Ahead of their appearance at Airlie Beach Festival of Music in November, Tania Doko, vocalist of the legendary Australian pop duo, Bachelor Girl, has been busy in the studio working on a nostalgia project.
The Airlie Beach Festival of Music is located in a coastal paradise, steps from the Coral Sea in Far North Queensland. The line-up and location makes it a tempting trip to experience the likes of Pete Murray, Jessica Mauboy, Diesel, The Screaming Jets and Bachelor Girl in the backdrop of the Whitsunday Islands.
This interview is a rare moment of respite for Tania, as she manages to find time for an early morning call while in-between sessions at the studio. Bachelor Girl are currently recording their redux version of their legendary 1998 debut album 'Waiting For The Day'.
"So essentially redoing our first album 'Waiting For The Day," Tania explains over the phone while juggling her 12-week-old puppy with her spare arm. "It was born out of the 25th anniversary [tour].
"We just celebrated the record and we're redoing all the tracks, from country to pop punk to soul [versions]. So I've had to redo some things in my own studio. It's quite fun and we've got some special guests that we can share with you next year. We'll feed those songs out in the coming months."
With this redux version, Bachelor Girl asked themselves the question; how would those kids back in the late '90s record these songs nowadays? "Well I would say that the arrangements are mostly shorter because, you know, [compared to] the '90s we have the attention span of a fish, we're not as indulgent as we were.
"Having said that, I think how we approached it is a lot of fun. We put out the first version, we're not trying to prove ourselves, it's just more, what if this had completely different clothes on, you know? The special guests are a major feature because obviously we want to be in keeping with their style."
Bachelor Girl just finished their 25th anniversary tour in May, which saw them debut these redux versions live across the country. The tour finished with a performance at the Sydney Opera House.
"They indeed were the 25th anniversary versions just without the special guests. So we teased the versions, the arrangements and they went down extremely well. Let's just say we kind of broke the back now of these versions, and now fans and supporters can hear them in a recorded fashion sometime next year."
Despite Bachelor Girl's recent focus on the redux versions, the performance at Airlie Beach Festival of Music will be nothing but the classics.
"The festival show is slam bam thank you ma'am. The redux versions live are a bit more indulgent and longer, and they will probably throw people in a festival environment because they pretty much want to, you know, hear the songs as they were, but live. Whereas the redux version, that's more of a theatrical sit-down experience.
"The Airlie Beach show is the festival version, it's absolutely rocking. I mean, I do speak but I don't tell long and long-winded mushy stories. It's very much a party atmosphere and we'll do a couple of hot covers as well to get the party going."
Airlie Beach Festival Of Music 2025 is on at venues across Airlie Beach 7-9 November.
Airlie Beach Festival Of Music 2025 Line-up
Jessica MauboyThe Screaming Jets
Diesel
The Black Sorrows
Choirboys
Bachelor Girl
Lloyd Spiegel
Jayne Denham
Hillbilly Goats
James Bennett
Andy Penkow
Bo’Ness Brothers
Matt Angell
Piper Butcher
Tom Neilson
Pete Murray
Tex Perkins
Matt Walker
David Flower
The Natural Culture
Matty Rogers
Tanya George
Dallas Steele
Kieran McCarthy
Zed Charles
Jolly Jingo
Bear Brewer
Jackson Dunn
Darren Griffis & The Jukejoint
Katie Richards Band
Lucy Gallant
The Gathering
Trilla
Tim Griffin
Karl S Williams & Sally Wiggins
The Humbuckin' Pickups
The Whiskeys
Is Man Kind
Rollercam
Viva Band
Sam McCann
Corey Legge
The Swine Club
Tammy Moxon
Sam Maddison
Matt Black
Tim Johnson
Rebelquin
Simon Briley
Scotty Wilson
Josiah Samuel
Tiffany Grace
Dave Helgi Johan
Off Tap
