Darlinghurst stands alone in many ways. Its not just a band but a creative team of musicians, artists and management team that a lockdown didn’t slowdown this Dynamic, Exciting and Unique Band. This band is made up of Jason Resch, Pagan Newman, Cassie Leopold and Matt Darvidis who came together to bring a fresh sound to the masses….oh and they have. Darlinghurst are GMan's special guests in the studio’s of 3KND (KoolNDeadly) to yarn about their new release called, “Where do we go”.
Darlinghurst’s music is certainly proving to be infectious with no less than four from four Top 5 Country Hot 50 chart positions to date, including two #1’s, their debut single ‘Sorry Won’t Get You Back’, and the recent ‘Gotta Go Rodeo’. Darlinghurst were nominated for 'New Talent of the Year' at the 2021 Golden Guitar Awards.
“After the run of hits in Britain and the two-year writing sessions in Los Angeles and Nashville, I returned to Melbourne at the end of 2015 with my options open. “I’ve always loved music and always wanted to write great songs. But I knew something would happen, and I figured if I met up with like-minded people, we’d form a band.” Jason began writing Darlinghurst’s debut single ‘Sorry Won’t Get You Back’ in Los Angeles and finished it in Melbourne with Cassie and Pagan. He says, “The wonderful thing about country music is the stories that it tells, and I think this song speaks for itself. “It’s got a universal theme, about betrayal and heartbreak, and I hope it resonates with as many people as possible.”
Over four years in the UK Jason co-wrote a number of hits, including Girls A Loud’s chart topping 'The Promise' which went on to win Best British Single at the 2009 BRIT Awards (“the backing track came together in nine minutes”), Alesha Dixon’s' The Boy Does Nothing' (UK #5, Aus #8) and The Saturdays' 'All Fired Up' (UK#3). Needing a change in scenery, Jason moved to Los Angeles to demo his songs, and then to Nashville, a city where he did not know anybody. He chuckles: “I went to Music Row where all the record companies are and knocked on the door of every single one – and every single one of them threw me out!” Back in Melbourne, he was recording at Secret Sound Studios when its co-owner, producer Pete Dacy, told him of two singers using his studio to record original country songs. The original plan was for him to write some songs for them. But as soon as Jason, Cassie and Pagan met up in 2017, they clicked immediately, and decided to form a band. Jason: “We never had to discuss what Darlinghurst was going to be like. We knew we had our roots in country music, and the only thing we spoke about was that the songs had to come from an honest place.”
Cassie and Pagan had trod the boards since their early teens. Cassie did backing vocals for Christine Anu and Olivia Newton-John, and played theme parks in the US. Pagan cut a RNB Soul album in the US, and is a music teacher. They also toured together in a number of tribute acts, covering Abba, Meat Loaf and soul classics among others. These took them to rough mining towns where the men hadn’t seen a woman for six weeks and had finished their shifts and been at the bar since 7 am. “So we’d walk onstage and they’d be wolf whistling, it was crazy but they were fantastic blokes.” Cassie came up with the name Darlinghurst. “I’d just written a film script called Darlinghurst about a group of misfits who come from all around Australia to audition for a musical, which is being staged to save a music theatre from being taken away from its owner. “It had a country music feel to it, the ‘darling’ aspect had strong connotations to country music, and besides, it was the only name the three of us would agree on!”
A little after that initial writing session, the decision was made to expand Darlinghurst into a four-piece. Producer Pete Dacy suggested Matt, a guitarist from a family of musicians. He’d played on his mother’s album, which was recorded there, and had done work experience at the studio. As soon as he heard the songs, he agreed straight away to join Darlinghurst. Darlinghurst’s new single 'Where Do We Go' is released on January 29th on Helium / MGM.
2021 Nominee Australian Country Music Awards New Talent of the Year Australian Country HOT 50 Chart History Debut Single: Sorry Won't Get You Back #1 (2019) So Long So Long #5 (2019) Picture Frame #4 (2020) Gotta Go Rodeo #1 (October 2020)