In the first of many tours in support of seventh album Heartthrob, Tegan and Sara will be back on Australian shores in April for the regional touring festival juggernaut, Groovin The Moo, as well as their own headline shows.
Making their second appearance on the GTM bill, the first being in 2010, the sisters made no hesitations when offered the chance to perform again.
“I feel like we obsessively come up with ways to get back to Australia at least a couple of times every record,” reveals Tegan Quin, one half of the sibling duo.
“Groovin The Moo was our first choice. We’ve been to all of the cities that are on the tour and we love them, that’s why we’re doing it again,” she adds
“Sara and I always make fun of ourselves, because we feel like Australia is our second home. We spend so much time touring there and love it,” She enthuses. “We have such a great Australian fanbase, [they] embraced us before America did. Triple J has always been so supportive and we’ve done so many great festivals.”
Having extensively toured Australia over the years with headline shows, festival slots, and as support acts, Tegan and Sara certainly know the lay of the land. “I feel like we’ve seen more of the country than most Australians have, I just love it.”
With the release of the Canadian pair’s latest, Heartthrob, their most electronic record by far; fans can expect to see a very different side to the band’s live performance, says Quin.
“I think part of the appeal for us to make Heartthrob the way we did, was to add sort of a whole new dimension to our live shows. So much of our past catalog is guitar driven and guitar based, we love the idea of having more stuff,” she says. “Sara and I are really into giving our fans whatever they want. It’s up to them!”
During recent touring where they debuted tracks from their latest album, Tegan and Sara seemed to find that delicate balance between the old and new in their live set.
“We’re still doing 15 songs from our back catalog,” Quin confirms, “but then we’re playing the whole new record and it’s creating a really exciting atmosphere. The songs are so upbeat and so big sounding that it’s really creating a whole a new level of Tegan and Sara live.”
Known for welcoming social media, the Quin sisters take great delight in feeling so connected to their fans. “Sometimes you hear people complain about the Internet age and everyone having to be accessible all the time. Sara and I like it,” reveals Tegan.
Despite not having a personal Facebook account, Tegan wholly embraces the use of social media for the band. “I love it. I feel like we can connect to our audience. I look at our audiences as our peers in a strange way. Even through I don’t really know them, I feel like I do.”
“They share so much intimate information about their lives, their stories and their experiences of listening to our music,” she gushes. “I love having to have that online presence to connect with our audience. I feel really grateful for it.”
Speaking about the the 2011 film Get Along, which was nominated for the 2013 ‘Best Long Form Music Video’ Grammy Award, Quin explains how the film looked into deeper into their lives, beyond just their music.
“It was definitely a passion project and it was a lot more work than we thought it was going to be,” she explains. “As they always are, these projects that start out as little ideas and then turn into three films that span the globe.” “Sara co-wrote on every single one of my songs. It’s a really collaborative record and we had our hands in each other’s songs more than we ever had before.”
The Grammy nomination of the film was somewhat special for both Tegan, Sara, and the crew that had worked with them on it, she says: “Get Along was sort of a look back at the last 10 years and was closing the chapter on the first part of our career. So it feels very symbolic to be rewarded for 10 years of a lot of work.”
Tegan already seems to have an idea in mind for the next special release, following on from Get Along and ON IN AT – a book series released alongside sixth album Sainthood.
“Maybe we’ll have some sort of mixture; interactive book on the internet or live record. I already feel like we should do an acoustic record of Heartthrob, for all the fans that really wish they could hear those songs acoustically,” she ponders. “Sara and I are really into giving our fans whatever they want. It’s up to them!”
Taking to the stage recently in support of acts like The Black Keys and The Killers, Tegan and Sara found themselves in the presence of one of their most admired bands.
“With The Killers, we’d toured with them before and they are obviously one of mine and Sara’s favourite bands – I think that they are one of the best bands of our generation. They write one great record after the other and they put on such great shows.”
Being a support act to such bands is not only an “awesome time” but a great learning experience too, Tegan tells.
“It’s an awesome experience for a band like us to be able to go and interact with a band like that and learn from them… It’s also really nerve-wracking and terrifying to stand in front of someone else’s audience, so we try not to do it too often.”
“What’s a song that everybody loves? What’s a great pop song? Well, a great pop song is something that transcends genres.”The Greg Kurstin produced Heartthrob is perhaps the most collaborative record Tegan and Sara have created together, with each track on the album having input from both parities.
“Sara co-wrote on every single one of my songs. It’s a really collaborative record and we had our hands in each other’s songs more than we ever had before. It felt like we really needed to have both of our perspectives there.”
The main aim for Heartthrob was to create a record that could appeal to everybody, regardless of previous experiences with the group.
“We really were trying to think about songs that everybody relates to. What’s a song that everybody loves? What’s a great pop song? Well, a great pop song is something that transcends genres,” details Quin. “It’s a song that many different types of people can relate to.”
Each track they created was subjected to much questioning from each other; “In order for it to be elevated to the next level,” as Tegan puts it, “we had to really get inside the song and say: ‘You know, is this a song a 16-year-old girl in high school would relate to?’ But also ‘a 44 year old guy who loves Bach?’”
Fans at both end of the spectrum will be looking forward to the torrent of tour dates booked in the wake of Heartthrob’s release. According to Tegan, there’s no place they’d rather be than on stage.
“There’s something really special about standing in front of thousands of people who have fallen in love with your music and are screaming it back at you.”
Heartthrob is out now through Warner Music Australia, read the Tone Deaf review here. Tegan and Sara head to regional centres with Groovin’ The Moo in April/May – which you can win tickets to HERE – as well as playing headline sideshows around Australia, dates and details below.
Tegan and Sara 2013 Australian Tour
Thursday 25 April
Sydney Opera House, SYDNEY
Friday 26 April —
Sydney Opera House, SYDNEY
Tuesday 30 April
Tivoli Theatre, BRISBANE
Thursday 2 May
Palais Theatre, MELBOURNE
Tuesday 7 May
Thebarton Theatre, ADELAIDE
Thursday 9 May
Metro City, PERTH
Groovin The Moo 2013 Dates
Saturday 27 April 2013 – Maitland NSW – SOLD OUT!
Maitland Showground
Blomfield St, Maitland NSW 2320
Sunday 28 April 2013 – Canberra ACT
University of Canberra
Kirinari St Bruce ACT 2617
Saturday 4 May 2013 – Bendigo VIC – SOLD OUT!
Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showground
42 – 72 Holmes Rd, Bendigo VIC 3550
Sunday 5 May 2013 – Townsville QLD
Murray Sports Complex – Townsville Cricket Grounds
Mervyn Crossman Dr & Murray Lyons Cres, Idalia QLD 4811
Saturday 11 May 2013 – Bunbury WA
Hay Park
(off) Parade Rd Bunbury WA 6230
