Well, according to Emily Barker’s press release, opportunities a plenty have opened up for the lady since she decided to rediscover her homeland of Australia after a seven-year hiatus in the UK. Firstly, discerning DJs have been intrigued by a variety of tracks from this record, Emily’s third album recorded with her band The Red Clay Halo. In sharing her compelling stories and rootsy take on contemporary folk with her fellow Australians, Emily is exploring the meaning of ‘home’, a theme which is inspiring her current songwriting.
With numerous appearances at top UK festivals such as Glastonbury, Celtic Connections, Green Man and End Of The Road, plus a recent tour opening shows for Australia’s own Paul Kelly (which resulted in them dueting on Gillian Welch’s song “The Winter’s Come And Gone”), Emily is set to delight Aussie music lovers with her gift for weaving melody and words on this, her biggest solo Australian tour yet.
What’s been happening Emily?
At the moment I’m on tour with Frank Turner in Europe. It’s our first tour we’ve done on the continent and it’s going great. Luxembourg tonight. We’re doing support as well as playing in his band. After his tour, we then play Wembley Arena in London with him.
We’re releasing a set of singles over the summer to coincide with the festival season- we’re doing around 20 UK festivals this summer. We’re also recording our new album in June which is set for release at the beginning of next year.
Oh, and we’re planning an autumn tour in Europe and Ireland. As well as our biggest headline gig ever at The Union Chapel in London in November. So, that’s it in a nutshell.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
The Waifs came and played at my high school when I was 14 years old during the Blues At Bridgetown festival. I’d been singing Aretha Franklin songs in my bedroom for a couple of years by that point and they inspired me to start performing live.
You must answer this question honestly or we steal your rider. What and where was the first gig you went to?
The first gig that I went to independently was Boyz II Men when I was about 13 years old. Oh dear…it was at the Perth Entertainment Centre and one of the guys sprayed the crowd with a water pistol. That was during my r’n’b, hip hop loving days of wearing Cross Colour jeans and Reebok Pumps.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
Neil Young’s Comes A Time. Because it’s one of my all time favourite albums ever. Love the harmonies, strings, Nicolette Larson. The songs are just so good.
Joni Mitchell’s Blue. Such sad, achingly beautiful songs. Have been listening to that album my entire life, so it holds a lot of nostalgia and memories for me.
Fairport Convention’s Leige And Lief. Sandy Denny’s voice is just so gorgeous. Love the drum rhythms and Richard Thompson’s guitar licks. Such a good record!
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Christian Kjellvander – The Rough and Rynge.
How do you find new music?
Mostly through friends and also through playing festivals.
Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?
I do lots of vocal warm ups, brush my teeth, have a glass of wine/beer, have a laugh with The Red Clay Halo.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?
On a train across Australia for 3 days stopping along the way beneath the stars. Bands would be Neil Young, PJ Harvey, Low, Gillian Welch, The National, Felice Brothers, Cat Power, Frank Turner, Nick Cave, Aretha Franklin, The Band, Dirty Three, Patti Smith, The Avette Brothers, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan (1965), gosh, how to stop!
Features would have to include a swimming pool carriage and a zoo carriage.
When you’re Rolling Stones Big, what are you going to request on your rider: don’t be shy. We want specifics.
A masseuse, exquisite truffles, sustainably-sourced fish and salad, oysters, sauna, swimming pool, puppies/other cuddly baby animals, yoga instructor.
Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living Australian artist would you most like to collaborate with? Tell us why?
I’d love to collaborate with Gurrumul. I want to learn and understand more about our indigenous culture and history. I want to acknowledge what has happened in the past through a song that looks towards a future of peaceful co-existence.
What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?
It seems to be crime thrillers on the TV! We’ve had two synchs so far that have come to us independently. Those being Wallander on BBC1 with my song “Nostalgia” and The Shadow Line on BBC2 with my song “Pause”. I’d love to write more for film and think our music suits atmospheric, dramatic, slow-paced sort of material.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
All our gigs are listed here and we’ve got all our releases on iTunes and our Bandcamp.
