Bliss n Eso, from the beginning have always been dedicated to their music, their fans, and and the connection the two provide. The Sydney trio have been busy since Covid restrictions have lifted, and they’re making up for the lost time with audiences all over the country. The band are over half way through their national album tour for their seventh studio album ‘The Sun’, they are headlining the Homegrown Festival in Melbourne, and are also preparing for a one night only special performance titled ‘Strings Attached’ which will see the pioneers of Australian Hip Hop, team up with The Brisbane Symphony Orchestra, to deliver a truly unique version of their classic hits on the 17th of June at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. So while there was a break in their hectic schedule, we jumped at the chance to sit down and ask Bliss about ‘The Sun’ tour, the highlights so far in a unique career, and the dream of one day collaborating with his favourite band, OUTKAST.

2020 and 2021 were years full of uncertainty and change. For some of the time came as a blessing and for some a curse. How do you rate your COVID years?

Oh look I think you had a choice. You can either get depressed and sit on the couch and say life is miserable, or you can say you know what, I'm going to utilize this time and be productive and do something with myself, and luckily being an artist we have the blessing of home studios and still being able to create while being in lockdown. So that's exactly what we did. Sure, it was tough. It was tough for anyone, going through it, being confined to such a small space and area without being able to go outside, wherever it may be. It was definitely draining, it was mentally draining, but the music was the escape. For me it was creating songs and tapping into the imagination. I was able to create and have that means, I was escaping through my imagination, my lyrics and my rhymes, making music and being free that way I suppose.

“It’s been amazing. The fans have been frothing, everyone’s so pumped to be back out there”

— Bliss

After several forced postponements due to COVID You've finally been able to embark on your ‘The Sun’ national tour. Are you glad to be performing in front of real crowds again?

I'm ecstatic. It's been amazing. The fans have been frothing, everyone's so pumped to be back out there. Just living life normally to some degree again, the beginning was still a little slow, everyone was still a little bit hesitant about wearing masks and there were certain rules, but as the tour's gone people have relaxed a lot more and it almost feels like it's back to normal now. So it's been amazing for us from being cooped up and not being able to do much, especially for artists not being able to tour, and to finally get back on the road has been an amazing thing also, This has been a huge tour for us going everywhere. So lots of regional places like Port Macquarie we're pumped about, it's been amazing.

What's the most enjoyable part for you about touring and being back on the road?

It's connecting with the fans. It's being on stage and seeing people in the front row or a few rows back. Just the faces screaming the lyrics back at you with more conviction than when you originally wrote them, that's amazing. Connecting and feeling that energy, that synergy. There's nothing like it. It's euphoric, and it's literally the best natural high in the world. It's performing your own music to a bunch of people that you don't know from a bar of soap, the music connects you and you know them through the music. That is a beautiful thing. That's something that I cherish every day. I wake up very blessed to be able to do this and to channel my life through art, and feel grateful that people listen and people connect with it, so it's been awesome.

Is there a downside to touring and being on the road?

We just came back from Bathurst and Dubbo and our first real taste of winter, it was down to one degree at night and it was freezing. There are tough parts here and there. So sometimes the travel could be, especially hard if you do back to back shows. I think we did like six or seven in a row in Victoria. If you do back to back shows it can get grueling, but sometimes I'll be sitting getting some rest before a show in the hotel room. you'll wake up so tired and you'll think about the night before, we think about the show and the energy, and then you jump on the Tour bus and you get to the venue, and then you start hearing the crowd and then you start hearing the music and then the adrenaline starts kicking in and as soon as we walk out on stage, it's like bang. It's amazing and every time it never fails to be fun. So yes, tours can be tough.

“you get to the venue and then you start hearing the crowd and then you start hearing the music and then the adrenaline starts kicking in and as soon as we walk out on stage, it’s like bang”

— Bliss

What's your favorite song from your back catalogue to perform and why?

That's like trying to choose which kid is my favorite. I think the Sea is Rising is a pretty special song for me, every time it starts, it's like the hairs on the back of your neck. The strings come in. It's such a classic track. I love it.

So I suppose that's one of the ones you're excited to do with the symphony orchestra at your special event Bliss n Eso Strings Attached?

