Hotel Great Northern | Saturday 25 August | 9pm | $40 – $45
Everyone in the Kingswood
When I speak with Fergus Linacre of Kingswood he’s just touched down from LA. Even the 8-hour delay and the extended Sydney stayover haven’t dampened his spirits; he’s alert and intensely positive and full of enthusiasm for their upcoming LP launch.
Kingswood’s latest musical offering was conceived after months locked away in studios in Sydney and Melbourne, and then cooked up in Nashville where they made their first record.
‘We flew to Nashville and finished off four or five songs,’ says Fergus, who is full of praise for engineer and producer Eddie Spear.
‘He was the engineer on the first record, and co-produced the second one. He’s an English guy and he’s hilarious. He lives in Nashville, and we went to Blackbird for a bit, and to Sound Emporium. We had a wonderful time; we were literally singing yesterday until the last moment before we left for our flight!’
Nashville has a certain musical magic – a city famed for country but now calling musicians from all genres, making it a very exciting place to be. ‘We love it – it’s starting to feel like a second home for us,’ says Fergus. ‘The studios are really nice. It’s nice to get out of Melbourne so you don’t have the distraction of your friend’s birthday or other events. When you are recording it’s good to focus on the music alone. When we are there we will wake up and walk around the lake and talk about the song and then go into the studio. We go out and have drinks after recording all day but we talk about the music. It is nonstop; you are completely immersed in it so it’s a good way to be… you can just sink your teeth into what you are doing.’
This latest release sees Kingswood take a bit of a departure from the style of the previous two.
‘I think we are already changing our style. It just happens. We don’t want to be a band that just does the same thing. I think there is pressure to make the same record again, that’s what works, and our first record was like Queens of the Stone Age stoner rock; the second was experimental arty late Beatles style; and to be honest this one is like Michael Jackson! It’s dancey, and we might be giving a bit too much away!’
As part of their national tour Kingswood are really looking forward to getting their feet in some good clean Byron Bay sand.
‘We love coming to Byron. There is always an atmosphere of a holiday. I guess because it’s a beach town and it has a festival vibe, it’s a creative town, and it’s also an excuse to just go there. We take a few days off. Byron is excellent. We love the people at the Northern, and hey, it’s becoming movie-star capital!’
Buy tix online at www.thenorthern.com.au
