When we first had the joy of venturing into the wonderful world of Fanny Lumsden last summer, she had just played her first ever UK show at a farm in Somerset and when we talked about Glastonbury, she started off by saying: “I feel like I started at the peak and now it’s all downhill.” Our first interview with Fanny (read HERE) was just before the release of her fourth studio album “Hey Dawn” which definitely ended up taking her on the path to an even higher summit.
A second “Best Country Album” at the ARIA Music Awards where her win was announced by DOLLY PARTON along with “Alt Country Album of the Year” at the CMAA Awards which took her tally of Golden Guitars from Tamworth to nine career wins show that after placing it in the top five of our Albums of 2023, we weren’t the only people to love this Australian masterpiece.
After the success of her first UK trip last year, Fanny and her Prawn Stars came back to these shores for a nine date UK and Ireland tour in April where she caught up with Jamie for another wild adventure.
So, we’re back and it’s only been, what nine months? “Yeah, you can’t keep me away now.”
You clearly enjoyed it last time and you did joke about how it would be all be downhill after starting at the peak with a first UK show at Glastonbury. “Ha-ha yes, but I don’t think we have fell right to the bottom just yet although I’m ready to work at that ha-ha.” You haven’t really fell down the hill, you’ve gone up a bit further really because we were only talking about “Hey Dawn” about to come out last time and it’s done alright hasn’t it. “It has done alright, it has had a pretty good run. I was in a stressful pre-point last time that we spoke, then when we got home, we hit the ground running with tour starting and the album came out. Then it topped the charts and it was just crazy as we toured liked maniacs and then Dolly Parton said my name so, I’m thinking I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
I loved the video you made for this UK and Ireland tour where you are basically like Hi I’m Fanny, yes it means the same here as it does there, I can reverse a caravan like my life depends on it and oh yeah Dolly Parton said my name, which is all you need to know so come and see us! “Honestly I think that sums me up, you’ve got it in a sentence because reversing a caravan actually is a special skill and if I didn’t work in music or this music thing doesn’t work out, I’m going to drive a truck!”
Is it going to be the focal point of your CV? “Yeah, I should just put; this bitch can reverse!”
Honestly, “Hey Dawn” did really well. It won an ARIA and like you said, Dolly announced your name then Alt Country Album at the CMAA’s? “Yep the CM double A’s”
You see, we’ve been learning and paying attention. At the start of the year when there wasn’t much going on tour wise over here and there wasn’t masses out of Nashville and Canada to be covering, we went out looking to try and find things. I kept seeing my friend Katie Jayne posting constantly about Tamworth, everything was building up to this thing in Tamworth and so I decided let’s try and find out more about what’s going on down your end of the world. We’ve talked about the Tamworth Country Music Festival and The Golden Guitars quite a lot on our podcast but without really knowing about the festival itself, so as we have been the blind leading the blind and you actually know what goes on, help us out and fill in the gaps. We worked out that it’s a two-week festival with a big set of awards at the end of it but the festival itself, is it people putting on their own shows? Are there free shows? Do people buy like a whole festival wristband to cover everything? “It is it’s own beast, it’s like the Tamworth pilgrimage that everyone makes every year. There are people that have been going forever, I’m not one of those people but I have now being going for ten years. It’s in January so it’s stinking hot in this regional town and basically thousands of people come into Tamworth, where yes there are shows put on in venues all through the town so kind of how Americana works or CMA Fest perhaps. There are some outdoor stages, some free stages and also people putting on shows in the venues. We did our show in the big town hall this year which was like where the festival had it’s first ever Golden Guitars so, it’s kind of hallowed and it’s a big hall so was a lot of fun.”
“What I love about it is that all of the artists are all there at once so, you all get to catch up with each other which is fun because that’s rare. Everyone is friends because the industry is small and it’s very interactive with the fans then you get to see everyone again and again, where it ends up with the awards and everyone has a great time. It’s got a mixed reputation in terms of ideas of what it should be and couldn’t be but in essence it is a big community event where people come and celebrate country music in Australia, specifically Australian country music. I think what it could grow into is to accommodate more international artists and I think that could be on the cards for the future which would be cool if it kept its essence and but brought that in to mix all of these different worlds.”
