PHANTASM STREET

Writer: Joe Maranta

Stumbling into a surreal location, you gaze through fog to find yourself surrounded by silhouettes and voices from a time that once was. The clouds disperse and you see yourself with a love that is no more, the remnants of a close friendship, and an image of yourself embracing with a family member now passed. You continue on, enveloped with feelings of pain, nostalgia and familiarity. 

The sound of amps cranked to their limit begins to beckon you forward. As you approach a dingy looking building, you notice four men with hair ringing down to their shoulders. 

Appearing as guardians of this liminal space, they stand together upon a stage to play to what appears to be an empty audience. The dissonance of their initial guitar strums falls away to reveal harmonious melodies as figures begin to apparate within an overgrown backyard serving as a de-facto arena. 

As you’re drawn closer to them, you feel your ego unmask, any feelings of apprehension you once held now disappearing to wherever it is you came from. You’re in it now. You’re a part of whatever the hell this is, there’s no more you, there’s no more them. The wash of shoegaze, guitar-rock and heaviness envelopes you wholly, you aren’t positive of what's happening but you’ve never felt more at home. 

This is Phantasm Street. 

Originally born in the streets of Redcliffe, Phantasm St is the musical project of Caleb Freeman (vox, lead guitar), Josh Pike (rhythm guitar), Theodore Todd (bass) and Tim Liggins (drums). 

An homage to life’s memories, the uncanny guitar-driven melodies of Phantasm Street create a world with an ethos of individuality above all.

JOE: Firstly, how long has the band been together and why the name Phantasm Street?

CALEB: I think we started rehearsing in June of 2022. Before our first gig at Bearded Lady, Josh and Theo lived together, and we’d basically be there every night of the week rehearsing for hours and pumping cones (probably too many haha). It was a beautiful period though. 

Phantasm is like a meaning for a ghost. So I've kind of attributed that to this idea that your memories that you experience over your life can kind of turn into ghostly figures in your brain.  Kind of putting all of my memories into this imaginary street of all these places over a period of time and significant events. I just called that Phantasm Street and it serves as the most emotional parts of your life, the moments you feel the deepest maybe. 

JOE: What would you say is your band’s philosophy?

JOSH: The more speakers the better, the more engulfing you can get the better. 

CALEB: I remember someone said to us as well, we’re like shoegaze but Australian. Australian shoegaze.Which I think is fair because we have an Aussie vibe with our vocals and stuff. 

JOE: How would you describe yourself as live performers?

JOSH: I think a lot of the live stage energy just comes from how we have been mates for so long, I guess. And I think a lot of the general vibe and characteristics of our music is from that. 

TIM: It really helps create that comfort on stage, there's not really any feelings of fucking up. It’s just the boys chilling and going crazy, I think that's what's so special about Phantasm Street. 

CALEB: When you’re young you want to be perceived as cool and you want to be accepted, but once you realise that all being cool is, is being yourself and what you naturally enjoy doing, it’s a beautiful thing. We can all indulge in being friends, it’s a beautiful feeling, like you can celebrate being brothers and loving each other. 

JOE: You’re all from Redcliffe, a town not known for its music scene, how did this affect your relationship with live music growing up?

JOSH: Back in Redcliff like you couldn’t really be yourself, people would be terrible to you and just call you a fa****. But then in the valley there’d be a gig on the weekend in some house, and you’d be looking forward to it all week. 

Crazy shit would happen, you'd meet all these crazy fucking people. You’d leave the venue and you’d have used all your energy and you’d feel fucked the next day. Then you’d have to mish to the train station to catch the last Redcliffe line back home at midnight. It was the best.

JOE: You’ve said you sometimes clash with sound guys because you insist on being as loud as possible, so who would you say is your favourite sound guy in Brisbane?

EVERYONE (AT ONCE): James. James from Bearded Lady. He's the best sound guy in Brisbane. 100%. 

CALEB: He just takes care of the bands. Not even just doing sound, he just has such amazing service. Every time you go there, like, he's just the friendliest guy. He always waits until you're ready. 

JOE: Are there any Brisbane bands you can see breaking out of the city’s scene and into stardom?

CALEB: I think Special Features have the potential. Because they have that varied Australian sound, which I fuck with so much. I think they have the potential especially with that new single they released, Sweetest Dreams. 

TIM: They have these really cool fuzzed out, really well-written songs, like an anthemic type sound.

CALEB: IXARAS too, definitely. 

JOE: Your new single Rope is hopefully coming out in a few weeks, are there any more plans for new music in the works?

TIM: I think just another single or two, then aim for an album next year. 

CALEB: I've kind of already pieced together what I want the album to be so it's just like it's a matter of us just making it. We like to keep what's our foundation, we love fuzz, we love loudness, we love body and like pop melodies.

21.06.24: ANTIDISMAL LAUNCH | BUY TICKETS HERE

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