What do artists such as Moby, Fatboy Slim and Led Zeppelin all have in common? At some point in their career they all covered or interpreted classic folklore songs to create something genuinely unique to their own style. In terms of current acts that still provide this focus on freshly interpreted folk songs, Australia’s own Bush Gothic is incomparable.
As evident by their most recent album The Natural Selection Songbook, which was released last year to critical acclaim, Bush Gothic’s interpretation of classic Australian folk songs including ‘True Blue’ and ‘Swag On My Shoulder’, sear with power and truth. Completely respecting the original songs, whilst providing a unique and eloquent rendition.
According to Jenny M Thomas, the group’s powerhouse front woman, the 10 songs chosen for the album were based on the weight of the story being told. “They had to be the ones with the best stories, the ones with stories of heartbreak, loneliness or tragic events, because the stories are amazing. About coming to Australia as a convict, being transported here against your will or even coming here as a free settler and being overwhelmed by the situation,” she says.
The idea behind the bands re-working’s of the songs stems from wanting to evoke similar feelings for the listener, to the original author.
“Sometimes the melodies are not what I would want to do with them so we make them as beautiful and as all encompassing as possible, just to get that feeling that you would have had in the moment of the songs story.
“Say you have spent eight months on a boat to get here from England and you get to Australia and it’s this massive, vast, huge place that is so beautiful but also so terrifying. I think that feeling of awe and majesty, I don’t know if we get that as much in modern times. It’s a very human thing to feel emotion so I like to use music, and arrange our music so that we can produce that awe in a sense, because I think music is really magical in that way, it can take you places,” Jenny says.
With another new album in the works and upcoming tours, Bush Gothic will be giving punters a memorable experience when they stop by to play next years leg of the Port Fairy Folk Festival.
“We are very excited! The band has never played there before but I have many times in other bands, it’s one of the best ever. We actually played at the Port Fairy Fine Music Festival, which is a classical music festival that was on a few months ago. So seeing the contrast between the classic music and the folk festival will be interesting, I’m curious…”
Written by Alex Callan
When & Where: Port Fairy Folk Festival, Port Fairy – March 10 – 13 2017
