WISHER

Writer: Em Tobin

Images: @scarlettzanchetta

@scarlettzanchetta

Born from streetlight serenades and the adoration of star-eyed teenagers scrambling into smoking sections after sets, Wisher is Brisbane’s love child. The passion project is true lightning in a beer bottle, a homage to the hometown heroes of inner-city suburbs, a manifesto of magic. 

Before their show, Wisher sets up in the newly relocated Season Three above Echo and Bounce. With similar Cathedral-Style curved windows behind the stage to the original Brunswick Street space, the venue resembles a far-off film still. The stage lighting is reflective, and the venue appears liminal, dreamy, and dynamic. 

There is an aura of mysticism in watching a Wisher set, as if you have come across a very well-kept secret worth sharing. The music is clean and translucent. Sound spills down the stairwell into the uncut air. Inside Season Three, bodies are bound breathless, close enough to the stage to reach out and touch the microphones. It’s evident. People are there for the music, and the music is mythical. 

Whimsical, wise, and wild, Wisher sings poetry and pain. The band interweaves the fabrics of wonderlust into tales of hope, tragedy, and grit. Between harmonised vocals and melodic riffs, they transform the calamity of coming of age. A beauty bound to Brisbane, Wisher captures the snare of the city’s spirit as a legend. 

Wisher is May Gleeson, Jade Kelly, Ellis Yunker, Ben Gerrard, and Ky Fullwood. Together, their soundtrack smells of an impending afternoon storm, the backseat of a first boyfriend’s car, table salt, and the historic halls that have hosted Brisbane’s 1980s rock and roll stars. Wisher’s sound speaks to the nostalgic nuances of love, loss, and life, interweaving the nature of normality to memory.  

Here is our catch up with Wisher.

EM: Thanks for taking the time to catch up, I'm so keen to see you play! Wisher is pretty fresh out on the scene, as an upcoming Brisbane band, how did you meet and begin the project?

MAY: Jade and I met the day after my birthday party last year, when I went to our friend’s house, where we held a pasta night. We had a jam session, and it took off from there. 

JADE: Wisher was always originally May’s project. When she had the idea to incorporate harmonies into the vocals, she asked me. It’s been an honour to work alongside her. 

MAY: I heard Jade sing, and she was amazing!

EM: You’ve curated quite a unique sound. Can you run me through your musical influences?

MAY: Our sound is predominantly 90’s alternative rock scenes. Being female vocalists, we’re inspired by a lot of lady rock. Think Breeders, Guided by Voices, Dinosaur Jr. 

JADE: With the harmonies and vocal tone, we were definitely inspired by Elliot Smith. We have an airy, acoustic sound to a lot of our songs. We want to incorporate this more as the project progresses. 

EM: What do you draw influence from when writing songs?

MAY: When writing music, I find an idea for a melody first, which I follow with lyrics. Wisher’s lyricism itself is an amalgamation of the experiences I’m living through at the time. I use words I’ve seen or read. I talk about events that have occurred within a period around the time that I’m writing a song. It’s never intentional in terms of me sitting down and writing about something to produce into music.  

EM: How much emphasis do you place on capturing narratives and messaging within the music? What themes come up for you?

MAY: I often capture lyrics that reflect the complexities of being a woman, and the lived experiences I’ve had navigating transitions within my late teens to early 20s. I find that although a lot of my experience sits within an individualistic scope, a lot of other people have parallels that resonate with the music. It’s beautiful to sing about. 

EM: I’ve been to a few Wisher shows since your band’s debut, and you’ve been booked frequently recently. What do you look to do with the newfound momentum? 

MAY: I’m glad that we’ve established both the acoustic and full band setup now. I love having the boys there when we want to be loud and dynamic. 

JADE: It was such a big thing for us to work up to being a full band, so we lost sight of our acoustic sound. Now that we’ve got the traction, it’s time to level it out. 

MAY: I also really love how unique Jade and I’s vocals are when we work together, and presenting raw, stripped-back sounds. I think narrowing down our Elliot Smith influence within female voices in harmonies sounds really cool. 

EM: What do you look forward to doing with upcoming releases or future projects?

MAY: We’re looking to record a couple of our older songs we’ve been playing for a while sometime in the near future. Because our band is individually so talented, we have a lot of side projects. Jade’s personal project, Granddaughter, is about to take off. 

JADE: I’ve just started Granddaughter, which draws on an acoustic, female-fronted indie sound. We’ve just started doing demos for that at the moment. 

EM: You’ve always played to a welcoming and wide fan base. Have you felt a sense of community encouragement, and has this inspired the band’s progression?

MAY: Wisher is an incredibly community-driven project, and it’s amazing to be part of the Brisbane music scene at the moment. Specifically, Nick and James have welcomed us with open arms into their venues. 

JADE: When we played our debut full-band show at Season Three, it was a really big moment for us. That was the goal from the start, and it was sold out, so it was great to be surrounded by community spirit. 

MAY: Every act we’ve played with has been very special and welcoming. Everyone we’ve interacted with has been accommodating and ensured we were encouraged. 

EM: Who would be your dream Australian act to play with? 

MAY: You Am I, they’re my all-time favorite Australian band. Or Magic Dirt. 

JADE: Yeah, I’d have to agree. Magic Dirt. 

EM: Where can fans find your music at the moment?

MAY: Currently, we are on Soundcloud. 

JADE: Or you can come along and see us live. 

FIND WISHER HERE:

SOUNDCLOUD INSTAGRAM