Melbourne hardcore band Caged Existence may be relative newcomers, but they’re kicked goal after goal since their formation in late 2017. Most notably so far, they earned a support slot on tour with scene heroes Knocked Loose and Kublai Khan in Europe, played at the pre-Unify Gathering event, as well as releasing three EPs – all as an independent band, and all before playing any headline shows.
With the release of The Burden Of Purpose EP in June, it was time for that headlining tour to happen, and Caged Existence are presently on the road for that reason. We managed to pull aside the prolifically creative Jake Zammit while in Sydney for a conversation about the band, its growth, and Jake’s own inspirations.
In the in-depth chat with our writer extraordinaire Andrew Cauchi, the pair touched on:
- An introduction to Jake and all the very many things he has on his musical plate right now. (0:13)
- How it feels to have The Burden Of Purpose out in the world. (0:32)
- How Jake feels about Caged Existence’s rapid growth, and the journey from vocalist Steffanie Adele saying “I want to do a band” through to touring in Europe. (1:27)
- How Jake attending ~100 gigs each year inspired his choices within music. (3:06)
- What independence means to Caged Existence and learning from this independence – “I’d never booked a show in my life before. I had no idea. I didn’t ask anyone for help. I just went straight into it and hoped for the best.” (4:32)
- Is there an expectation of success now? (6:21)
- Just HOW Jake balances all of these things he’s involved with! – “You just don’t realise how much time you waste doing nothing sometimes.” (7:30)
- How Jake’s European heritage and religious upbringing impacted upon him pursing heavy music. (9:56)
- The role that things such as veganism and straight edge culture play in Caged Existence’s music. (14:42)
- Does taking in shows of bands like Have Heart help form long term aspirations for Caged Existence? (18:57)
- Based on the upcoming tour with Justice For The Damned, Honest Crooks, and DREGG, are we in a prime moment for Australian heavy music? And acknowledging a gap of opportunity for All Ages shows! (21:52)
- What’s Jake’s perspective of headline shows compared to being support for an international tour (24:40) – “I always get worried that people won’t show up or anything.”
As Andrew says, “Hell yeah”! Lots of insight into what makes Caged Existence tick here. You won’t want to miss this chat.
[Video by Ivan Souriyavong]