Ahead of their whirlwind four city tour next month – which includes a set as part of Sydney Festival – Larry Heath caught up with Sons and Daughters‘ vocalist and guitarist Scott Paterson, to chat about the tour, the new album Mirror Mirror and much more.
Your latest record Mirror Mirror was released back in June… how are you all feeling about the record as we come to the end of the year?
For me, it’s the record that I’m most happy with, that we’ve ever done. I really love the album. It’s taken us a long time to make it. It took us the best part of two years to write, and explore what we wanted to do with it. We didn’t want to make the same record as before. And I think it’s great that we took the time that we did, because we ended up with something that we’re all really happy with.
You’re coming back to Australia in January – how are you feeling about the tour? It’s been a while since you last made it down!
We can’t wait to get back down to Australia. It’s been six years!! We couldn’t believe it when we added it up. We were last there in 2006. And I’m not just saying this, but it was genuinely an amazing tour, even though it was whirlwind. We’d had a really, really long year of touring, and Australia was right at the end of that, so we arrived really exhausted. But it was just like a shot of adrenalin. We didn’t think that anyone had heard our music at the other side of the world, but we arrived and heard our music on the radio, and saw people with our t-shirts – and we hadn’t even been over to Australia to sell the t-shirts! It was really cool. So yeah, I can’t wait to come back. Some of our favourite shows were over there, particularly in Melbourne, and at the Zoo in Brisbane.
It’s a pity they couldn’t get you down here for more than four shows in four days!
Yeah it’s going to be brutal. The last trip was a bit better because we’d have a day off between each show. So we got to see a bit of the cities we were in. I don’t know what will happen this time… I think my mind might collapse. Fly, gig, fly, gig, fly, gig and then out… so it is a shame, but the main thing is that we’re getting to come back and play to everyone, because it has been a long time.
You don’t get to hang around after the shows?
We’ll all be leaving straight away, except I think Adele is going to stay on for another week and stay with our old manager Katrina, who lives in Perth.
How many will be in your touring ensemble in Australia?
Well there’ll be the four of us coming down from the UK, and obviously our old manager Katrina is going to tour manager. And we’ll also have a front of house and a tech, who we haven’t met yet. There’ll be 6 of 7 of us…
I imagine we’ll get a good taste of Mirror Mirror live, how has that been doing down in the live environment?
Really well actually. We’ve toured it a lot around the UK already and it’s been great to see the reactions of the new stuff. We’ve tried to rehearse as much old stuff as possible, too, so people can ask for what they want at shows. It’s been nice that people have been yelling out for the new stuff, as well as the old stuff. It’s a good sign that people aren’t just yelling out for songs for the first record.
Speaking of bands who play their old records, you’ll be playing with Primal Scream on New Years Eve… how did it happen that you got involved in that show?
I don’t actually know with this show! But big shows like that can sometimes by that the band has heard you, or that you have the same manager… something like that. Like in 2007, we supported Morrisey, we did a tour with him. And that was him purely liking us – hearing us on the radio and buying our CD. But as for Primal Scream, all I know is that we were asked and we said yes!
It should be a good way to ring in the New Year, that’s for sure.
Yeah it should. We’ve done a New Year show every year except for the last one. It’s always fun. Glasgow is always a massive party, it’s such a big deal here.
What’s a traditional Scottish celebration like for bringing in the New Year?
You celebrate it every single way you can, really. You get out in the street… I don’t do that so much any more, because it’s brutally cold. I don’t know why people put themselves through it… or how! Nowadays I would generally go to a party at someone’s house and party through the night. Probably the same way everyone else celebrates it!
What’s 2012 going to be bringing for the band?
We’re going to have to wait and see. We’re keen to do some more touring, but at the moment, the way the industry is, it’s hard to make it work financially. We can go on tour and break even, going to the States or something. But if you’re only going to break even then how are you going to pay rent? So it’s kind of getting to that stage in the music industry where you can’t tour unless it’s going to make money.
So the honest answer is I don’t know. Hopefully we get to play a couple of festivals we missed last year by releasing the album so late in the Summer. Possibly that, as that makes the European tour possible. But I’m really glad we’re getting to come to Australia, because that ain’t cheap!
That’s for sure… and hopefully it doesn’t take you guys another six years to come back!
Absolutely.
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TOUR DATES:
Wednesday, January 11 | Space Theatre (ADELAIDE)
TIX adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
Thursday, January 12 | Sydney Festival Keystone Festival Bar (SYDNEY)
TIX ticketek.com.au
Friday, January 13 | East Brunswick Club (MELBOURNE)
TIX eastbrunswickclub.com
Saturday, January 14 | The Bakery (PERTH)
TIX nowbaking.com.au
