Milestone reached for Kingswood
Photo Credit: Dean Butters
Australian Rock band Kingswood are hitting the road to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their album MICRO WARS. The ARIA Award-nominated MICRO WARS album will be showcased around the country for fans to enjoy all over again this August, but before the much-loved band start packing, we caught up with lead singer Fergus Linacre to discover his memories of making the album, the up-coming tour and how the band are planning to celebrate the magic milestone.
Fergus, congratulations on the 10 year anniversary of your debut album Microscopic Wars, does it feel like a decade has passed or does it feel like yesterday you were recording the album?
It certainly feels like time has passed. We have been fortunate to be able to continue making music and forge a career touring, and recording across North America, the UK and Europe. It has been nostalgic diving into the music and memories from that time in our lives, reliving the feeling of a song or relearning a particular part opens a door into that era of our lives.
How have you as a band marked the anniversary?
Not as yet, the Album was released in August so we will be getting the original members together for a celebratory dinner. I believe its important to do these things, life as a musician can be quite chaotic and unstructured and you don’t often get an obvious moment to stop and reflect, like say a sporting team would at the end of a season. It’s not about holding up trophies, but acknowledging that you’ve created or achieved something important to you or to others helps to remind you of the greater value in your work.
“We were so loud that without telling us they had a team come in one night after we finished and pump insulation between the walls because the band in studio B could hear us”
What are your best and worse memories of the recording process?
Best is easy, there were many, we took off to Nashville to work with Vance Powell, we had a ball, and learned so much about music and cutting a record. There are so many highlights but being in Blackbird Studio in a room where so many of our favourite albums were recorded certainly helped inspire the band. We were so loud that without telling us they had a team come in one night after we finished and pump insulation between the walls because the band in studio B could hear us. I can’t really recall a worst, but the Arctic Monkeys wanted our room for a day so we happily obliged, thinking we’d all become buddies, we left them Tim Tams, they gave us tickets to their show but we never met them and they told Vance that Penguins were a superior treat.
Looking back with years of experience under your belts, are there any tracks from the album you would change, rework or leave off the album altogether?
In short yes. If you open yourself up to that kind of thinking then I think you’ll always want to improve or change things you’ve created, but in saying that I don’t buy into that way of thinking. You have to accept it as a reflection of yourself at that time and be content and love the work and move on. At some point, you have to say it’s finished and move on. Looking back too critically is healthy to learn and become a better musician but it doesn’t help to get hung up on it.
“we’d play, The Hives would go on, then we’d all watch ACDC”
Microscopic Wars opened so many doors for Kingswood, what is the most mind-blowing opportunity created for the band as a result of the album?
Certainly being pout on the bill for the 2015 ACDC tour. It was incredible, we’d play, the the Hives would go on, then we’d all watch ACDC, then often we’d go play a club show, and the Hives would DJ after us. We had a lot of down time so we all got pretty close. Not with ACDC we met them for ten minutes in what felt like a meet and greet. Brian said we’d all have dinner together but I think that was code for ‘this meeting is over’.
How does the place you record influence the album and why Nashville?
I think it affects the record a great deal, if we went to New York or stayed in Melbourne instead of going to Nashville then the album would certainly be different. Your surroundings, what you do before and after the studio, what you eat and drink, it all shapes the record though it’s hard to pinpoint how. We love Nashville because of the great studios, and the lifestyle there, and because it is the home of our co-producer Eddie Spear. But my advice to any band is to get away from home, limit distractions or other commitments, and be 100% focused on the album from when you wake up till your head hits the pillow.
“It’s easy to get caught up in qualifying success but it will drive you crazy.”
What is the biggest lesson you have learned since that debut 10 years ago?
To enjoy the processes of being a musician rather than stressing about them. It’s easy to get caught up in qualifying success but it will drive you crazy. Give your energy to the music and the people you make and play it with. I remember the second time we played Splendour we had technical issues and had to go on 15 minutes late, I was furious and hated every second of the gig, I stormed off stage and was down in the dumps and wasn’t fun to be around. Later I realised what an incredible opportunity it was to play main stage and that I let it all wash over me because I was being a sook. So when we played the festival again I made sure to enjoy every moment and encourage the band to soak it all in.
You have announced a 10 Year Anniversary tour for Microscopic Wars, which will see the band visit cities around the country this August. What can fans look forward to from these special performances?
We are better musicians than we were back then, better players, singers, and performers, so fans who love that album and the heavier songs of that era will experience the best version of it they have ever seen. We aren’t playing any slow pretty songs, or experimental tribal disco bangers, or country, just all hard rock n roll. We are a band that has evolved and changed our sound a lot, but we aren’t afraid to honour this album and do a show for our ‘Frogstopers’.
“Designing the show has been heaps of fun, it’s going to be heavy, and loud.”
What is your favourite song from the album to perform live?
Hard to say at the moment but I’ve loved relearning Eye Of The Storm, and can’t wait to play it. Designing the show has been heaps of fun, it’s going to be heavy, and loud.
Do you have a message for Kingswood's fans who have supported you for the last 10 years?
They know I love them and am incredibly grateful for their support, especially those who have gone the distance and embraced our shifts in soundscape. But those who jumped off the train and only love the old hairier stuff, I love you too and these shows are for you.
What's next for the band? What's in the pipeline for after the anniversary celebrations?
We are recording a new album right now, so hopefully we can share some new music with you possibly as early as September. More touring and festivals are being planned as well as our annual pilgrimage to Europe in their spring next year.
KINGSWOOD MICRO WARS ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES
02/08 - 170 Russell MELBOURNE **
08/08 - Coolangatta Hotel GOLD COAST **
09/08 - The Triffid BRISBANE **
10/08 - Metro Theatre SYDNEY **
11/08 - King Street NEWCASTLE **
16/08 - Lion Arts Factory ADELAIDE +
17/08 - Prince of Wales Hotel BUNBURY ^
18/08 - Magnet House PERTH ^
Jacob Fitzgerald & The Electric City appearing at all shows
** Supported by The Delta Riggs
^ Supported by Death By Denim
+ Supported by Molly Rocket
Tickets via https://daltours.cc/kingswood
Interview by Michelle Symes
June 2024