Feeder returns to Australia as part of their Black Red tour, named after their 2024 album.
After 14 years, the band will finally take to Australian stages promising an electrifying mix of nostalgia and fresh, fiery energy.Feeder's lead singer and guitarist, Grant Nicholas is absolutely thrilled to return to Australia, but he can't help cracking a joke about how much things have changed since his last visit. "A few more grey hairs. A little bit older. Yeah, my eyesight is getting worse," he says, with a grin.
"We still do our thing. The last time we were there, we came as a three piece. We went back to our roots. I think we were doing the Soundwave festival. So, we'll be a four piece for the shows we come over with.
"We've been doing quite a few shows over the past few years. So just looking forward to coming over there and showing what we can do."
When it comes to stage effects, although Grant jokes about including fire-eating stunts and flying monkeys soaring across the stage, Feeder will focus on the music and the band's energy.
"We're going to try and do a set that touches on the new stuff, do some Feeder classics, and go right back to some of the early stuff as well. So [the live show will] be a good mixture of what we do.
"We just want to rock as hard as we can. We like to have fun at the shows; we don't want to take a set we don't want to. We just want people to feel connected and entertained and enjoy it and be super relaxed. Those are always the best gigs.
"We play a couple [of songs] that have always been in the set, like 'High', 'The End', those kind of songs, but sometimes we throw a few curveballs in, so that could pop up. It's going to be more about us just making the best noise we can, getting a good energy in there, and doing our show. It's all about the music."
When it comes to playing the classics, Grant teases fans with the possibility of dusting off 'My Perfect Day' from their very first album, 1997's 'Polythene', hinting it might just make a long-awaited return to the set list.
He also reflects on the deep sentiment behind 'High', a song that has stood the test of time, resonating just as powerfully now as it did back when it was first released. "It feels quite timeless, that song, to me.
"Every time I play it, even though I wrote it when I was a lot younger, it's stood the test of time, and sometimes you just, occasionally you write songs that just have a place that feel like they should always be played.
"'Just The Way I'm Feeling' as well, from the 'Comfort In Sound' album [released in 2002] is one of those songs that it would feel wrong not to play that song in the set.
"It feels even more poignant now in some way, maybe, because when I wrote that song, we'd just lost Jon [Lee, original drummer who committed suicide in 2002], and I didn't quite know what the future had in store – and I think after being able to recover from that and make more records, maybe that album was so important for us. It was a massive stepping stone."
At the end of the day, Nicholas just wants people to "have fun and to say, 'I think you put on a great show' and, hopefully, they'll come and see us again, whether it's in Australia or wherever, but [fun is] the most important thing. That's what gives us a burst.
"When people enjoy the shows, then we enjoy it even more. Every show is different, and you can't always have the perfect show, but we give it our best, and that's what we've always done; and that's what we want. Just people to have a good time, enjoy it and get to see a band that haven't been here for 14 years. So, if you want to come and see us, I would come to these shows because I don't know when we'll next time we'll be coming back."
Set to touchdown on Australian soil for the first time in 14 years, Grant has just one last message for fans. "It's going to be great. It's been a long wait, and finally we're coming back to Australia. If you want to see Feeder, this is your chance."
Feeder 2025 Tour Dates
Sat 5 Apr - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)Sun 6 Apr - Lion Arts Factory (Adelaide)
Wed 9 Apr - 170 Russell (Melbourne)
Thu 10 Apr - Manning Bar (Sydney)
Fri 11 Apr - The Triffid (Brisbane)
