Easier Said Than Done

“If I gave one shit about the radio, I’d be playing indie pop in Melbourne,” sings The Southern River Band vocalist-guitarist Cal Kramer in “Bad Luck Baby, Bye Bye”. An infectious, AC/DC-meets-Stones styled boogie from the West Australian quartet’s stonking new album, Easier Said Than Done, in one line it tells you everything you need to know about Kramer, his band, and their laser-focused dedication to rock’n’roll.

“Trying to do a rock’n’roll band in Perth in the 21st century is not exactly the coolest thing in the world,” smiles Kramer. “Some people have told us you should change this or do that, but we’re just going to keep doing our own thing.”

It’s an attitude that’s been winning over fans across the globe, from those who flocked to the group’s recent run of UK and European dates to The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, who proclaimed the four-piece “a proper fucking rock band” after hearing their 2023 single, “Stan Qualen”. Then there was the time Powderfinger vocalist Bernard Fanning slipped into their DMs to tell them he loved what they were doing, and that if they ever needed a place to record he had a studio in Byron Bay with Grammy-winning producer Nick DiDia (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen).