Lior has established himself as one of the bright lights on the Australian music landscape. 2006 was a huge year with his album Autumn Flow going gold (a bloody good effort for an independent artist) and sold out shows around the country after constant touring. Lior returns to Adelaide as a part of the WOMADelaide music festival.
After returning from a recent tour in the UK there’s literally no rest for the wicked getting back in to the process of making another album. “I’ve just finished my first UK tour,” Lior mentioned. “My album has only just come out there and in and around that I have been working on my second record.”
Lior talked about how difficult it can be playing somewhere new but on the same hand it’s also just as exciting. “I was prepared for how difficult it could be,” Lior elaborated. “I didn’t go with any expectations but I have to say that the response was fantastic both from radio and people at live shows. Everything so far has been encouraging.”
Playing overseas wouldn’t be right if there weren’t any ex-pat Aussies in the crowd. “There are always plenty of those,” Lior laughed. “Particularly when you do a show in London and you’ll always get a full house of Australians. That’s really nice especially after touring around playing to new audiences to be able to touch base with Australians again who know the music, come along and sing the songs. It’s kind of a barrel of laughs really.”
Apart from working on a new album forging ahead overseas is now on the radar for Lior. “Most definitely,” Lior agreed. “Growing up as a kid I pretty said my dream would be to merge travel and music together, which is what I’ve done. So I’m living my dreams as corny as that sounds.”
Taking on overseas music scenes can also be a juggling act with other commitments. “Success of any Australian act overseas really does hinge on them touring as much as possible,” Lior commented. “With artists like John Butler Trio and The Waifs who have started getting a measure of success over there you really have to balance family life and how long you want to be on the road with how long you want to be away from your family. It’s one of those things you want to meet on a point that works both ways.”
Looking back to 2006 it was a massive year for Lior with constant touring with a natural conclusion. “A lot of last year was spent on stage,” Lior acknowledged. “I had a ball watching it grow, the album came out, I was starting out and no one knew who I was and suddenly I finished out the year with a sold out show at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney, which is where I use to go and see some of my favourite international acts. It was all a bit of a trip really and the live thing was so satisfying. When that last tour finished I really did feel like it was a natural ending and that it was time to start working on a new album. While it was a peak, it was also this feeling that I’ve had my time in the sun and that it’s time to go back to the drawing board.”
WOMADelaide is just around the corner featuring many Australian acts including Lior. “I keep hearing such great things,” Lior believed. “I’ve actually played four WOMAD’s overseas and just by the way things have happened there hasn’t been the opportunity to do one at home yet. I know a little about what WOMAD is and what it stands for I think that it is an amazing world wide festival. I keep hearing how good the Adelaide one is, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Playing any festival is a huge opportunity to see other bands play also. “There isn’t anyone on the bill that I’ve worked with in the past,” Lior pointed out. “That’s really cool I guess as there is a fresh batch of stuff I don’t know anything about. Every WOMAD I’ve played there has been a handful of stuff that has blown me away so I’m sure the Adelaide one will be no exception.”
For any artist to be invited to play a festival such as WOMADelaide it must be a huge thrill. “It is, it’s always great,” Lior answered. “To become a part of the whole WOMAD infrastructure is great. WOMAD invites their artists and to get asked to come back I must be doing something right.”
Some artists have a different mindset to playing festivals and the energy they put in compared to their own club show. “I don’t,” Lior suggested. “We put on our show wherever we are and I don’t really adapt it to suit any particular environment. There is a different feeling at festivals then your own shows. There generally is a greater feeling of freedom at festivals and everyone lets their hair down. There is also this communal feel that isn’t always around when your own club gigs.”
After playing so many shows in Adelaide now Lior recalls his favourite story to wrap things up. “Adelaide in my mind stands for a place that represents the full journey of the album,” Lior pointed out. “When I came to do the launch of the album in Adelaide stuff hadn’t hit radio yet. I remember I worked the hardest I’ve ever worked in those two days leading up to the Adelaide show and there was like seven people there. A year later I played two sold out shows at The Gov. So, Adelaide represents the full journey and the fruition of the pain you put into something.”
www.womadelaide.com.au
