Cousin Tonys Brand New Firebird are hitting the regional road

In support of their eagerly-awaited debut album, Electric Brown, Melbourne outfit Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird are hitting the regional road, which will see the five-piece perform headline shows in Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo. We chat to singer-songwriter Lachlan Rose ahead of the gigs.
Hey guys! Congrats on the release of your debut album Electric Brown. How have you found the reaction to the eagerly-awaited album?
The immediate reaction to the singles, clips and shows for Electric Brown have been incredibly overwhelming. Having particular songs out in the world can be a wild experience but having a whole body of work that people can take their time with is very special. That relationship with our music seems to intensify and become much more substantial.
Tell us about your album process, how long has this one been in the making? Did you encounter any massive challenges throughout?
Like most debut records, we really took our time with Electric Brown. The whole recording process spanned over six or seven months. It was riddled with little challenges, namely a handful of entire songs that had to be discarded half way through, but your ability to work through those challenges of course makes the record something else entirely and you look back very grateful for all the mistakes and trials.
The album has a very rustic vibe, with old school instrumentation, production techniques and songwriting style, what have been the main influences behind the album?
The list of influences on this record is almost endless. But we were listening to a lot of Brian Eno projects at the time, as well as this great German band called Klaus Johann Grobe. Their balance of spacey synths and great songwriting really inspired the sound for me.
You’re currently on a huge east coast tour of the country, with stops to come in Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo. How do you find getting out on the road? What’s the dynamic like?
When we started the band years ago, I think I had a really innate sense that this was only going to go the distance if we were truly close friends who loved each other. I’m proud to say we are all so close now, and we adore taking time to travel and play our music together. It might be a honeymoon phase, but right now it feels like we could do this forever.
With sold out shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, it’s quite a feat for your first tour. What are the most important aspects for you when on stage/live gigs?
Our priority with performing is that we always make an effort to immerse ourselves in the crowd and get to know the people coming to the shows. If they’ve connected with our music they’re inherently connected to us as people, so we love getting to know everyone. I also have a mantra I say to the band right before we start – “Just have as much fun as you can”. It’s simple, but so it should be.
With your album now all done, are you going to enjoy the fruits of your labour, or are you always looking towards the next thing?
I can’t really say what we’ve got cooking just yet, only that it’s cooking. I’m always writing and it doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of slowing.
If you’re enjoying the record, come down to a show and cop the live execution of it, it’s a different beast.
When & Where: Karova Lounge, Ballarat – May 4, The Barwon Club, Geelong – May 6 & Gold Dust Lounge, Bendigo – May 11.