Telling a story should be easy right? Make up a premise, throw a few words behind it, and you’re done, right? Well, while telling a good story is even harder, telling a good story in a musical context can be almost impossible if you’ve not yet mastered the craft.
That’s why we stand back in wide-eyed wonder at some of our Aussie musicians who manage to deliver verbose stories in their songs, time and time again.
With Aussie troubadour Bob Evans releasing Full Circle this week, before heading out on a national tour, we’ve decided to step back and study the lyrics in the album to work out who some of the greatest storytellers in Aussie music are.
Bob Evans
Ever since Bob Evans (or Kevin Mitchell, as his mum calls him) hit the scene as the frontman of Jebediah back in the ’90s, the world of Aussie music has been paying close attention. Kicking off with his early angst-ridden lyrics of leaving home and cleaning the linoleum, Mitchell showed promise pretty quickly, with tracks like the heartfelt ‘Harpoon’, and the deeply-personal ‘Feet Touch The Ground’.
When he adopted the Bob Evans moniker though, that’s when we truly got an idea of just how astounding this songwriter is. Whether it’s the bittersweet, nostalgic lyrics of ‘Someone So Much’, or the heavy metaphor of ‘Pasha Bulker’, Bob Evans knows his way around a song, and he knows how to squeeze every last piece of emotion out of each word.
With his upcoming greatest hits record Full Circle, fans are able to receive a stunning showcase of the brilliant work that Kevin Mitchell has pumped out under the Bob Evans name over the last 15 years. Be sure to catch him on tour this October and November as well, where his live shows will put his awe-inspiring back catalogue into context for his dedicated fans.
Courtney Barnett
These days, it’s hard to mention Aussie music without someone singing the praises of Courtney Barnett, and it’s easy to see why. With lyrics that take on a confessional, often stream-of-consciousness style, Courtney has undoubtedly been one of the most prominent artists to come out of Australia in the last few years.
Just take a listen to early tracks like ‘Avant Gardener’ and ‘History Eraser’ to see how these rambling, dream-like accounts twist and turn into a cohesive narrative that leaves you gobsmacked once you reach that final line.
Paul Kelly
There’s a reason that iconic music journalist David Fricke once referred to Paul Kelly as “one of the finest songwriters I have ever heard, Australian or otherwise.” Ever since this Adelaide-born muso stepped onto the stage, audiences have been captivated by his laidback style, his effortless delivery, is acerbic wit, and his stunning ability to craft words into bonafide hits.
Arguably one of his best known tracks is that of ‘From Little Things Big Things Grow’, written with Kev Carmody and telling the story of the Indigenous Australian struggle for land rights and reconciliation. However, give a listen to tracks like ‘Everything’s Turning To White’ (adapted from a Raymond Carver story), or ‘How To Make Gravy’ to understand just how devastatingly brilliant a musician like Paul Kelly truly is.
Archie Roach
When Archie Roach first started making an impact on the Aussie music scene back in the ’80s, everyone stood up and listened. With lyrics that tackled important topics in Australia, tracks such as ‘Took The Children Away’ saw Roach become a spokesperson for Indigenous Australians. Since then, his music has managed to become some of the most respected and timeless in all of Aussie music history, cementing his place as one of the greatest songwriters ever produced by this country.
Stella Donnelly
Stella Donnelly might be a relative newcomer to the scene, but it won’t take long before she’s considered one of the finest songwriters ever to come from Australia. With vivid lyrics that paint detailed, intricate stories, tracks such as ‘Grey’ or ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ have seen Stella Donnelly embark upon a fast-track to success. Having won Bigsound 2017’s Levis Music Prize, it won’t be long before the whole world is adoring her brilliant lyrics.
David McComb
It’s hard to believe that when The Triffids made their first early recordings in the late ’70s, frontman David McComb was only 16 years old. In the decade that followed, The Triffids set themselves apart as one of the finest Australian rock groups going around, characterised by their eclectic sound, and the formidable songwriting of McComb.
In 2001 – just two years after David McComb’s tragic death – APRA named the band’s 1986 track ‘Wide Open Road’ as one of the top 30 Australian songs of all time. Take a casual listen to that track, or even tunes such as ‘Tender Is The Night’, or ‘Lonely Stretch’, and you’ll be able to see a level of songwriting and storytelling that remains unmatched even to this day.
Adalita
Like Bob Evans, Adalita Srsen came up in the alternative rock scene of the ’90s. As the frontwoman for iconic rockers Magic Dirt, some of her best-known tracks featured often simple lyrics that expanded into much more intricate experiences. But when Adalita kicked off her solo career back in 2009, her lyrics truly began to evolve again.
Tracks like the menacing ‘The Repairer’, or the aptly-titled ‘Perfection’ just go to show how astounding Adalita’s solo career is, and just how much you should be spending time reading the lyrics in the front of the CD before you give it a spin.
Darren Hanlon
A folk-music icon in the Aussie music scene, Darren Hanlon has spending approximately two decades crafting some of the most perfectly-worded songs you’ll hear anywhere. Whether it’s tracks like the jovial ‘Punk’s Not Dead’, the emotional ‘I Wish That I Was Beautiful For You’, or the strangely-true ‘The Chattanooga Shoot Shoot’, Darren Hanlon has mastered the art of drawing in listeners to the vast and vivid worlds of his brilliant tunes.
Kasey Chambers
Kicking off her career as a teenager, Kasey Chambers has been crafting some pretty stunning tracks for well over two decades now. One of the most iconic musicians in the world of Australian country music, Kasey Chambers launched her solo carer back in 1999 with the amazing The Captain.
The strength of the title track saw her go on to receive critical acclaim the world over, with her strong, powerful lyrics and immersive storytelling. Since then, she’s released a total of twelve studio albums, and there’s no sign of this amazing musician slowing down any time soon.
Grant McLennan & Robert Forster
This list might be called ‘Ten of the most iconic storytellers in Australian music’, but there’s no way we can resist taking it all the way to eleven by mentioning the songwriting partnership that was Grant McLennan & Robert Forster. The backbone of Brisbane icons The Go-Betweens, McLennan and Forster penned some of the most brilliant tunes ever recorded in this country.
While tracks such as ‘Streets Of Your Town’ or ‘Bye Bye Pride’ instantly evoke memories of the first time we were blown away by The Go-Betweens, it’s ‘Cattle & Cane’ that stands out as one of Grant McLennan’s finest moments. An autobiographical retelling of his childhood, the songwriting is so vivid and nostalgic that it’s easy to see why this song is considered one of the finest Aussie songs of all time.
Bob Evans Full Circle Tour
Friday, October 19th
Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Tickets: Bob Evans or Oztix
Saturday, October 20th
Leadbelly, Newtown, NSW (18+)
Tickets: Bob Evans or Leadbelly
Friday, October 26th
The Gov, Adelaide, SA (18+)
Tickets: Bob Evans or Oztix
Saturday, October 27th
The Rosemount Hotel, North Perth, WA (18+)
Tickets: Bob Evans or Oztix
Saturday, November 3rd
Northcote Social Club, Northcote, VIC (18+)
Tickets: Bob Evans or Eventbrite
