Kate Miller-Heidke had a pretty good 2007. With five nominations, including Best Female Artist, Best Pop and Breakthrough Artist Awards, Kate made her first ever appearance at the ARIAs, having declined previous year’s invitations. ‘It was very surreal,’ ponders Kate, ‘The whole red carpet thing is bizarre…’
Now Kate and her band are making the trek from Brisbane to Perth to support the enigmatic Cindy Lauper in the sublime setting of Kings Park.
‘It’s pretty exciting. It’s going to be pretty amazing,’ Kate replies when I ask if she’s pinching herself. But to put it in perspective, she maintains that, ‘on the Sunday, it’ll be a bit exciting, cause we’re doing an all-ages show, which is something we’ve been trying to get together in Perth for a long time.’
Of course, she admits that Cindy was ‘definitely a huge influence and not just her music, but her whole style…’ We fall into some girly banter about her striking choice of frocks with Kate confessing, ‘I like dressing up [and] I was always a second-hand shop kind of girl, but it’s all part of the job now. If I wear the same outfit to two gigs they complain about it on my forum.’
Sure enough, when I check, there is a thread on Kate’s forum entitled ‘Tackling the important issues’ that debates the various hair styles that Kate has been wearing, along with nail polish, shoes and sunglasses. Hmmmm…
‘I’ve stopped googling myself. It is quite harmful. It affects your outlook. Most of that shit is irrelevant.’
Quite. Well, to the point! The music. Kate, who has previously shouldered labels like ‘our answer to *Kate Bush*’ refuses to take all the credit for her incomparable music, and repeatedly mentions her band during our conversation.
Softening as she speaks of Keir Nuttall, her guitarist, writing collaborator and ‘life partner’ Kate says, ‘He is a brilliant song writer. I really like bouncing ideas off him.’
I muse that one might get a more honest sound when working with someone they have a genuine connection with outside music and she laughs.
‘Sometimes it’s too honest! When things are totally fucked, we don’t hold back. It’s a great relationship in that way. Sometimes if I’m sitting in a room by myself with a piano for too long, I slowly drive myself insane. It’s good to have somebody else there as well. It keeps you focused on the bigger picture.’
According to Kate the reaction to her recent release, Little Eve, is ‘going really well’ and as for the DVD that’s slated for release in March, ‘that’s something that people have been asking me about for a long time.’
‘The live shows have always been where things come together with my music, so the first albums were learning processes. I found it a bit of a struggle to translate the energy [of] a live show onto a CD. I think with Little Eve we’ve taken a couple of steps closer toward getting the energy recorded for prosperity.’
You be the judge, West Australians. Catch Kate at any of the following shows (and for those of us on this side, keep your eye out for a few dates in the following weeks).
FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY – Kings Park Botanic Gardens, Perth
Outdoor show supporting Cyndi Lauper
Tickets through Ticketmaster 136 100
SATURDAY 23 FEBRUARY – Fly by Night, Fremantle (18+)
w’ Claire Clark (Trio) www.myspace.com/claireclarke
Tickets: $20 PreSold $25 at the Door
Available at www.heatseeker.com
- ALL-AGES MATINEE ***
SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY – Bakery Artrage, Perth
Tickets: $15 PreSold $20 at the Door (Ages 5 & under free)
Doors @ 2 pm
Available at www.heatseeker.com
SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY – Bakery Artrage, Perth (18+)
w’ Claire Clark (Trio) www.myspace.com/claireclarke
Tickets: $20 PreSold $25 at the Door
Available at www.heatseeker.com
