Revitalised Spirit With KAT O From KTV

The music industry is a fickle one.
Try as an artist may to strike that elusive winning formula, more often than not, it is timing, or luck, or a combination of both which will ultimately decide the course your musical journey takes. Bands can try unsuccessfully for years to crack the market, churning out quality material time and time again with little or no return.
But then that one moment of magic can change it all. That chance encounter. The right planets aligning at exactly the right time. Which is precisely what happened for Melbourne-based punk/pop band KTV last year, when a simple acceptance to an offer made about putting one of their old singles on a compilation album paid immediate dividends.
After originally forming in the late 1990s, KTV released two EPs, played a tonne of gigs and won music industry competitions at the time. They played shows with high-profile artists including Killing Heidi, Magic Dirt, Deborah Conway, Vika and Linda, and Kisschasy, amongst others. After numerous line-up changes, the band ran out of steam in 2001. Singer/songwriter/guitarist, Kat O went on to form Kathematics, who had a song featured in an American TV show, as well as many other bands.
Fast-forward to 2025, and KTV are back in action with original member Philip Yarra on bass/vocals, who recently toured with UK Ska legends, Bad Manners and the drumming prowess of John Hastings. Armed with a back catalogue of original 90s-inspired pop/punk classics, as well as Kat’s new tunes, KTV are currently making a dent on the local live scene and are keen to get back in the studio to record. HEAVY caught up with Kat late last week to find out more.
One of the things we spoke about was the early days of the band.
"It was around the time when Killing Heidi had their Reflector album out and was number one, they were the number one band in Australia," Kat recalled. "Back when bands were actually number one in Australia (laughs). Those were great days, because that unfortunately doesn't happen anymore. Anyway, we got to support them at the Prince of Wales, and that was a really huge show for us, plus we did gigs with Deborah Conway and Vika and Linda in front of thousands of people at the Arts Centre. There were some really, really big shows, and we played with some of our heroes as well. The scene was amazing back then."
In the full interview, Kat reflects on the KTV's past successes, including supporting major acts and winning competitions. She expressed the excitement and nerves surrounding their recent first show back, highlighting the strong chemistry amongst the members.
We discussed how a compilation CD featuring their demo track reignited interest in the band and addressed the challenges of reforming after a long break, including busy schedules and changes in the music industry. Kat discussed their plans for new music, which will blend nineties-inspired indie punk and grunge elements, while also revisiting older songs. KTV also announced upcoming gigs and encouraged fans to follow them on social media for updates, plus more.


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