OLIVE VOX: Tired, But Determined

When asked how their day is going, there’s a weary pause as OLIVE VOX relive their 3am accommodation cancellation on the same day they’re due to drive 8 hours to kick off grunge legends THE TOADIES' tour. “We’re tired, but determined,” bassist Ben Reid summarises with a resolute smile. 'Determined' is certainly one way to explain how the band have catapulted upward over the last year, travelling across the US on non-stop tour support slots and resorting to sleeping in their van in a huge show of commitment. Touring is notoriously heinous no matter if you’re just starting out or a seasoned band, yet the quartet take it in their stride managing to establish early on their tight-knit friendship (vocalist Parker James and guitarist Caden Shea are brothers, but they come across as best friends) that sees them embrace the challenges of being on the road and shrug them off.

Their collective friendship originated from James and Shea’s siblinghood and the childhood friendship between Shea and drummer Dayton Phillips, with Reid completing the unit through a Facebook ad. A potentially daunting task to join a trio with an established past, Reid slotted into the band as if they’d known each other their whole lives. As Phillips was still performing as the rhythm guitarist at the time and with the pressure of having to find a drummer that “we needed to get into our groove”, the group tasked Phillips with taking on the role of drummer instead and stay a quartet, like a proverbial Goldilocks figuring out what felt right. Learning through rehearsals, recordings, and live shows, Phillips took the basic knowledge he already had and has grown exponentially in skill, in turn shaping the alt-rock-punk music of OLIVE VOX. There are still rare moments he slips up in rehearsals that result in frustrated but never defeated screeches, moments that amuse the others. “I love it when he messes up, cos then I can make fun of him for it,” James jokes fondly as he pokes his friend.

Their camaraderie is delightful to see when they’re taking a breather between shows, but is also evident in how they perform seamlessly on stage and how they interact with their audiences, fellow bands and touring crews. They treat every single show as if it’s the biggest night of their career, regardless of who the crowd is there to see and how many have shown up. “Obviously, it’s noticeable if you’re playing to 3,000 people than a small crowd, but we want everyone to be treated the same and have a great time,” says James. “We try to go in with no expectations and see where it goes,” adds Reid, the band then appreciatively discussing how this has paid off with returning gig-goers and a dedicated fanbase. “It’s so cool to go back, or near to, a place we’ve played before and people come up to us that we begin to recognise. It stops being an “oh that’s one of our fans, cool!”, and becomes more like seeing your friends at your shows,” says Reid, the others nodding emphatically at the sentiment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9-G_wTCdmQ

Fans are in for a memorable experience as they head out on the road for THE TOADIES immense US tour, hearing the latest tracks from upcoming EP Trace It Back - a labour of love and emotional outpouring, James admits their process can be labelled “Frankenstein-esque” and is already being utilised for their next round of unending ideas. “We have this white board that we’ll all add to,” he gestures in midair, “we all do the songwriting so we’ll write lyrics and then make it all work together. [For Trace It Back] we recorded five tracks, took some time, and then came back to record another five, then we had to decide what ones were our favourites.” Will the songs that didn’t make the cut see the light of day in the future? “We put that on our whiteboard too, if we didn’t get to use something, a riff or whatever, then we note it down so we can come back to it. It might not be the exact same, but it’ll inspire us. So yeah, it’s like Frankenstein how we put our ideas together and then actually record it, but everyone gets to try their idea.”

Channelling the alt-rock bands of Orange County and their now-fixed home of Texas, OLIVE VOX are revitalising the fervour and mindset of this genre, whilst also paying homage to the hardcore scene that subtly feeds into their sound too. Already in awe of playing for alt-rock legends and seeing their fanbase grow, their dream of playing with TURNSTILE and GREEN DAY doesn’t feel like so much of a dream but more an attainable goal with each supporter they gain through their dynamic shows. As they think about their band bucket list, you can almost see the mental switch flick that their goals are almost within reach so soon into their career. Where do they hope to end up in the next few years on this trajectory? “Playing Warped Tour would be absolutely sick, or any stage like that,” James gets in first. “Touring has been great for us, but to play all these festival circuits would be something else,” Reid adds. “I’ll go one further,” tops Shea, “getting to play all across Europe!” 

With a chorus of yesses and animated, overlapping chatter of their future plans, we leave OLIVE VOX to a brief rest before they head off across the states, a bright hope that one day we’ll see them this side of the ocean.

OLIVE VOX will release their debut EP Trace It Back on 18th September 2026 via Big Machine Rock.

Words: Julia Stark

Photos: Kylie Green

With thanks to: Cosa Nostra PR and Olive Vox