Hillsborough is Comin’ Back For You
Since 2016, Hillsborough have been peddling their own brand of Alt-country/Blues/Americana at bars and festivals around Queensland but today sees the release of the band’s first full-length album. Phil Usher, the founding member of Hillsborough who has toured internationally with his many musical projects as well as writing music for some of our best-known TV Shows including Gossip Girl, Bondi Rescue & Underbelly sat down with us to tell us about the new album Comin’ Back For You, his thoughts on the direction of radio and streaming services and the band’s future tour plans.
Your music is described as Alt-Country/Americana , is that how you describe your sound? Do you find these labels accurate?
I think so. We’d probably add a pinch of blues in there as well. Beáta (Vocals/Keys/Percussion) likes to describe our sound as Outback Gothic. Our influences as a band are quite diverse - all the way from Outlaw Country through to 60s psychedelia and beyond, so I guess some of that wide spectrum of sounds and ideas bleeds its way through to our songs.
The band is about to release your full-length album on the 4th of October, how is Hillsborough planning to celebrate this release?
We’ve got a short tour planned for South-East Queensland which will take us through to the end of the year. Early next year we’re working on getting down to NSW and VIC and we hope to be in as many places as our legs will carry us in 2023.
Is there an anticipation on how it will be received by not only your fans but also your peers? or are you just proud of the final product and others’ opinions are not required?
We’ve worked really hard on this album and it has taken us quite a while to get it all finished the way we wanted it. Being our first record, we’re really keen to get it out there in the world and for as many people to hear it as possible. We’re really proud of the final product and it can be interesting to hear what outsiders think of your work. We would be doing this regardless, so it doesn’t really change who we are as a band in any real way to hear reviews or opinions. We try not to put too much emphasis on things we can’t control and just focus on the music.
What can fans expect from the new release?
It’s a collection of songs we’ve written during the life of the band and probably a few from a bit before that which I had lying around from other projects and needed a place to breathe. Within the framework of our sound, there is a fair amount of variety from more introspective, stripped-back ballads to more up tempo blues-rock stompers. We’ve also spent considerable time arranging the songs and working hard on the instrumentation on each track so there are some pleasant surprises there as well.
Do you have a favourite song off the album or one that is particularly special to you?
I think I like the title track Comin’ Back For You the best. It’s a fun song to play live and it always seems to get the best response from people in the audience which is a good feeling! The lyrics touch on a fairly classic idea of a person trying to get home to their loved one and the obstacles that can fall across your path along the way.
“I feel like there is a risk of a sonic sameness that can occur when a bunch of songs are all made in the same space by the same people”
Was it difficult to record the songs in two different locations or is that were mixing gurus James Aparicio and Richie Belkner come in to make it a cohesive sound?
The album was actually made in about 5 different studios all up. I’ve worked on a few projects now where the recording was done in multiple locations and I think it’s a really great way to inject more character into an album and to create a separate feel for each song. This is also the case with having different people mix tracks as well. I feel like there is a risk of a sonic sameness that can occur when a bunch of songs are all made in the same space by the same people. I guess in this way we have purposefully taken a slightly more unconventional approach to making this record and we’re really happy with how it has all come together.
The album tour starts in South-East Queensland in October, are you looking forward to showcasing the album live for audiences?
One of our favourite things about being in bands is playing live. It’s a great chance to get out and meet new people, travel and to feel the energy of the live stage. We’ll also be heading back to some places we’ve been before, so it’ll be great to catch up with some old friends and meet some new ones.
Are there plans to take the tour across the country and make it a national tour?
We’ll definitely be looking for opportunities to spread our wings next year. Besides New South Wales and Victoria, we’re looking at Tasmania and Adelaide and even talking about Europe as well. We haven’t really had the chance to get out of Queensland yet, so having the album out is a fantastic opportunity to branch out to new places.
What's your Favourite thing about touring and being on the road?
It’s such a privilege to be able to travel and play our music for new people in new places. I’d say the best thing is definitely the high that comes from performing every night. There’s really nothing like it!
