SAFIA’s Ben Woolner is at home in Canberra, in a moment of respite before the trio head out nationally for a run of festival dates.
It’s just over a year since the band’s debut album, 'Internal', was released and much has changed in that time. “It’s been good, actually,” Ben says.
“We’ve seen a tangible change in the way that we’re perceived. Since the album came out we’ve been able to play a full catalogue of music and really build a dynamic within a show, more than what we were able to do prior to that, when we had a few singles and had to try and fill out the time.
“We’ve seen a greater response from fans and had a more tangible connection with them because we’ve been able to express all the aspects of our writing with the album. It’s also been nice too because we did so much touring in the lead-up to the record, the album tours were almost like the accumulation of everything that had come before.
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“So after that for the first time in three years we had some time off where we obviously didn’t have impending deadlines or shows coming up. We had a lot of time to reflect on how we write music and why we do music, things we’ve done right and what we could do better. And it’s been nice in those periods to get back to grassroots and things that matter in life as well. So it’s been good to look back on all the things that have happened and embrace what we’ll do next.”
It’s a good opportunity to do so and one not often taken. Many bands often find themselves within the cycle of being in a band without the presence or wherewithal to contemplate how far they’ve come or where they’re going.
“We definitely fell into that in our growth stages,” Ben recalls, “in that we had some early success in Australia with our early singles so we were able to tour off the back of each single.
“It was almost three or four years and we’d been around the world and toured everywhere and done a lot of festivals, and also finishing the album within this non-stop schedule. It’s an opportunity that not a lot of people get so we didn’t take it for granted, but you’re finishing things to get them finished. So to have this time to reflect and think about what we want to do going forward has been really nice. It’s been a good way to get us excited about making new music.”
Back in April, SAFIA put aside headlining shows to undertake their biggest ever national tour support with Twenty One Pilots. It was a savvy move that exposed them to a huge, new audience. “It was an amazing experience,” Ben says.
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“We were essentially reaching a whole, new audience that had never heard of us before. It went really well for us and we’ve definitely seen an extra layer on our fan base, especially online on the socials because the kids are a lot younger. There’s a younger aspect of our fan base which we didn’t have before so I’m very glad we did that.”
As they look forward, it seems there’s no definitive talk of the band’s second album, merely a renewed commitment to making new music and expressing themselves in the best manner possible. “These festival shows will pretty much finish off our run for this album in Australia,” Ben says.
“After that it’s very much about moving forward and the future. Right now we’ve got all these different avenues we can focus on to really flesh out what we want to do and work out how we can bring our show to the next level. One thing we’re passionate about is being more than just a band on stage playing their songs. We want to make it an immersive experience.
“We’re in a really good place at the moment and I’m excited to see where that takes us.”
SAFIA Festival Dates
Sat 23 Sep - Listen Out Festival (Melbourne)Sun 24 Sep - Listen Out Festival (Perth)
Fri 29 Sep - Oh Yes! Festival (Adelaide)
Sat 30 Sep - Listen Out Festival (Sydney)
30 Sep-1 Oct - Yours & Owls Festival (Wollongong)
Sun 1 Oct - Listen Out Festival (Brisbane)
