STACK #245 March 2025

MUSIC FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

L iz Stringer quit drinking nine years ago. “Everyone gets out of themselves in some way, whether it’s eating or gambling or drinking, or whatever it is,” she believes. “The energy that I put into drinking I now put into other things.” Stringer has called her seventh album The Second High . “It’s a bit of a mantra to myself to just calm down and not chase something that ultimately won’t be satisfying.” The Melbourne artist made the record with producer Beni Giles in London, where she is now based. Stringer wanted to work with Giles after hearing his work with Lianne La Havas. “I consider him to be a musical genius,” Stringer says. “And I don’t use that term lightly. He’s an incredibly talented engineer and producer and he’s hyper musical.” After nearly a decade sober, Liz Stringer releases The Second High . HIGH & DRY It’s a stunning piece of work, dominated by Stringer’s piano playing. “I really wanted to make something a bit different,” she explains. “I’ve always leaned into the guitar, though, weirdly, piano was my first instrument.” Jeff Jenkins The Second High by Liz Stringer is out Mar 28 via Dot Dash

Liz Stringer

MORE DSC?

Liz Stringer is part of the indie supergroup Dyson Stringer Cloher, with Mia Dyson and Jen Cloher. They released an acclaimed self-titled album in 2019 – “Supergroups don’t always work, but this is a winner,” STACK declared. So, will there be more? “There are no immediate plans, because we are all scattered everywhere,” Stringer says. “But never say never.”

Liz Stringer was part of Midnight Oil’s touring band for their Makarrata and Resist tours. “An amazing experience,” she says. “I learnt a lot about commitment – to performing and their beliefs. They’re not a band that does things by halves. It was deeply inspiring. And they really looked after Leah [Flanagan] and me. We call them our uncles – Uncle Oils.”

UNCLE OILS

KINGSWOOD COUNTRY WA’s Old Mervs release a ripping debut.

Old Mervs, David House and Henry Carrington Jones

Photo credit: Andrew Briggs

Old Mervs have done gigs with Liam Gallagher and The Wombats. The UK band “are absolute legends, some of the greatest blokes we’ve met”, but they didn’t get to meet the Oasis singer. “I really wanted to shake his hand and say, ‘I absolutely love your stuff, Noel’,” Henry jokes. “And if he punched us out, we would have ended up in the papers.” BROTHERLY LOVE

T his story starts in Kojonup, 250km south-east of Perth, a town noted for wool and wheat. David House meets Henry Carrington-Jones at primary school. Initially, their relationship is based around motorbikes and footy. But in their teens, they discover music. They start a two-piece band, with Dave on guitar and vocals, and Henry on drums and backing vocals. “I saw [fellow two-piece] Hockey Dad live and realised we could do it,” Henry says. Old Mervs are yet to be featured

in the “notable residents” section of Kojonup’s Wiki page, which includes a couple of football legends, Stephen Michael and Peter Bell. But it’s only a matter of time. And Old Mervs are looking forward to their triumphant return to town. They have played a few 21sts at local shearing sheds, but are yet to do a gig at the Kojonup pub. “It’s definitely on the list,” Henry smiles. Jeff Jenkins THE NAME GAME Whenever their parents are at a gig, someone will approach one of their dads and remark, “You must be Merv!” The duo is yet to actually meet a Merv, “though a few people have told us their granddad is named Merv.” Dave says: “Until someone names their kid Merv after us, I won’t be satisfied.”

COVER ME The cover of Old Mervs’ self-titled debut shows the duo in their old rehearsal space at Henry’s family farm, next to his dad’s HZ Premier wagon. “Dad is a big car collector, both Holdens and Fords. Whatever it is, he’s consistently a V8 man.”

Old Mervs by Old Mervs is out Mar 21 via Universal

30 MARCH 2025

jbhifi.com.au