“The worst thing about touring is the waiting...It’s probably why a lot of musicians take up drinking and smoking to pass the time!”
What's the worst part about touring and being on the road?
The worst thing about touring is the waiting. You can spend all day moving from place to place, sometimes in uncomfortable situations just to get on stage for 40 minutes. It’s probably why a lot of musicians take up drinking and smoking to pass the time!
Hillsborough started of originally as a side project to Sacred Shrines and has then evolved to a focus project what was the catalyst for the change in direction?
It was a very natural progression for us. When I started performing solo, the idea initially came from a collection of songs that I had written which I wanted to record, but that didn’t fit the format of other projects. As I was working on the album, certain songs needed other instrumentation or voices and this led to me to search for the right people to join me in this particular musical quest. There was an obvious chemistry with that group of people which also really transferred successfully in a live situation, so we just ran with it. We’re fortunate to be able to have the time to have several musical projects running concurrently.
The band in its evolution has morphed from a Duo to a four-piece band, did this change the direction of the music the band was making?
If anything, I think it made the project stronger or more powerful. We still play as a duo sometimes, which is much more intimate and stripped back. With the band, there’s a different kind of energy that we create with all four of us. We love doing both, but I see the 4 piece as our future. It’s much more fun playing with bass and drums and making more of a ruckus on stage.
Your music has received lots of support from radio stations Double J, 4zzz and ABC Radio. Do you believe that radio support is still important in the age of streaming?
It’s very hard to say. I think it’s important because it is still a way that many people find new music. We’re certainly spoiled by so much choice with streaming and perhaps even swamped by it. There’s something magical about turning on the radio, having no control over the playlist and hearing a favourite song come on randomly or finding a new band that you’ve never heard of. I hope that it will always be with us in some form.
“From observing the model of companies like Netfilx, it seems that film companies, actors, directors et al can be paid decent wages for their intellectual property based on a monthly subscription, so why can’t songwriters and musicians?”
What are your thoughts on streaming services? Are they helping or hurting the industry?
I don’t actually use one at the moment and prefer to buy records. I don’t think there seems to be any point in trying to fight what is happening, but I do blame the history and precedence of massive record labels ripping off artists from the beginning of rock and roll, for the criminal way musicians are being treated by corporations like Spotify. From observing the model of companies like Netfilx, it seems that film companies, actors, directors et al can be paid decent wages for their intellectual property based on a monthly subscription, so why can’t songwriters and musicians? It’s quite depressing for people who are trying to make a career in music to be treated so badly by these companies and in turn by the general public. What would our world be like if the music just stopped one day? I would encourage people to switch from Spotify to Tidal as a bare minimum to help make a change for the better. They pay slightly more per stream and the sound quality is better. I still hope for the day that this situation will turn around and become more equitable, which in turn could possibly allow artists the breathing space to release more and better music.
What’s been the highlight in your career so far personally? And why?
This is a very difficult question to answer. I’ve been very fortunate to have had a wealth of incredible musical experiences over the years and still be making more memories. To name a few - Touring the USA and performing at SXSW, touring Japan, having my songs included in TV shows like Gossip Girl, Bondi Rescue, Underbelly etc, sharing the stage with The Dandy Warhols in Brisbane for Sacred Shrines’ 2nd show, meeting Van Dyke Parks, having my songs released on vinyl and the list goes on…
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?
We’re currently self-managed and also releasing our music off our own bat, so I’d have to nominate the members of my band for some recognition. They’re all such great people, fun to be around and love playing this music together. It’s an amazing thing to find a group of people that want to come along for the ride when you start a band. Here’s to them! - Beáta Maglai (vocals, keys, percussion), Glen Russell (double bass) and Jonny Pickvance (drums).
What's next for Hillsborough? What can we expect with 2023 approaching?
We’ve already been working on songs for our next album. We’ll be taking the time to tour this album as much as we can into the new year and then will be looking to start recording our second album as well. I’d like to have it all done by the end of next year and then we can start it all over again!
Interview by Michelle Symes
October 2022