MANGO Avenue were ecstatic in early 2020 when they were invited to support Newcastle's biggest band internationally, Vacations.
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But COVID ensured that opportunity went begging. Two and a half years later Mango Avenue will finally share a stage with Vacations at the Mates Festival at the Cambridge Hotel on July 29. Other acts scheduled include The Buoys, Teenage Joans and locals acts Teddie and Underlay.
"With how massive Vacations have blown up, we were over the moon when we scored the gig," Mango Avenue bassist Marlon Mackie said.
Mango Avenue might have many miles to travel before they match Vacations' success, but the signs are promising.
The four-piece of Kurtis Long (vocals), Harry Hutton (drums), Jasper Connelly (guitar) and Mackie released the EP Lakeside Poco in 2019.
It found traction online, with the single Lana attracting 221,000 streams on Spotify.
The seeds of Mango Avenue were planted in 2017 when then year 10 students Long and Hutton would jam at the Hunter School Of Performing Arts. Ex-Newcastle High student, Mackie, would later join, before the line-up was complete with Connelly in 2019.
"I think we've 100 per cent locked down our sound now and we're all very happy with how it's travelling," Mackie said.
Mango Avenue initially took their surf sound from Australian bands like Ocean Alley and Skegss, but their forthcoming single Polly takes its influences from English band The Kooks and New York 2000s heavyweights The Strokes.
"It was the first song where the writing was a bit more collaborative," Mackie said. "Polly is about, especially at such a young age, meeting someone and being really in love with them and not imagining life without them."
Polly will be released on August 4.
