Toucan… A Very Talented Twosome

By John Bones on March 6, 2012 in Arts

Sydney boy/girl duo Toucan (a.k.a Jess and Shea) met studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and found that their different musical backgrounds made for a unique collaboration.

Channeling some Aldous Huxley vibes, it’s all about escape, toughness of love and coming of age.

With support from Triple J Unearthed, Toucan have been playing packed shows along Australia’s east coast. Having just wrapped up a national support tour with The Kooks they will be performing at Playground Weekender at Wiseman’s Ferry this month.

The Beast recently threw a few questions at the talented twosome…

Toucan in a sentence is…

Shea: We’re a boy and a girl from Sydney who both studied classical composition but now make pop music.

First memory of music…

Jess: Wearing a Dorothy the Dinosaur outfit whilst watching The Wiggles live. I remember being really happy dancing to ‘Hot Potato’.

First album you bought…

S: ‘Tango in the Night’ by Fleetwood Mac. I remember picking it up from a garage sale as a kid for something like 50 cents.

Song that gives you goose bumps …

J: ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ by Radiohead still gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it.

Fave driving album/s…

S: The entire Simon and Garfunkel discography. I listened to Simon and Garfunkel whenever we went on family holidays and I still think they’re the perfect soundtrack for a road trip.

A Toucan highlight…

J: This January we were lucky enough to support The Kooks on their tour around Australia, where we played to a sell-out audience at the Hordern Pavilion. It’s crazy to see thousands of people dancing in time to your music!

If you could pick a supergroup its members would be…

S: Michael Jackson up front, Edgard Varese on all things electronic, Nico Muhly on keys, Chris Daddy Dave on drums and Jonny Greenwood on guitars.

Sydney bands giving you the good tingles at the moment…

J: Mrs Bishop are a favourite. They’ve just released their debut single ‘Broken Wing’ on iTunes.

Fave Sydney venue…

S: Oxford Art Factory – I’ve been to dozens of great gigs there and the vibe has always been fantastic.

Band or genre that gives you an ice-cream headache…

J: I’d say the Pussycat Dolls are up there, although they have a few songs I secretly can’t get enough of.

If you bowed to corporate sponsorship it would be to advertise…

S: We both drink a lot of coffee so I’ll say Campos.

Your dream bill for a night (Toucan included of course)…

J: Playing at Wembley Stadium with Beyonce, The Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews Band and Van Morrison, followed by after-party performances by Joni Mitchell and Elton John. We can only dream!

An unknown Toucan fact…

S: Jess and I first met at Schools Spectacular in 2007, but didn’t really start hanging out until our paths crossed again at the Conservatorium.

What next for Toucan…

J: We’re releasing a single and video clip in March. Then we start recording for our next EP, which we’re due to release mid-year. We’re also playing a bunch of shows around Australia – the next big one is Playground Weekender.

To find out more about Toucan visit www.toucantoucan.com.