Oh, absolutely. If you saw the promo video that was the song we chose to do it. So to be honest, I’m excited to do all our songs with the orchestra because they sound incredible. Our songs, our music lends itself perfectly to the cinematic nature of an orchestra. So many of the songs already have strings incorporated in them, it’s really emotive music, the way it connects with an orchestra. This has literally been a lifelong dream of mine to be able to do this, so I'm super super pumped for this one off special show happening on 17th of June.

Small intimate pub style gigs and big stadium events are obviously very different in their energy and their audiences, which is easier to engage great participation? which do you prefer clubs or stadiums?

Both of them equally, because it depends on what the event is. Obviously, if we're talking about headline shows, where we’re headlining and not supporting a big act at a stadium, or it's a big arena show we're doing. The small little pub down the road can be incredible, and it's incredible for different reasons, the intimate nature of the small pub, the vibe, the sweatiness, it's not a big production, it's raw, and you're really close to the crowd, you can see everything, see everyone's emotion. There's an energy that's amazing with that, and sometimes to be honest, I enjoy those ones more, but then you step onto the big three to five thousand caped arenas and that is amazing. too, because you're talking about harnessing that amount of people and when it's in sync, and they're coming back at the exact right time that's unbeatable, so both!

You've performed at festivals, both here and overseas, including Splendour in the Grass and the infamous Whistler. Do you enjoy playing festivals and being part of that festival scene and the atmosphere?

Festivals are the bomb, we did the Big Pineapple Festival on the sunny coast last year. It was one of the very few shows that we were allowed to do because there was a break in the Covid rules, that allowed it to happen up in Queensland, and it was 15,000 people sold out. The promoter put us on title not last but after a few acts. We ended up breaking all the records in terms of the whole day with multiple stages. The entire festival basically broke into our area. People were jumping the punter barrier halfway through to get in. We had the biggest turnout and it was incredible. The energy at festivals, there's something that's magic about it. I mean, festival's are just so much fun. It's such a vibe. It's awesome seeing other acts play, people you're friends with. It's a big party. There's so many great things about festivals. It's definitely special.

Do you find that it presents your music to new fans or a younger generation?

100% That's one of the beautiful things about it, you get to engage with new people that might not have heard of you, and grow the fan base, and that's the beautiful thing about it, and it's just music lovers in general, they might have heard about Bliss n Eso before, but none of the music, or they know a couple of songs, and then they hear a whole set and they're like damn, and then they get down with it. That's a beautiful thing as well. We just like hearing feedback from the fans like, I didn't really know about you guys, but now I'm converted. It's great as well because we're appreciators of lots of different genres, so to see different bands that you know and get to see how they do their thing, you kind of compare notes and there’s always cool things to pick up on. Just enjoying music in general.

“I’m just happy being able to get up there in front of the fans and do our thing ”

— Bliss

Do egos ever get in the way on a multi artist bill?

It's funny, like I just said to you, the big pineapple thing, we're a pretty big act. We were billed fairly high. There were other acts on after us. Do we let it affect us when we get booked, No, because it's not about that. It's not about we're bigger than you, we deserve to be at this spot or whatever. It's about connecting with the fans. As long as we get to jump on that stage, we're happy. We didn't kick up a fuss about where we are in the lineup or whatever. Obviously, the booking agent says a different thing. They're going to but that's a whole different thing with different acts and the booking agents will figure it out with the festival, but us being artists, we don't really care about that. It's about just having the opportunity to get up on stage. And it's a blessing. So I'm just happy being able to get up there in front of the fans and do our thing so absolutely not.

You've shared the stage and joined forces with some of the biggest names in hip hop including the legend himself, Coolio earlier this year. Is there anyone still on your wish list to perform or collab with?

OUTKAST

My favorite group of all time! It would be very hard for it to happen, because Andre 3000 is very, very hard to get a hold of and does very few collabs, but that would be my all time favorite, because that's what I grew up on. That's who influenced me the most, as a rapper. They kind of put the south of America, Atlanta on the map in terms of the hip hop game. It's was primarily, East Coast, West Coast, New York, LA at the time, and they came with a whole different sound, and that really helped influence Bliss n Eso because when we came in the game here, we came with a whole different sound, and we didn't sound like anyone else and we had always pushed ourselves to make our creativeness different and stand out, so Outkast would be it for me.

Bliss n Eso have had some truly unique moments in the band's career from playing the Zulu Connection Choir to making a documentary with Evermore promoting awareness of the challenges faced by developing communities in South Africa. What's been the highlight in that journey so far personally and why?

