There's trouble on its way for Bluesfest next year – Vintage Trouble, purveyors of pelvis-pumping, butt-shaking, good ol' fashioned rhythm & blues.
Vintage Trouble will return to the Bluesfest stages in April, along with two side shows in Sydney and Melbourne. For Swedish-born guitarist Nalle Colt, it's a great honour to again play at the same festival as some of his music idols.
“We've been there twice before in Byron Bay at the Bluesfest and we play a lot of festivals, but that one is definitely always something amazing. We love the beachfront there and the whole energy at that festival is incredible,” Nalle says.
“Last time we were there, I was sitting at catering and Patti Smith, Bonnie Raitt and Steve Cropper came and sat down at my table and I was like 'oh my god, this is the coolest festival ever!'.
“There's so much great music there and different styles; it's all coming from a blues energy, but so much different music. I remember the first time we played there we couldn't believe it, people knew our songs and sang along and it was a mad party so we can't wait. We were jumping up and down here when we heard we were coming back.”
It's been a busy year so far for Vintage Trouble, with the band spending the majority of it trucking their 'TroubleMakers' tour around Europe and the UK. The band have also been putting the final touches on what will be their next album, due for release in October. “We're going to put it out in two sections,” Nalle explains.
“It's going to be an EP where it will be kind of like an album; we're printing up five new songs and then we ended up doing acoustic versions of the five songs and they're quite different, so it's almost like a full album.
“We have lots of different backgrounds as musicians and songwriters, and I think that's always the great thing with a band is that you always get a lot of taste of each other's personality. I always love that and I hope we can continue like that.”
It's not hard to see what makes Vintage Trouble such an appealing band. Their songcraft and music aside, the sheer force of their performance creates an irresistible atmosphere of movement, guided by the showmanship and athleticism of frontman Ty Taylor.
It's also what makes the band such an enjoyable experience for Nalle as a musician. “I've known Ty for a long time, over 20 years, and we've been in this band for 8 years together,” Nalle says.
“He's Superman, he's a machine and I think he's such a great inspiration to all of us as a band. It's pedal-to-the-metal, we're flooring it, it's 100 per cent. I've played in a lot of bands before this and have never seen a singer that can keep up; even when we do tours with 39 or 40 shows in a row, he never stops.
“He's an inspiration for all of us; he's got incredible energy and his voice is always one hundred per cent. It's always been a dream of mine to have a band like this and I'm proud to be in it. It's been something special for all of us since we started and I think we're just in the beginning of this journey.”
Vintage Trouble play Bluesfest 2019 18-22 April.
Bluesfest Sideshows
Wed 24 Apr - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)Thu 25 Apr - Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
