YOU may already know Dan Flegg's voice as the no-nonsense newsreader delivering your hourly updates on Triple M and Hit106.9 radio.
But now the media man is introducing listeners to his louder side as the lead singer and guitarist of two-piece rockers Baam Bam.
Flegg, alongside drummer Stu Moppett, has just dropped the band's debut single, Schweetums, with a festive launch planned for next week alongside fellow two-piece rockers Midway, indie-pop architects Sitting Down and funk powerhouse Saylor and the Flavor.
"This is a party," Flegg says. "The release is important - we are happy to have music out in the world. However, we know it's the start of a long run of releases for us.
"So this is a celebration following a lot of hard work. If I were a punter and came along to this show I think I'd walk away stoked with what I saw.
"We really respect the bands on the line-up too. They've all honed a musical power we try to emulate during our own gigs."
Baam Bam have steadily plied their trade since Newcastle's live scene awoke from its lockdown-induced coma, their stadium-energy shows making them word-of-mouth must-sees.
Flegg often marches into the audience with his wireless guitar system and roams and riffs like a man possessed, throttling the neck of his vivid blue Gretsch.
Moppett mans the fort while the guitarist stalks the crowd.
The pair's synergy, a continuation from Flegg's previous project Dark Matters, means they can finish each other's musical sentences.
Schweetums, a blistering rock song, was penned in just two hours.
"Every now and then when Stu and I are in the studio, we'll come in with no preconceived ideas and have a song nearly ready to go by the end of it," Flegg explains.
"That song [Schweetums] was exactly that. It flowed out. Other than the lyrics, the guitar and drums were done in two hours."
While the track bears all the hallmarks of an arena rock hit, tipping the hat to the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Moppett employs the swing of vintage rock.
"The intro has this '60s beat," says the drummer. "It's different to our others - a throwback to a rock'n'roll-style rather than our more angsty, heavier stuff.
"It just seemed to work. It was literally the first beat I played when Dan started with that riff."
Flegg and Moppett spent a weekend at Novotone in Carrington recording four tracks.
"We wanted the recordings to capture how we play live," Flegg says. "No bells and whistles, no weird embellishments that aren't in the live performances."
Baam Bam worked with coveted Byron Bay producer and former Maitland Grossman High School student Jordan Power, who grew up in Oakhampton, and engineer and Bloody Hell frontman Sean Cook.
"I've worked in other bands with a variety of engineers and producers and, by far, Jordan was the most approachable - and just a lovely guy," Flegg says.
"If you feel like you're being pressured by a third party to do things, sometimes that stymies the process.
"The gears grind. But Jordan's not like that.
"With his experience and personality, he made the experience great. We'd love to work with him again."
Moppett says it was vital to the sound to also have Cook onboard, the Bloody Hell frontman is a seasoned drummer.
"It was a relief to know I'd have someone recording me who understood drums," Moppett says.
"I've done a bunch of recordings with other artists, with other engineers, and none of them have been a drummer. So it was exciting to have someone in my corner."
The main goal for Baam Bam was to accurately capture their live sound, without any studio wizardry.
"With a two-piece band a lot of work has gone into the sound," Flegg explains. "We don't have a bass player, so how do you overcome that challenge?
"I want people to hear the recordings then come to the show and realise there isn't anything else added. Nothing zany. That's not the ethos of the band."
Moppett adds: "There's a spectrum of sound that we had to fill with only three instruments, including Dan's voice. That was the task."
Flegg's lyrics explore human behaviour, our foibles and frailties.
On Schweetums the rocker lances our judgemental tendencies.
"People have an inclination to point out problems with other people's relationships and the world, but more often than not they don't look at their own relationships," Flegg says.
"They're very willing to judge others before judging themselves."
With three more recorded tracks to release and plans afoot to re-enter the studio, next year shapes as a big one for Baam Bam.
"We are chasing refinement," Flegg says. "We will release new recordings.
"We want to play festivals, to organise bigger, wilder shows and to create things with people we love and respect. It's more fun together."
Baam Bam launch their debut single at The Stag & Hunter Hotel in Mayfield, on Friday, December 23 alongside Midway, Sitting Down and Saylor and the Flavor.
Tickets are $20 pre-sale through the Stag's website.
