Image via Billy Zammit //
The Aussie mainstay is playing a run of shows at Enmore Theatre this week…
If there’s one artist that’s embodied consistency and reliability over the years, its Northern Rivers-based maestro, Matt Corby. Boasting over ten years in the scene and a stack of eclectic albums and EPs, the ‘All Fired Up’ singer has amassed a beloved discography and passionate fan base that has followed him to the biggest venues and festivals in the world. Now, that same fan base is once again set to follow him around the country, with Matt unveiling a slew of shows for his latest album, Everything’s Fine.
Written in the wake of the floods that devastated rural NSW and the nation just last year, the LP is a sombre yet optimistic return to form for the veteran musician. From the jazzy opener of ‘Problems’ to the confessional ‘For Real’, the balladry of ‘Reelin’ and the psychedelic ‘Words I Say’, ‘Everything Is Fine’ is for Matt Corby fans from all eras. And luckily, he’s taking his esteemed live show on the road once again, playing the likes of Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, Brissy’s Fortitude Music Hall and this week, Sydney’s Enmore Theatre (cop tickets here).
We caught up with Matt to get the deets on the new album, his run of shows and his recent stand up comedy debut in Melbourne. Check it below.
You last released an album in 2019. Obviously the world has changed quite a bit since, how has Matt Corby, the artist, father and human being, changed in turn?
I’ve definitely undergone some significant changes. My focus is on a bunch of different stuff these days. And the wild ride of being a dad has placed music in a secondary position of importance. It’s definitely been an interesting transition for me. I’m also trying to make a bit of a shift into production work and songwriting, while trying to spend more time at home. But it feels great to be back on the road. It’s been quite emotional, to be honest.
I realize now that I didn’t fully appreciate touring before COVID and everything. And now, the future of touring has become uncertain, as it’s becoming increasingly challenging due to rising costs of it all. It’s tough to predict how many artists will manage to survive on the road unless they’re as successful as Harry Styles or someone of that calibre. But still, I’m enjoying the journey. I love making music, and I’m thankful that I still get to do it.
The process of creating your new album ‘Everything’s Fine’ sounded chaotic to say the least. You’ve said that amongst all of the challenges you were dealing with in the lead that you were invigorated for the first time in a while to write songs. Can you break that down for me?
Yeah, it was more like I felt compelled to create. A lot of heavy stuff happened to me in a short period of time, and my response has always been to dive into work and see if I can come up with something I’m proud of. I’ve also been collaborating with other artists in the studio, learning a tonne from them about recording and engineering, and I think I’ve become a better musician. But then I reached a point where I was ready to focus on my own projects again. It can be tricky when it’s just for yourself, though. You start questioning everything, like, “Who am I? What do I even want to do? Will everyone hate it?” It’s a funny thought process that doesn’t occur when I’m working on someone else’s music. With other artists, I’m like, “Oh, this is awesome, let’s go!” But this time, I managed to let go of my baggage and just enjoy the process. I had a blast making this record.
We did it pretty quickly in just six weeks from start to finish. We were writing and recording in the studio simultaneously, and if something felt good, we kept it that way. There was no “These are just demos, let’s re-record in another studio.” It was more like, “Yeah, that sounds cool, don’t touch it.”
When artists are going through crazy times they can sometimes get super experimental or off the beaten road. That got me thinking, if Matt Corby lost it and went full experimental mode, what would that album sound like?
It’d be pretty cool if I created a super intense gangsta rap record, going all out with a crazy mix. Sometimes I come up with funny stuff in the studio when I’m in a particular mood, and hopefully, someday it’ll see the light of day or get compiled into a project or something. But yeah, it would probably be like an acid jazz, hip hop, and drum and bass fusion. A slow jam, drum and bass vibe, you know?
I want to touch on ‘For Real’ which feels like therapy in a song and a return to the lyric-focused style of songwriting that defined early works like ‘Into The Flame’ and ‘Resolution’. What was it like getting raw like that again?
Yeah, it felt really good. I focused a lot on the songwriting aspect of this record, more so than my previous records Rainbow Valley and even Telluric. With those albums, I was trying to prove to myself that I could create something interesting with various flavors. I was still learning a lot as a musician, which is an ongoing process for me. However, with this album, all of that took a backseat. I was determined to make the songs complete, concise, and meaningful in what they were about.
‘For Real’ was actually one of the first tracks we wrote, and it ignited the realization for me that we were in the process of creating an album. It was clear that it would be a part of a body of work. The song is about Rowan Jones, one of the former frontmen of the band The Middle East, who now plays bass for me. He’s an incredible and genuine person who deserves all the recognition in the world for who he is and what he does. Many people within our close circle of friends wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment. It felt really nice to honour him and share a bit of his story from my perspective as someone fortunate enough to call him a friend.
During the ‘Telluric’ era you picked up the flute for ‘Empires Attraction’, which was a bit of a flex. Were there any other instruments you picked up over the writing of ‘Everything’s Fine’ that we wouldn’t expect?
