Lloyd Cole returns to Australia next month for a retrospective tour covering the entirety of his work, from his band The Commotions right up to his latest solo effort 'Guesswork'.
For the tour, Lloyd teams up with Commotions bandmate and guitarist Neil Clark for an acoustic duo performance that he says doesn't sound anything remotely like the records. “We're touring just with two guitars and a songbook from 35 years, starting with 'Rattlesnakes' and ending up with 'Guesswork,” Lloyd says.“The set is covering all the years but it's maybe a little heavily leaning on the beginning and on the end, so the first couple of albums and the last couple of albums probably take up half of the set and we've got the other half to split the other albums over.”
Lloyd released 'Guesswork' back in July and says he has been particularly impressed with how people have responded, considering the artistic and creative leap it took away from his established work. “The response to the new songs have been wonderful. . . the response to the album has been really positive,” he says.
“I thought there might be more people who would not like the idea of me making a synthesiser record, but I've seen very few negative responses; almost all the critical responses have been very positive, so all good.”
Lloyd first came to Australia in 1986 with The Commotions off the back of 'Rattlesnakes', however never made the return voyage for sophomore album 'Mainstream'. “I think we must have just been awful because we never got invited back on 'Mainstream'," Lloyd laughs.
“I didn't get invited back as a solo artist until 2000. . . that went really well, it was just an acoustic solo show and since then I've been back on every album. So this will be my eighth trip back, and ninth including with The Commotions.”
An avid golfer as well as lover of both beer and Asian food, Lloyd says he finds more than enough here to keep him occupied. “The country is beautiful,” he enthuses.
“I get on well with the people, I like beer, I like golf and I love Asian food, and there's so much of an Asian fusion in the whole of Australian society.
“When you walk around, Australia doesn't feel like a European country; even though it's originally a European colony it doesn't feel that European to me, it feels more Asian and it's far more exotic for me frankly, more exciting. Being somewhere that likes to eat and drink – it's just fantastic,” Lloyd laughs.
Looking ahead for Lloyd, he says he's hoping to follow-up 'Guesswork' as soon as possible, with plans already in the works for his next release. “There's more new music as soon as possible,” he says.
“There's some tracks that didn't make it on to 'Guesswork' that I think will form the start of the next project. I'm encouraged by the process, that it was difficult making 'Guesswork' but it was difficult because I hadn't made a record in this format before and I think following it up relatively quickly will be great.”
Lloyd Cole 2019 Tour Dates
Fri 6 Dec - Theatre Royal (Hobart)Sat 7 Dec - Ulumbarra Theatre (Bendigo)
Mon 9 Dec - Canberra Theatre Centre
Wed 11 Dec - Hamer Hall (Melbourne)
Thu 12 Dec - Dunstan Playhouse (Adelaide)
Sat 14 Dec - City Hall (Lismore)
Sun 15 Dec - QPAC (Brisbane)
Fri 20 Dec - City Recital Hall (Sydney)
Sun 22 Dec - Freo.Social (Fremantle)
