Even with quite an extensive break in their career, the Chantoozies have returned and brought with them an extensive amount of personal experience to the band. We had a chat with Eve Von Bibra about new music, Geelong and their adoring fans.
Hi Eve, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte magazine. How are you and what are you up to at the moment?
It’s a pleasure, thank you. Well, thank you. Of course, we are very busy being Chantoozies and playing gigs around Australia, which we love to do. We get to hang out with each other and play with a fantastic band, singing, dancing and cracking jokes. Outside of Chantoozies, Tottie is touring Victoria in a play called ‘Sex With Strangers’ with Samuel Johnson. Ally is singing with Absolutely ’80s in between her theatre work, and I am singing with other people, writing songs/music and also writing some stories for kids.
Seems like you’ve all been quite busy gigging at the moment, how have all the shows been so far?
The shows have been great fun, we are really lucky to be able to work with each other, as we are all close friends. We have had a great reaction and fan support to being back on the road, so it’s been very positive which is great.
Last year you all made the decision to reform as The Chantoozies, was it an easy one to make or was there a lot of deliberation on the matter?
It was a no-brainer! The opportunity arose and we were all ready, so here we are!
By the looks of recent gigs it’s certainly been a great decision. Has touring and the functionality of the band been a return to the good old days? What’s different about the dynamic now?
Well, it does feel as if nothing has changed in terms of the vibe and the way we are with each other. Obviously we have all had different experiences and adventures in life, so I guess we bring all of that as the different dynamic which adds to what we were, to make us what we are.
Since reforming you have released a few singles, ‘Baby It’s You’ and ‘Black and Blue’, which both looked a lot of fun to film.
They really were masses of fun to film!
Where was Black and Blue filmed and how was it? Given it’s in an alley somewhere, we imagine there may have been a lot of interference!
‘Black and Blue’ was filmed in an alleyway near one of our houses. It’s a quiet street, so not much interference apart from our own laughter at nearly breaking our ankles in wedges on cobblestones! (Really, whose idea was that?!)
And how have long time fans reacted to your new music?
We are incredibly lucky, as we have a really great and supportive fan base. As far as we know, they have all enjoyed the new songs. They come to most of our gigs singing along to old and new songs – what more could we ask for? They are fantastic!
We love that with a lot of the towns you’ve played at you’ve shared a little bit of the town on social media, do you try and get a bit of a connection with the places you visit?
Always. We love getting to a new town. We check out the coffee shop, health food shop, op shop, any shop that looks interesting or fun. We meet people and talk with them, see if they are coming to the gig so we can send them a shout out or have a joke with them. Touring is fantastic as it enables you to see places and meet people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet.. then you would be missing out and then we would all have F.O.M.O (Fear Of Missing Out) and you don’t want that!
You’ll soon be heading to Geelong, have you been before? And how have you found the crowd?
Yes, but not for a while. By advertising! Hee hee! The crowds are always up for fun, just like us!
Thanks again for taking the time to chat with Forte, is there anything else you’d to share with us before finishing up?
Thank you! We are really looking forward to playing in Geelong at the Sphinx Hotel on August 22. I recently worked with JPY and he told me a story about two gigs he did at the Sphinx, I look forward to sharing that with our audience!
When & Where: The Sphinx Hotel, North Geelong – August 22