Yeah, I did include… Well, I didn’t play them myself, but an incredible horn player named Dane Lebori handled all the horn sections. Working with him was a blast. He’s a freak, a true genius. On the track like “Lover,” he came in and asked, “Do you have a plan for this, or should I just make stuff up?” And we were like, “Let’s see where your creativity takes us.” He started improvising these beautiful lines and filling the song with amazing melodies. It was an incredible experience for me, feeling like a producer, watching him unleash his talent and hearing everyone go, “Whoa, that sounds amazing. Holy shit.” As a player, though, I kept things pretty straightforward.
The other main producer, Chris Collins, and I, set some rules. The band sections had to remain minimal, with one pianist, one bassist, and one drummer. The drummer could double up, of course. But it was a bit of a challenge to maintain that minimalistic approach. But overall, there wasn’t a lot of experimentation. I did buy this really cool percussion kit online though, which had all of these incredible African percussion instruments. They had unique textures and sounds. I used them extensively in the percussion tracks and had a great time just playing around with different sounds. Hitting and shaking things, going like, “Ah, that sounds awesome. Let’s include it all.” So yeah, nothing too outlandish, though. No theremins or anything like that [laughs].
Now, you just started your tour two days ago in Melbourne. Do you have any pre show rituals you can share with us?
I have this little superstition where I don’t like to leave the venue too much after soundcheck. Most people just go and chill somewhere because you usually soundcheck in the early arvo and don’t play until nine, so there’s a lot of time to kill. But the other night in Melbourne, I went back to the little hotel to hang out and take a shower, and just warm up my voice. Then I headed back to the venue feeling pretty good. The supporting acts, like Bud Rokeski and Great Gable did a great job. We all hung out and chatted afterwards, and I felt pretty calm.
What was it like returning to the stage in Melbourne? Were there any funny or memorable moments from the show?
Yeah, it was a fucking mess [laughs]. To answer the first question, it was super weird being back on stage. I wasn’t used to having all that energy directed at me, but hey, I got over it last night.
When it was time to hit the stage, the first day I was a bit nervous and struggling to breathe. So I was like, “Relax, bro. It’s all good. You’ll get through it.” I was trying to give myself some positive encouragement. And yeah, last night in Melbourne, I was so zen. I walked out on stage, started the first song, and I felt amazing. Everything was going smoothly. But then, when we reached the chorus of the second song, our damn fallback desk, which is responsible for our sound, just shut down completely. There was literally silence in our ears, but the sound was still coming out in the front of house. I looked at my monitors guy, and he was throwing his hands up in the air, like, “Fuck me, this thing just crapped out.”
And instantly I was like, “It’s because I left the fucking venue. This is bullshit.” [laughs] I had to do a bit of a comedy routine for about five or ten minutes, hoping they could reset the desk. But when that didn’t work, I played my Like A Version while only being able to hear the front of house. I had no sound in my ears, but I could hear my amp and my voice bouncing back off the walls. So I was like, “Ah, I think I’m on pitch.” After that, one of the tour managers came up to me and said, “You’ve gotta get off-stage. We need to sort this out.” For a moment there, about five minutes, we were like, “I don’t know if we can even play this show. Nothing’s working.”
Luckily, my tech guy is a bit of a genius and managed to re-patch everything except for a few pieces of gear that weren’t responding to the desk. After about 15 minutes, we went back out on stage. I was almost about to be like, “Oh, sorry guys, show’s canceled.” But we soldiered on. It turned out to be a pretty funny show. We got everyone on our side, which was pretty hilarious. I think people enjoyed it. It was a random and unique experience, that’s for sure.
Like A Version has always been important for you. I read that for your iconic ‘Lonely Boy’ cover, you learned it the night before at a party. For ‘No Scrubs’, did you take a similar run and gun approach?
I’ll tell you what, the ‘No Scrubs’ one was actually a similar story. There was a lot of back and forth on which song to choose, and I was finding it damn hard to make a decision. I actually didn’t settle on doing TLC until a couple of days before we were meant to film. But hey, other than that, we’ve been pretty well-prepared. You’d think we’d have it down by now, considering the experience we have as a crew and band, and me knowing what I’m getting myself into when I agree to do something. But yeah, it’s been alright [laughs].
Lastly, for fans coming to see you live, maybe for the first time in several years, what do you have in store for them? Any more stand up comedy routines like in Melbourne?
Yeah, we should definitely incorporate that into the show properly and do a couple of songs before I bust out my five best jokes. But yeah, we’re performing lots of stuff from the record, which is fantastic. And we’re also including some of the old classics that everyone loves.
The show feels really good. I’ve been really enjoying it. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring all the backing vocalists with us, but we have a great core group of players, and yeah, it’s been a blast. It’s been truly humbling to see people still showing up and buying tickets. It’s pretty amazing that after all this time, people aren’t tired of it. Yeah, yeah. I’m incredibly grateful.
Matt Corby’s new album ‘Everything’s Fine’ is out now. You can buy/stream it here. You can also cop final tickets to his Sydney shows this week here.
