It’s been a meteoric rise for Australian act St Leonards since front man and songwriter Shane Fritsch decided to form a band around his solo project early in 2009. Arriving in LA the band were taken under wing by industry legend John Wooler, the former Vice President of Virgin Records, whose credits as a producer include Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Pops Staples, and 5 Grammys. St Leonards’ music marries the intensely personal with the epic – song inspiration comes from Fritsch’s family, the struggle to accept his path as an artist, the challenges of balancing a music career with a stable home life - all lifted to a level of grandeur through glorious keys riffs, intense drumming, and rich guitar; overlaid with Fritsch’s heartfelt and resonant vocals. The sound is informed by influences as varied as Genesis, Coldplay and The Blue Nile, and has an intensity and feel that wouldn’t sound out of place in a stadium, even with the band less than a year old. Their first year together has been a whirlwind of successes – a promo tour of the West Coast of America, a music placement deal, national airplay across Australia, and their song "Now That We've Grown" featured on smash USA TV show The Vampire Diaries. St Leonards are set to follow the precedent in 2010.