That was an amazing part of our career. Absolutely, it was a beautiful thing to be able to give back and try and do something to help people, and spread awareness and to be able to record with the 21 piece African Zulu choir, it was incredible. We contacted Citizen Cope and remade his song which is ‘Bullet and a Target’, which was the perfect song for it. I actually edited that video myself and the TV shoot, they shot it with their cameraman, and then I sat there in their studio for about a week and edited that. So that one is a special one for me, because I went to university and did Film and Sound and I was able to put my creative stamp on that visually. So that video was pretty special to me.

“we crawled through a little hole in the wall but that was how we got onto our performance area”

— Bliss

Where was your first gig? Was it a success or flop?

It was a total success. It was at The Cave, which is a backroom of the Chinese Laundry Inn hotel in Sydney and it was in the year 2000, which is scary to think about. We were just young teenagers, just over eighteen and we played basically on the floor, no stage. It was on the floor in this tiny little room packed out with about 300 people jammed in, and it was crazy and the energy was amazing. The backstage was little too, there was an outside area in between two buildings. It was about a meter wide and we crawled through a little hole in the wall, but that was how we got onto our performance area and yes it was, it was a success for sure.

In a society where friendships are disposable and partnerships are fleeting, what's the secret for Bliss n Eso keeping the bonds forged in high school and the band's original line-up for over 20 years?

That is a fantastic question because it is super rare that bands stay together as long as we have, we have an amazing fan base. I put that down to connection through the lyrics and music. We have always been truthful and honest and vulnerable and shared how we felt in lots of different ways through the music, and that resonated with people. We're part of the soundtrack to a lot of people's lives and we’ve stuck with them, and that's what's kept us going . It's a very rare and special thing we’ve created and it's a blessing. Like I said before, it's a blessing every day being able to wake up, do something that you love, that doesn't feel like work. I love making music. I love touring. I love connecting with the fans, I get to do it and it's my living. As time goes on obviously you know your life's goes in different directions, people have families, but we still have this bond with the music, and we know it's sacred and we know it's special, and that's why we've continued. You've got to be grateful.

From ‘The Arrival’ to ‘The Sun’. How has life changed for Bliss n Eso? Is life much different for you from when you started out?

You bet it is. As you can imagine. The Arrival came out in the year 2000. It's now 2022, life is very different. Obviously everyone grows in life in different ways. We have had a massive journey musically. Success wise, we've done so many different things. So, to answer your question, it's night and day different, but the passion about making music is still exactly the same and that's a beautiful thing.

“ We’re part of the soundtrack to a lot of people’s lives ”

— Bliss

Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one and what is it that they do that keeps your world turning?

Dean Hammer is our manager. He's part of our management team, and he is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He is so loyal, so hard working and he is indispensable for us. We couldn't do what we do without him. He's one of those people that always stays calm in the moment, always brings us together. And I appreciate him every day. So I'd say Dean Hammer.

What's the short term and long term future look like for Bliss n Eso what can fans look forward to?

We are working on the next album at the moment. Obviously we've got to finish The Sun tour, but more music, more tours, we're keeping it rolling. We've got some new, very exciting projects coming up, we have different collaborations coming up. We’ve got some amazing shows, tours, and concepts coming up. I can't spill the beans on any of that yet, but trust me we will as we progress and we keep rolling. We always keep innovating and pushing the boundaries and you can expect nothing less from us, so there's plenty more to come.

Tickets available from: https://www.frontiertouring.com/blissneso

Fri 20th May, 2022Panthers Port Macquarie, Port Macquarie - 18+ - BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Sat 21st May, 2022Bar On The Hill, Newcastle - 18+ - SOLD OUT MORE INFO

Sun 22nd May, 2022Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle - 18+BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Fri 3rd Jun, 2022Metro City, Perth - 18+ - BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Sat 4th Jun, 2022Wintersun Hotel, Geraldton - 18+ - BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Fri 24th Jun, 2022JCU Uni Bar, Townsville - 18+ -BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Sat 25th Jun, 2022Gilligans, Cairns - 18+ - BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Fri 1st Jul, 2022Harrup Park, Mackay - 18+ - BUY TICKETS MORE INFO

Sat 02 Jul, 2022Magnums, Airlie Beach - 18+ - BUY TICKETS

Interview by Michelle Symes

May 2022

Hotter than The Sun … Bliss n Eso