Quintessential Aussies with an easy-going attitude, Busby Marou’s sound is difficult to define and easy to listen to. The duo’s songs celebrate Australian identity, days spent on the beach, and the cultural divides that music helps us cross. We spoke to Thomas Busby about the meaning behind the music.
Busby Marou’s laidback Australian sound has a lot to do with the duo’s Rockhampton roots.
“It’s all about the outdoor lifestyle, sport, being on the water, and being around family,” says Busby.
The music’s laidback sound, he says, was an unintentional result of the duo’s general demeanour, but Busby isn’t complaining about the results: “It’s great hearing you say that.”
Australianness is a very strong focus of Busby Marou’s work, and it’s something both band members are proud of.
“[You] don’t realise just how Australian [you] are until you get a little bit older, and you start travelling a lot and hanging around with people from different cultures and different countries,” Busby says.
“You realise that […] our slang is really hard to understand if you didn’t grow up in central Queensland,” he jokes. “But we’re really proud of it. None of it’s put on. It’s genuine.”
This identity really shines through in the duo’s story-driven songs, which are inspired by life experiences and differences.
“Initially, it was all my experience,” Busby says. “I was the key songwriter in the early days […], so it was all about my little lessons in life.”
Now, though, Busby says that Marou’s stories are ready to come to light, with the new album set to include songs about Marou’s Torres Strait Islander culture and the influence of his late father.
A recent trip to the Islands, Busby says, was an opportunity for two worlds to come together and “open up the doors in terms of the song writing process.”
The guys of Busby Marou pride themselves on writing thoughtful, insightful lyrics, but Busby’s favourite line, the title of ‘Drink the World Dry’ isn’t one he came up with. “I stole the line,” he declares.
“It was a song written about my uncle, who passed away too soon. Paul Kelly tells this big story about living life [in the song ‘Right Outta My Head’]… really hard and fast.
“It’s the good times and the bad times, something similar about those that [makes you] want to go out and drink the world dry. I stole that as a tag and song title. So it’s not my line, I stole it! And I’m acknowledging him for it, but I really love it. I love singing it, I love telling that story.”
Watch Busby Marou’s video for ‘Drink the World Dry’:
The Great Divide is set to release later this month. Choosing a favourite song is difficult for Busby, but he lands on the title track, ‘The Great Divide.’
“The actual feeling it gives me when I hear it, when we sing it, it’s all those awesome feelings that are why I’m into music in the first place,” he says.
“We recorded most of it live in one take […]. A lot of the other tracks on the album are nicely produced, and this one’s stripped back and bit more raw, and really finishes off the album well.”
This authentic approach to recording isn’t new for Busby Marou. Crossing genres and focusing on producing an organic sound has been important throughout their career.
“At the end of the day,” Busby says, “the most important elements for us are the two guitars and the vocals, together. We try to capture that as real and organic as we can every time, and for us, it’s really about exploring production around that.”
Busby Marou’s successes have seen them tour with some of music’s biggest stars, including Elton John, Dolly Parton, Bryan Adams, and Paul Kelly. While Busby calls the last album’s #1 success their biggest achievement, meeting music icons has been a dream come true.
“You’re dancing a fine line between hanging out and being muso buddies and also a fan,” Busby reflects. “You want to go ask for a photo to put on your socials, but it’s too shameful!”
The journey isn’t over yet for Busby Marou, but neither of the guys are particularly focused on taking over the world with record sales.
“We’re in it for the long game,” Busby says. “We feel like, hopefully, [our music] should be around forever, longer than us.
“As a result of that idea, we just want to consistently create good music and get it out, and also have a bit of courage to do exactly what we want with no pressure from radio or what’s being played at the moment.”
Hopes of cracking the American or European market are on the cards, but Busby says there’s still a long way to go on the Aussie scene.
On Friday, October 25, Busby Marou will kick of a month-long Australian tour, performing at a number of inner-city and regional venues across the country. Busby says that this tour will be the duo’s best yet.
“It’s going to be great! We’ll be playing a lot of tunes from the new album, but we’ll be revisiting all the others as well.”
“We’ve been rehearsing quite heavily, which is not like Busby Marou,” Busby says. “But we’ve been that excited, and we haven’t played on a tour for that long.”
According to Busby, the best thing is that they don’t know exactly what to expect, but with tickets selling faster than ever, there’s no doubt, he says, “it’s gonna be rowdy.”
Busby Marou’s new album, The Great Divide, is due to release on Friday, September 27.
Watch Busby Marou’s video for ‘Best Part of Me’:
Busby Marou The Great Divide Tour 2019
With special guest Bobby Alu
Friday, October 25th
The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Saturday, October 26th
Venue 114, Sunshine Coast, QLD (18+)
Tickets: Venue 114
Sunday, October 27th
HOTA, Home of The Arts, Gold Coast, QLD (All Ages)
Tickets: HOTA
Thursday, October 31st
Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide, SA (18+)
Tickets: Moshtix
Friday, November 1st
Freo Social, Fremantle, WA (18+)
Tickets: Moshtix
Saturday, November 2nd
The River, Margaret River, WA (18+)
Tickets: Oztix
Friday, November 8th
Palais Hepburn, Hepburn Springs, VIC (18+)
Tickets: Ortix
Saturday, November 9th
Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Tickets: Corner Hotel
Thursday, November 14th
The Cambridge, Newcastle, NSW (18+)
Tickets: Oztix
Friday, November 15th
The Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW (18+)
Tickets: Ticketek
Saturday, November 16th
Ettamogah Hotel, Kellyville Ridge, NSW (18+)
Tickets: Ortix
Friday, November 22nd
With special guest Leanne Tennant
The Jack, Cairns, QLD (18+)
Tickets: Ortix
Saturday, November 23rd
Kirwan Tavern, Townsville, QLD (18+)
Tickets: Ortix
