ENTERTAINMENT | INTERVIEW | NOSTALGIA
Written by Carlos Norton (he/him) | @carlosnorton_ | Contributing Writer
As I sat at my desk, in my hoodie and track pants, brothers Oli and Louis from the hit band Lime Cordiale were on their way to an early morning surf. Where? The frigid Cornwall countryside. The pair had made friends with some locals, who offered to take them to a hidden beach. Looking out the window behind them, I saw nothing but overcast skies—they have an unwavering commitment to surfing. Cornwall beaches are Antarctic in comparison to Bondi or Bronte Beach. The Aussie spirit never leaves you, even when you're halfway across the world. "We make a point of sightseeing everywhere we go."
Being bandmates and siblings can be tricky. Case and point: Oasis. But Lime Cordiale found a way to get along. The pair fought a lot as children, but that only brought them together. Oli points out that you "become mates, even with all the fighting. Now we know each other inside out, and it's easy to tell when one of us is having a rough day or just needs some support." As the older brother, Oli led the interview while Louis occasionally chimed in.
Lime Cordiale origins take us back to high school in 2009. Side-parted bangs, iPods, and Jay Jay's graphic tees were all the rage. "We were into bands like Kings of Leon, The Strokes, The Kooks, Fat Freddy's Drop, oh and Vampire Weekend back then," Oli says. These bands and their sonic sensibilities are clearly felt on their early EPs. The boys were heavily inspired by the "groove and sound" of Clean the House by Fat Freddy's Drop in their song Spider Legs. "The two have a lot of similarities, but you wouldn't think of [Spider Legs] being a Fat Freddy's Drop song".
Oli tried his hand at a bunch of punk bands in high school, but none of them lasted longer than your typical playground romance. "Someone was always quitting, wanting to change the name, or the band would just fall apart". That's when his big brother wisdom kicked in: "If I form a band with my brother, we can't really break up, right? It's bound by blood—he can't escape."
Apart from the sinister connotations of "he can't escape", the pair have developed their musical talents together. Over the years, Oli has been credited on the guitar, vocals and some clarinet. Louis has taken the spotlight with the bass guitar, trumpet, lead vocals and even the kazoo. They've worked seamlessly together without spilling any blood for the past 15 years, evolving their funky and bouncy sound. Their first EP, Faceless Cat, was humorously described by the pair as "pretty weird." With their initial releases, they focused on making their music radio-friendly. "Not too long, not too short, and with a big chorus."
After varying successes in their earlier works, the pair's 'get famous quick' mindset only lasted a short time. "It wasn't until we did our first album, Permanent Vacation, where we did just kind of go, you know what, fuck it. Radio is not going to play us, so let's just record what we love and what our fans love."
The name Lime Cordiale has family roots for the brothers. "Our last name is Limebach, but our dad's side of the family just calls us the limes," Oli pointed out. "On a family holiday to Europe where we started writing our first songs, we were attending a little classical music festival that our aunt puts on in the south of France called Music Cordiale. Which led us to think "how funny and beautiful would it be if we started a band called Lime Cordiale?" "We had a stupid little joke between us, and that became the band name."
At first, the boys performed in small, low-key pubs dotted around Avalon. A small suburb in Sydney. Their audiences mainly consisted of their friends. "At the earlier shows, we were just trying to keep people dancing and keep people interested. We hate it when heads turn away during a set," Oli said.
Intimate venues often attract dedicated fans, so it's no surprise that one of their most memorable fan moments happened at a University of Melbourne show. Giggling to himself, Oli recounted how once "a guy got up on someone's shoulders and poured a whole bottle of cordial all over his head. Everyone below him got covered in cordial."
Like their fans, the brothers aren't afraid to be themselves on social media. The band's social media platforms are an unpredictable fifty-fifty mix of promotional material and shitposting. Countless drunken escapades litter their feed. Their next sponsorship could be Guinness beer, given how much they post about it. Seeing them as musicians, loving brothers, and ordinary blokes is refreshing.
It wasn't until their first European tour in 2019 that they were able to quit their day jobs and focus on touring full-time. Oli had been working as a part-time music teacher while Louis was a contractor—jobs that didn't exactly excite them. "There's at least eight years of hard slogging around Sydney and Melbourne before we could say we were popping off as a band" […] "It's been a really slow climb, and I think that's made us better."
