VISITING: The John Butler Trio will play in Bendigo on March 22 for the first time since 2010.
A NINE-show tour will be the first time John Butler Trio has played live for a couple of months.
He has been in the studio putting the finishing touches on his latest albums ahead of the tour that arrives at Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre on March 22.
The show will be the first Bendigo gig for Butler since 2010.
But despite a long time between Bendigo gigs, Butler and his band have been regular visitors to central Victoria.
They played at Hanging Rock last year alongside Midnight Oil as well as visits to other parts of the region.
“We haven’t played Victoria for quite a while, so we are looking forward to getting back to some of the great communities out there,” he said.
“When we played at Hanging Rock it was cold but beautiful and we were with long-time inspirations Midnight Oil.
“The band is hanging out to get on stage and play some new songs and reinvent
old songs.”
Butler said there was going to be some nerves when showing off some of the band’s new songs for the first time.
“There definitely will be because you’re kind of showing of all the the things that you like. You’re showing bunch a people and saying ‘these are my babies, please like them’.
“We have worked really hard making those songs be the best they can be live and we want those songs to have a relationship with the audience, take a journey and hopefully give people the chills.”
The new album is more of a personal one for Butler.
“After out last album (Flesh and Blood in 2014) I came home for good year and took a break,” Butler said.
“I made a garden, a chook shed and was working out some answers to questions.
“So (this album) has lots of relationship and love stories playing throughout it. It’s more of a personal album as opposed to a political or environmental one.
“It’s nice and uplifting, not too dark.”
Butler said he plans to be playing overseas later in the year. It will be a family affair and could lead to an eighth album.
“We make our money through touring, it’s something we have always done. That’s how I got better at what I do, by staying on stage and honing my craft,” he said.
“My boy coming round world with me and there is tutor coming along so we are going to home school.
“Usually as I'm touring the last album, I am writing the next album. That’s why the albums are spaced out. It’s about three years between each album.”
John Butler Trio is at Ulumbarra Theatre on Thursday, March 22.
