STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW
Wally DeBacker doesn’t do things by half-measures. Both his independently-released albums as Gotye – 2004’s Boardface and 2006’s Like Drawing Blood – were crafted with a minimum of resources and a surfeit of inspiration. The latter, recorded entirely in Melbourne bedrooms, propelled its creator from niche name to festival headliner.
Taking in everything from Motown to dub to ‘80s pop, the Gotye sound is a hard one to pin down. In order to translate the idiosyncratic mix of styles to the live arena, DeBacker went all out; assembling a band and mini-orchestra. Their national club tour in mid-2007 was a resounding success, and now the festivals have come knocking. Here ITM’s Jack Tregoning speaks to DeBacker about his ARIA win for ‘Best Male Artist’, the challenges of coordinating nine people onstage and that vigorous work ethic of his.
Catch Gotye’s big band show at the following dates:
Sunday 30 December – Falls Festival, Lorne, Victoria
Monday 31 December – Falls Festival, Marion Bay, Tasmania
Tuesday 1 January – The Hot Barbeque, Melbourne
Saturday 23 February – Laneway Festival, Adelaide
Sunday 24 February – Laneway Festival, Melbourne
Saturday 1 March – Laneway Festival, Brisbane
Sunday 2 March – Laneway Festival, Sydney
Saturday 15 March – West Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Fremantle
Friday 21 March – East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Byron Bay
