Pop-rock duo kicking lockdown blues

TWO-piece indie pop-rock act, This Way North, are hitting the road in May for a host of regional shows, including at the Old Church on the Hill.

Leisha Jungalwalla and Cat Leahy met in Canada when they were playing in different bands and formed their duo in 2015.

Since then, the pair have performed across the world and were set to embark on a tour of North American before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled their plans and grounded them in Yackandandah.

“We were lucky we got the base with our friends in Yackandandah at the end of 2019,” Jungalwalla said.

“We were grateful to have some rest and jump off the hamster wheel that can be the music industry at times, but also we lost our career and the joy of creating music and sharing the experience with people and seeing our friends on the road.”

This Way North’s love of travelling is evident in their music, with a mix of reverberated guitars and trembling rhythms resulting in music designed for road trips, festival stages and intimate shows.

“We love so many elements of hitting the road, the trip, the journey, soundchecks, all of it, we appreciate it in a totally different light now that we had it taken away from us,” Jungalwalla said.

“We’re going to be chomping at the bit to play in Bendigo, we actually played our first official This Way North gig at a Bendigo Blues and Roots fundraiser years ago, so Bendigo’s been a really great spot for us.

“We’ve played Old Church on the Hill and it’s just an awesome community space, it has really important things that happen there, not just music but all sort of things. It’s an awesome spot.”

This Way North are bringing along long-time friend, singer-songwriter Mark Lang to share the stage, promising a high energy show to get you out of your seat.

They play on Friday, 27 May and tickets are available at trybooking.com/BYDGU.