Set to release her second solo album 'Small Town Temple' next month, Australian singer-songwriter Ella Hooper will tour throughout February.
To commence with her Wonderland Spiegeltent performance at Barwon Heads, Ella will also play shows in Newcastle, Sydney (x2), Bundalaguah, Archies Creek, Brunswick Heads, Brisbane, and Melbourne before concluding at the Adelaide Fringe."Hitting the road with this record feels like light at the end of a long tunnel," Ella says. "Recording it was a powerful healing process but touring it – well that's just a crazy amount of fun and release!
"It's joy, it's life. . . the crowds with their energy and enthusiasm make it so.
"On tour I relish the small but 'extra' things like selling unique merch – scented candles, enamel pins – but I'm most excited about the limited edition cloud coloured vinyl! This item is a dream come true; it perfectly fits the 'Small Town Temple' aesthetic.
"I am so proud of this record and the live band that's behind me at the moment. It feels like the highlight of my solo career, so far."
Ella first burst onto the Australian music scene when she was just 13 fronting Killing Heidi and scored her first #1 with the single 'Mascara' on her 17th birthday. At 18, Ella became the first woman to be awarded APRA's Songwriter of the Year.
'Small Town Temple' was written in Ella's home town of Violet Town. "Violet Town has always been my inspiration," she says. And so 'Small Town Temple' is a love letter to her home town: "Just a humble little mystery that keeps me going and coming on back."
The album feature both Ella's parents, with her mum Helen singing the album's 'Intro', while her dad, Jeremy, closes the record playing the alto recorder outro on 'Long Gully Road'.
It was the first time Ella had featured her mum and dad on one of her records, and she dedicates the album to Violet Town and her parents "for all they taught me with their lives and their love of music. They are the reason I make music and why I am who I am."
However, the 'Small Town Temple' story took a tragic turn with the passing of Ella's parents earlier this year. "I had no idea when I started making this album how things would turn out," Ella says.
"It's been a very strange time, to say the least. But I'm so grateful that something told me to include mum and dad. It seems so appropriate that they open and close the album."
'Small Town Temple' will be released 20 January, 2023. Pre-order it.
Tickets to the tour are on sale.
Ella Hooper 2023 Tour Dates
Sat 28 Jan - Wonderland Spiegeltent (Barwon Heads)Thu 2 Feb - Lizotte's (Newcastle)
Fri 3 Feb - The Lansdowne (Sydney)
Sat 4 Feb - The Brass Monkey (Sydney)
Sat 11 Feb - Bundy Hall (Bundalaguah)* sold out
Sun 12 Feb - Archies Creek Hotel (Archies Creek)
Thu 16 Feb - Brunswick Heads Picture House (Northern Rivers)
Fri 17 Feb - Woolly Mammoth (Brisbane)
Sun 19 Feb - Malthouse Outdoor Stage (Melbourne)
Fri 24 Feb - Adelaide Fringe
