Mt Warning

Mt Warning

Mt Warning is an Australian alternative rock band from northern New South Wales, formed in 2012. The project develops from a collaboration between musician Mikey Bee and American film-maker Taylor Steele, who meet after Steele attends one of Bee’s solo performances in Australia. Together they shape the band around the idea of songs functioning as part of a larger visual narrative, with the album conceived as a cycle that moves from one side of the day to the other and from one side of life to its end.

Formation and concept

The name Mt Warning is chosen by Bee and Steele while they think about the atmosphere they want the music to create. It refers to a mountain near where they are working, described as the first place in Australia to see the sunrise and as a landmark used by sailors approaching Point Danger. The name is also taken to fit the initials M, T and WARNING. Bee writes much of the material during late-night sessions in a beach shack studio, moving between guitar, piano, drums and bass while Steele listens by sunrise and checks that the music, lyrics and tempo continue to serve the story each song is meant to tell.

Recordings and live presentation

The recordings include Tori Lee’s vocals on some tracks, and Grant Gerathy overdubs Mikey’s drum parts. When the group performs live, Steele draws on his background in punk rock and filmmaking to coach and direct Bee from the side of the stage, while visuals projected behind the band are used to extend the performance. The result is intended to connect intimate passages with more forceful sections, and to present the music as part of a broader film-like experience.

Style and songs

Mt Warning is described as alternative rock, with elements of psych-folk. The band is associated with songs including “Youth Bird”, “Like a Tattoo” and “Anchor”, and its music is framed as combining anthemic passages with more reflective material.