Two acts who are up for a cheeky few ARIA Awards apiece this year come straight outta NSW but from different ends of the spectrum; you’ve got The Preatures, the five piece who have been elevated to become one of the country’s favourite live touring acts off the back of their debut album Blue Planet Eyes and then you have Hermitude, the Blue Mountains duo who’ve been storming festival stages around the world as well as sell-out headline shows with their slick and sophisticated electronic-driven tunes. Larry caught up with both at last week’s ARIA nominations event in Sydney to see how everything’s been going…
“We’ve got quite the booty,” El Gusto (Angus Stuart) and Luke Dubs say of Hermitude’s ARIA haul. “It’s quite amazing, we’re so stoked to be in such crazy categories like Album of the Year, that’s such a huge honour.”
“There’s no way in hell where going to win in that category,” The Preatures’ dynamic frontwoman Izzi Manfredi says of the band’s nod for Best Rock Album and their competition. “We just finished a six week tour and then we’re going to the studio next week, we have the Corona party. Flight Facilities are playing with The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Courtney Barnett has been on Jimmy Fallon…”
Turning attention to the publicly voted Best Live Act ARIA which this year will be determined via social media (people vote for the winner via Twitter), Manfredi comments on the nature of the award category and who she’s rooting for come ARIA Awards night.
“Best Live Act is always hilarious,” she says. “It’s voted on twitter, it’s just a popularity contest. I hope Mark Ronson will win Best International Act, but I think Taylor Swift will. Song of the Year, I’m surprised Tame Impala wasn’t there, I’m surprised “I’m a Man” didn’t get in there.”
For Hermitude, 2015 has been non-stop. From shows in the US raising the duo’s profile considerably in a similar way to Flume‘s through 2014, El Gusto and Luke Dubs haven’t lost sight of new music and remaining creatively fresh, even if their 2015 album Dark Night Sweet Light is still in its infancy, tour-cycle wise.
“It’s been amazing,” El Gusto acknowledge. “We’ve been on the road so much and just doing a lot of crazy gigs, America’s been really taking off for us, it’s been a beautiful thing. We’ve got more shows coming up, shows at Festival Hall in Melbourne and The Hordern in Sydney, which we’re really excited about.”
“The Hordern gig is straight after the ARIAs, the following night. We just get back from the States a couple days earlier; it’s one of those times where it’s all coming to a head.”
Similarly for The Preatures, they’ve got some time blocked out on their dance card for some shows fans will be clamouring to get at. The free series of dates sponsored by Corona has sent the likes of Portgual. The Man around the country in the past, successfully pulling off some great live shows and the addition of The Preatures to their roster of talent bringing excellent tunes to eager crowds is a perfect choice.
“It’s guerilla style,” Manfredi says. “No sound check, no set up – we just play.That was one of the reasons we wanted to do it because we didn’t want another tour like we’d done; this gives us an opportunity to try things out…”
“We’ll go back to the studio next week,” she continues. “Some of the new songs we’ve got are a year and a half old and I’m excited to just play! We tried to do it after we finished Groovin’ the Moo and then we had the Opera House and gigs… they were big, took a lot of planning.”
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Hermitude and The Preatures have been nominated for the following ARIA Awards – congratulations and best of luck! The 2015 ARIA Awards are going to be held at the Star Event Centre in Sydney on November 25th, broadcast on Channel Ten.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Tame Impala – Currents
Flight Facilities – Down to Earth
Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light
Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away
BEST GROUP
5 Seconds of Summer – LiveSOS
AC/DC – Rock or Bust
Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light
Tame Impala – Currents
The Preatures – Blue Planet Eyes
BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Hermitude – Dark Night Sweet Light
Jarryd James – Do You Remember
Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions – Paul Kelly Presents The Merri Soul Sessions
Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away
BEST ROCK ALBUM
Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Dead Letter Circus – Aesthesis
Gang of Youths – The Positions
Tame Impala – Currents
The Preatures – Blue Planet Eyes
BEST AUSTRALIAN LIVE ACT
5 Seconds of Summer – ‘Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour’
Courtney Barnett – ‘Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit Tour’
Gang of Youths – ‘Gang of Youths National Tour’
Hermitude – ‘Dark Night Sweet Light Tour’
Hilltop Hoods – ‘Cosby Sweater Tour’
Nick Cave – ‘Nick Cave Australian Tour’
Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions – ‘Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions Tour’
Sheppard – ‘The Bombs Away Tour’
The Preatures – ‘The Cruel Tour’
Vance Joy – ‘Dream Your Life Away Tour’
BEST VIDEO
Prad Senanayake for Alison Wonderland – “U Don’t Know Me (ft. Wayne Coyne)”
Charlie Ford for Courtney Barnett – “Pedestrian At Best”
Lorin Askill for Daniel Johns – “Aerial Love”
Anthony Rose for Delta Goodrem – “Wings”
Clemens Habicht for Flume – “Some Minds (ft. Andrew Wyatt)”
Kess Broekman-Dattner for Hermitude – “Through the Roof (ft. Young Tapz)”
Duncan Toombs for Lee Kernaghan – “Spirit of the ANZACs”
Filmery for Shane Nicholson – “Secondhand Man”
Luci Schroder for Vance Joy – “Georgia”
Matt Sharp & Daniel James for The Veronicas – “You Ruin Me”
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