Long Roads, Loud Nights and the Songs That Hold Them Together Inside the World of ‘NAMES’

CHAT SESSION 143 with ‘NAMES’ Band, Fergus, Hannes, Pauly, Patty

Topic- Songs That Press Forward, Pull You In, and Leave Something Behind

Monday 2^nd February 2026 1pm https://rppfm.com.au

There’s a particular kind of restlessness that comes from growing up on the edge of things. On the Mornington Peninsula, the landscape is wide and open, but the towns are small, and the distance between them stretches time in strange ways. Days blur together. Nights grow long. Music becomes a way to fill the gaps, to burn off energy, to say things that don’t come easily any other way. Out of this environment comes NAMES, a four-piece band from Rye, Victoria, whose sound feels inseparable from the place that shaped it.

NAMES blend psych, punk, rock’n’roll and country into something gritty, volatile and distinctly Australian. Their music carries the salt and dust of coastal living, the chaos of garage shows, and the tension that comes from being both deeply connected to home and desperate to push beyond it. It’s loud without being hollow, emotional without being precious. Every song feels like it’s been lived in before it was written.

From the beginning, the band have resisted neat categorisation. One moment they’re locked into sharp, wiry punk rhythms that threaten to derail at any second; the next they open out into wide, emotionally charged passages that linger and breathe. That contrast is central to their identity. The shifts aren’t just stylistic—they mirror the emotional swings of real life: frustration, tenderness, anger, reflection, all colliding without warning.

There’s a sense of defiance in NAMES’ music, but it’s not performative. It comes from experience. Growing up in places where opportunity doesn’t always feel close at hand fosters a particular kind of urgency. You can hear it in the way their songs press forward, in riffs that feel like they’re trying to break through walls, in vocals that sound less like performance and more like confession. At the same time, there’s a strong emotional grounding running through their work, anchoring the noise in something unmistakably human.

Singing Birds Studios

Photo- NathFilms

While comparisons are inevitable, NAMES wear their influences lightly. The blunt-force honesty and raw intensity often associated with bands like The Peep Tempel are present, as is the narrative instinct and emotional clarity found in the songwriting of Paul Kelly. There are also moments of sonic ambition that nod towards Radiohead’s more exploratory edges. But these references never overwhelm the band’s own voice. Instead, they act as distant landmarks—recognisable but never dominating the terrain.

More than anything, NAMES’ music is shaped by place. The Mornington Peninsula isn’t romanticised in their songs; it’s treated honestly. There’s beauty, yes, but also isolation, repetition, and a quiet pressure that builds over time. Their lyrics and moods capture that duality—the pull of home and the need to escape it, the comfort of familiarity and the frustration that comes with it. Its music rooted in geography, but driven by emotion rather than imagery.

That grounding becomes especially clear in the band’s quieter moments. Even when the volume drops, the tension remains. Melodies stretch out like long roads at dusk, while lyrics sit heavy with memory and unresolved feeling. These moments give their louder sections weight, making the chaos feel earned rather than indulgent. Nothing exists in isolation; every explosion is balanced by restraint.

Live performance is where NAMES fully come into focus. Onstage, the four-piece operate as a single, unpredictable organism. Shows are loud, loose and constantly threatening to fall apart, but that fragility is part of the appeal. There’s no safety net. Songs bend and swell, tempos shift, and moments flare up unexpectedly. It’s not about polish or precision—it’s about commitment and trust, both within the band and with the audience.

Singing Birds Studios

Photo- NathFilms

A NAMES show feels less like entertainment and more like a shared release. Sweat drips, amps hum, and the room fills with a kind of collective tension that doesn’t fully resolve until the last note fades. There’s something ritualistic about it, as though everyone present is complicit in what’s unfolding. Part pub gig, part emotional purge, it’s an experience that lingers long after the gear is packed down.

What sets NAMES apart is their willingness to embrace imperfection. In a musical landscape increasingly shaped by algorithms and surface-level sheen, they lean into rough edges and unpredictability. Their songs breathe, crack, and occasionally strain under their own weight. That vulnerability isn’t a weakness—it’s the point. It’s what makes their music feel alive.

At their core, NAMES are a band deeply connected to each other, to where they come from, and to the emotional messiness of being human. They aren’t interested in chasing trends or smoothing out their sound to fit expectations. Instead, they amplify what’s already there—coastal isolation, suburban chaos, love, anger, longing—and turn it into something loud, physical and real.

NAMES don’t try to escape the Peninsula that shaped them. They carry it with them, channelling its contradictions into music that’s urgent, expansive and unforgettable. In doing so, they remind us that some of the most compelling sounds come not from chasing the centre, but from standing firmly on the edge and shouting back.

Stay loud with NAMES—catch every release, gig, and update on their socials.

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My hope is that when you’re looking at yourself in the

‘The Daily Mirror’

YOU SMILE

EMBRACE BEING YOU

AND FIND 10 MINUTES IN YOUR DAY TO NOURISH YOUR SOUL!

To get in touch with Cathy email smileinthedailymirror@gmail.com 

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