By Harry Constable
When we’re young we believe we’re destined for greatness. We dream of being astronauts, rock stars, maybe even a dolphin trainer; then adulthood shows up with responsibilities and a nine to five.
Suddenly we’re experts at buying groceries on sale and pretending to understand mortgages. Those childhood dreams, they get shoved into the attic next to the treadmill we swore we’d use one day. But every now and then, those old dreams … they sneak back out.
At 58, Chris Bate dusted off the hypothetical treadmill and started a rock and roll band.
“When the drummer was turning 60 his plan was to put a small group of musicians together to do a secret set of music for his 60th and surprise people,” Bate said. “So we all said yes, we’ll get together and we’ll learn five or six songs for your 60th and we’ll keep it hush hush.”
For Bate this was a sliding doors moment.
“We played the six and everybody got up and danced, and then we stopped and they said ‘what are you doing? Play them again’,” he said. ”So that told us, okay, there’s something here.”
Following the success of their first performance, admittedly only in front of their family and friends, the band jumped into action, organising their next steps. And what does every great band need? A great name.
“So the rhythm guitarist Robby: he had a brainwave. One day he was looking at something at home and we went and had a beer, and he goes, ‘I think I’ve got a name for the band, The Finz’,” Bate said. “Because four of us grew up surfing on Towradgi Beach and started the original boardriders club … so we’ve all got a connection to surfing in surfboard fins.”
The original line-up consisted of lead singer Bate, lead guitarist Stuart McKechnie, Clint Venaglia on the keyboard, Glenn Corby on bass, drummer Tony Pattman and Rob Reynolds rocking the rhythm guitar.
The newly formed Finz hit the ground running, filling venues across the Illawarra. Reflecting on their own childhood and adolescent experiences, they were able to find their own little niche in the Illawarra music market: 70s, 80s and 90s covers.
“The mantra is to pick songs that we grew up listening to, that a lot of other bands don’t play,” Bate said. “We picked songs that we grew up singing, from bands that we grew up with. Bands that we saw as kids growing up into our early years.”
Having been in the band for almost a decade, he has made the decision to step back at the end of the year.
“That was a tough decision. I suppose as you’re getting older, the window of travel and adventure and managing good health versus poor health. That window is getting smaller,” he said.
“It’ll be about nine-and-a-half years (being in the band) by the time I pull up stumps. So it was, ‘do I stay playing in a band or do I travel now?’ And I chose the other.”
In light of Bate deciding to take a step back from the band, The Finz will be headlining their first music festival in December, The Fading Light. The ticketed event is being held at First Light Brewing in Coniston and will be one last item ticked off Bate’s bucket list before hanging up the mic. With Chris deciding to step away from the band, the Finz are currently on the lookout for a new lead singer, having trialled a few different people thus far.
The Finz have been able to carve their own path in the Illawarra, frequently playing bars and clubs across the Wollongong area. For Bate, the music is only one part of being in the band.
“There’s a lot of rehearsing involved, remembering lines of songs, so it’s good for the brain and good for men’s mental health,” he said. “It keeps everybody talking and having a beer and carrying on silly and laughing. So there’s a lot of good things that come with being in a band.”
Being part of the band has helped Bate with the transition from the workforce into retirement, a stage many men can struggle with. Leaving the workforce without having a hobby or passion outside of your career can often leave men feeling lonely and depressed, with the band providing Bate an outlet to still catch up with friends regularly.
For anyone thinking it may be too late for them to pursue a new passion, Bate had some stern advice.
“Simple. It’s never too late. You know, I started at 58 years of age and surprised myself,” he said. “If you’ve got the people that you can trust and you know, and there’s no airs and graces, you could have one of the greatest rides of your life.”
Featured image: The Finz prove it’s never too late to start something new. Chris Bate, third from left. Photo: Chris Bate
