We had a chat with the indie-pop enigma.
It seemed that shortly after winning the Levi’s Music Prize (and the $25K prize) at Bigsound last year, Brisbane artist Emerson Snowe packed up and left for the UK, depriving his swelling Australian fanbase of the opportunity to catch him on stage. For many of us, the announcement of his first headline tour in Australia, in support of debut EP That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll, is welcome news – if not overdue.
The EP, which dropped in May, is seven tracks of shimmering guitars, swelling harmonies, and a certain level of honesty that is inescapable. Lines like “If I die, then I die” juxtapose the melodic beauty of the songs in a way that gives them a melancholic, outsider-pop flavour, which Snowe undeniably makes his own.
Naturally, it’s got us super excited to see what he’s got in store for us this July (dates + info at bottom of page), but for now, check out our interview with Emerson Snowe right here:
Your art and paintings seem to be intrinsically connected to your musical aesthetic. How do you feel the two are linked? Is the painting inspired by the music, or vice versa, or not at all?
The music and painting/line work all happened at the same time, it’s all very much entwined as it is who I am. There would be no use in me trying to put on a fake persona and have the two separate. They both rely on each other, its something very natural.
You wrote the bulk of ‘That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll’ a couple of years ago now. How does it feel to get it out to the world?
It feels really relieving – I still really love the songs and they all carry a lot of meaning for me so I’m happy to finally have them out in the world for people to hear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLg5LLiPWBM
Tell us about the title. What was the idea behind it?
While I was touring the UK last year I found myself constantly saying the line “Well, that’s rock and roll” whenever something messed up on stage. At the time I was performing solo with a cassette tape, the tape would constantly drop out or undo. I guess it made the shows more genuine, the saying just stuck. It’s kind of an inside joke with myself to name my debut that.
You’ve spent a fair bit of time over in Europe over the past year or so. How has the response been over there?
It‘s been great – I adore it over here, people are really receptive and seem to understand what I’m doing and the music I’m creating and putting forward. Almost at every show there have been groups of people who come up to me saying they’ve been following my music for years. It’s so easy for me to get in a mindset that no one is listening or paying attention, but you come to realise that’s purely how you see things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V98EnR0uBDk
How does being not drinking blend with the so called “rock and roll lifestyle”? Is an alcohol free touring musician still a thing people may find quizzical?
Of course it is. In Australia drinking is the norm and it can be scary taking the plunge into quitting the drink. I have no problem with people drinking – it just didn’t work for me. Most of the time it is harder to get a bottle of water than a six-pack of beer at shows.
What are you most looking forward to about the Aus tour in July?
Man, I haven’t even done a headline tour in Aus before and if I’m being honest I’m pretty terrified. It will be really nice to actually perform to people who have never gotten the chance to see my work live before. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and really just putting on the best show I can to anyone who is interested in what I do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Bfv1i5XFw
On one of the new tracks ‘Boy In Control’ hear the sound of guitar picks on strings like I’ve never heard. What do you love about that timbre?
Oh yeah, so on the whole EP there are no electric guitars – what you’re hearing is my nylon acoustic being played into a handheld tape recorded then played back out. It‘s on every track but I think it really comes through great on ‘Boy In Control’.
What do you think the new tracks on ‘That’s Rock And Roll’ show us about you that we may not have heard?
Tracks like ‘Our Home’ and ‘Boy In Control’ are some of my favourite tracks. ‘Our Home’ being my personal fav lyrically. I think the new tracks incorporate more of my appreciation for Lou Reed and Sufjan Stevens. I think as a whole I’m pretty happy with how the tracks have turned out – there’s more to come and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.
EMERSON SNOWE AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
For all tour info click here
Thursday 4 July
Oxford Arts Factory | Sydney, NSW
18+
moshtix.com.au
Friday 5 July
Cambridge Hotel | Newcastle, NSW
18+
Tickets on the door
Sunday 7 July
North Gong | Wollongong, NSW
18+
Free entry
Thursday 11 July
Upstairs @ The Tote | Melbourne, VIC
18+
oztix.com.au
Saturday 13 July
The Bearded Lady | Brisbane, QLD
18+
oztix.com.au
