We’ve gone in a completely different direction to what we did as a duo and we’ve really amped it up and we’re ready to melt some faces.”
Favourite bands of all time: Foo Fighters, Paramore, The Poor, P!nk, The Veronicas, Heart
Least favourite song: Cheerleader by OMI
Favourite song to play: “We’re very original focused but a crowd-pleaser that always goes off is AC/DC - Long Way To The Top,” said Sheridan.
Last song you listened to: Karma by Taylor Swift
