Perth prog-metal band Voyager keen to throw hat back in the ring for Eurovision ahead of Bunbury Fringe gig

Ahead of kicking off a new year of gigs, Perth prog-metal band Voyager are already throwing their hat in the ring to represent Australia at Eurovision this year. After being pipped by Sheldon Riley to represent Australia in Turin last year, Voyager are still keeping their Eurovision dream alive ahead of the contest, which is set to be held in Liverpool in May. With the Australian selection process reverting back to internal selection by SBS over Australia Decides this year, frontman Danny Estrin said the band had already submitted a song in hopes of becoming the first Western Australian act to compete in the song contest. “We’ve got a song and it’s in with the powers that be at the moment,” Mr Estrin said. “It’s a mystery as to whether there will be that redemption that the public wants this year, but I think if the right people make the right decisions and listen to the overwhelming majority of the public vote last year, then hopefully they will decide to send us to represent Australia. “I think we’ll do a really good job repping not only Australia but especially Western Australia. “It would be a huge honour and I think we’d make Australia proud if we were to go over.” Since amassing a total of 97 points during last year’s Australia Decides, which comprised a massive 60 points from the public televote, Mr Estrin said it was cool to see Voyager gain more of a fan base on a national and international scale. “I think it was unexpected — we were a bit of a wildcard as it’s generally very rare to have bands and particularly heavy bands in Eurovision,” he said. “We’re certainly not the heaviest of them all but it’s definitely categorised as metal or heavy rock. “I think people didn’t expect Dreamer to do so well but we absolutely smashed the public vote. “For those people deciding, if they’re listening, now’s the time. “2023 is the year.” It comes as the band gears up to rock down the Forrest Highway when they close the Bunbury Fringe on January 28 under the Alcoa Big Top. Mr Estrin said for the uninitiated, Voyager could be described as “80s pop with a heavy edge”. “Think Duran Duran mixed with metal and a keytar thrown in,” he said. “It’s been a while since we were last in Bunbury so we’re super, super excited to be there and to be there for Fringe, which is always awesome. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s done in Bunbury and it’s going to be a fun closer. “Every time we’ve played in Bunbury, it’s been raucous. “We want people to just come up and party and have a good time, and for those who are able to headbang, go for it.” Voyager’s closing night appearance at Bunbury Fringe is set to kick off a huge year for the band with a new album in the works and hopes of embarking on more regional tours around Australia. “I think regional tours is something that we want to be looking at more this year,” Mr Estrin said. “It’s very difficult touring around Australia generally, in fact. “I would dare say it’s more difficult to tour around Australia than it is internationally because internationally, particularly in Europe and the UK, you can just get on a tour bus and do it all by road. “That’s very difficult to do in Australia but we definitely want to get out in the regions more. “We definitely know there is a huge fan base for us in the regions and hopefully 2023 will see a lot more of that.” Bunbury Fringe kicks off on January 20.