Arguably, the band's magnum opus so far has been their collaboration with British actor and musician Idris Elba on the EP Cordi Elba. Oli and Louis were on the lookout for someone unique to collaborate with. They first asked an unnamed French musician if she would like to feature on their new album. "When that didn't come through, we looked to Japan for hip-hop artists to possibly perform with us. But we couldn't really find someone that felt right."
By pure chance, Elba was down under filming 2022's Three Thousand Years of Longing. A mutual friend "flicked the track Unnecessary Things to him." Loving the song, Idris Elba got in contact with the band. Before they knew it, and "in about three hours", Elba and the band had completed their first collaboration. Both Elba and Lime Cordiale loved the song. Many would call this experience life-changing or exhilarating, but they summed it up like any typical Aussie bloke. "Sick."
Their collaboration didn't stop there. Elba came back to their studio the following June, and "six weeks later, we'd been working every single moment he had off. Every single moment he wasn't filming, he wanted to be in the studio with us." The EP is a quirky mix of indie rock and alternative funk. It's as if Gorillaz and Neon Trees had a lovechild. Elba's deep, gravelly voice uniquely blends the EP's wavy guitars and upbeat drums. It perfectly balances laid-back vibes and infectious energy, creating a project that feels effortlessly cool yet undeniably memorable. It's a unique mix, but it works. Oli pointed out, "He's the loveliest guy. It's kind of weird how nice and lovely he is. He doesn't have a bad bone in his body." "I've started moisturising to prepare to dethrone him as the sexiest man alive."
They've developed an itch for collaborations, claiming that a dream collaboration of theirs would be with Miley Cyrus. "I'd like to collab with a pop star known not just for being a pop star, but for being fucking amazing", Oli gushes.
Lime Cordiale have used their platform to champion the causes dearest to them. The pair have met twice with the current Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. The meeting was not a meet and greet with a die-hard fan. But a discussion as representatives of the Australian music community. Oli pointed out that after the "first meeting with him, he pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into the music industry" through Australia's 2023 Federal Arts Policy. They met again earlier this year. This time, they discussed issues surrounding climate change. Oli and Louis are passionate environmentalists and are dedicated to "making things more climate-conscious". They actively promote ethical and sustainable touring, even featuring a section on their website that highlights ways people can contribute to a better future for the climate.
In addition to meeting heads of government, Lime Cordiale have been jet-setting across Europe for their 'Enough of the Sweet Talk' tour. The album went to number one in Australia on the ARIA charts. The first Australian number one in 10 months. I had to ask about their favourite stops so far. Aotearoa made the cut. Our crowds are "insane." They also gave shoutouts to Dublin, Vancouver, and Canada for their "wild", "loud", and once again "sick" crowds.
Besides selling out shows, the band has been creating a shared Google map, marking their favourite local spots. Everything from coffee shops and parks to venues and kebab shops. They've even added folding bikes to their tour gear to explore cities more thoroughly. "We love travelling, and that's why we do this." When asked if they'll share the map with fans, they revealed it's "becoming pretty mega." A 'Lime Cordiale's Sickest Spots' map seems likely, with their upcoming surf trip likely to make the list.
After chatting about their European adventures, we shifted to their latest album, Enough of the Sweet Talk. The album captures the journey of a relationship, from the blissful honeymoon phase to its bittersweet conclusion. Sonically, the album remains bouncy and warm without sounding repetitive. If you want an album to make you feel like the 'main character', this is the album for you. When I asked what inspired their album concept, they said, "We wanted the album to be relatable to people as if it was one love song, one relationship." They even did some crowdsourcing. They grabbed drinks with friends to talk through past relationships. "The album feels like a journey, going from strangers to friends, to lovers, to enemies, and back to strangers again."
With another hit album, Lime Cordiale haven't let fame contaminate their honesty and passion. "We've always had our doubts, and we've dealt a lot with imposter syndrome. I don't know if that'll change. But you don't get to where we are now without just pushing on."
Lime Cordiale is performing their Enough of the Sweet Talk tour at the Auckland Town Hall on Sunday, the 20th of October. Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.
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