My interpretation was that it a SXSW type feel more along the showcase avenue where it was more local talent compared to CMC Rocks which is a completely different beast all together. “Yeah, that’s a completely different kettle of fish. Both are important in the landscape of music. Tamworth provides a whole breeding ground for the next generation, it goes from kids busking on the street, there are all of these different competitions which I didn’t do as I came in from leftfield a bit later and you can do that, it’s not just about this but it provides a space for that and a space to mix with older and more experienced artists so you can see what they’re doing. It is like South by Southwest, in that it’s lots of different venues and different things because it’s a very broad church where CMC is a big wrist banded festival with big Nashville headliners.”
The thing we liked and particularly with the awards is how it breaks down the genre further with an overall record of the year, then you won for Alt Country, Brad won for Contemporary Country and they have a Traditional Country award too. “Yeah it breaks down the genres a little bit more. Alt Country is pretty much what you call Americana here, then you have Traditional Country and the more mainstream country or country rock along with like Bluegrass, Instrumental and Bush Ballads. It celebrates all of these pillars and doesn’t make them all compete against the commercial pillar as I think that could be a killer for all of those other genres that are still as important in the musical landscape.”
From the music we’ve been listening to it feels really strong across that spectrum, I think even here where people do pay attention to things and do their research, country music from Australia is basically Keith (Urban) and Morgan Evans who have come via Nashville but there is so much more that people will love. Max Jackson is someone I came across earlier this year then she’s just been on a track with our buddies Dan Davidson and Tim Hicks from Canada. “We love Max, she’s toured with us and she just won best new artist in Tamworth. It’s very varied there are top level Bluegrass players and these big more commercial artists like Brad and James Johnston, then I just sort of float around the middle of all of the genres happily doing my things but still have a place in that storytelling and big festival world. We’re playing folk festivals and also playing big country festivals which, I think is cool, I really love that we can do all of the above.”
Regardless, you get on stage and go pretty crazy from what I saw from videos of the first couple of nights. “There are quiet moment too! I tell my stories and I sing my songs but I do also run around like an idiot.”
Then you end up on someone’s shoulders and on top of the bar. “I did yeah. The stage was so tall last night in Manchester, where I was like I could just step onto your shoulders and he went ok, so I did but then he jumped and I was laughing and being like stop moving so it was pretty funny, but then I jumped on the bar. We like to get silly too, sometimes the albums are a little serious in elements but then you get to a show and it’s not always like that.”
I noticed that you and the boys have become quite attached to a certain bakery chain since you have been here, so most importantly what has become the bake of choice? “No names obviously ha-ha but from that place I had like a chicken type bake I guess you call it like the steak bake but not that one although we have been talking about the steak one a lot.”
They do a steak one, a chicken on, there’s probably a cheese and onion or vegetarian one and a sausage, bean and cheese one. “Haven’t tried that one yet.”
Definitely recommend and is usually my choice. “Do you, the name doesn’t appeal but I’m going to try it on your advice.”
They’re good but everything from there is, I’m feeling hungry now. “We are big fans as you can tell and they commented on my post.”
All my friends that come from overseas get excited about Greggs but it’s like when you go on holiday to somewhere different, you have so much fun just walking around a supermarket somewhere else even though it’s mostly the same stuff that you find at home. “Oh my God, we were talking about this today. When we’re in your servo’s as we call them, we’re like the servo food is so good and we’re like look at all of these snacks, we’re on a lolly and chip mission where so far prawn cocktail is in the lead.”
I heard a lot of people that like it when they try prawn cocktail for the first time, I think it’s because the taste is quite strong and nowhere else in the world seems to have them. The crisp game is strong but the tour itself seems like it’s going well too. “It is, like we said it’s our introduction tour as we’re very new to the market. We decided to just get on the ground, do what we do and go from there. That’s always been our style to go from the bottom up, get in, meet people, have fun, show what we do and hopefully get to keep coming back.” You’ve come a long way and when people do come over her initially from Australia or north America, it’s usually just them or maybe with a guitarist, where you’ve brough the gang along with a borrowed Northern Cowboy. “I’m renting a Northern Cowboy in lieu of two Prawn Stars but there’s still five of us which means five flights from Australia. I really felt like it’s worth us coming and doing this show, this is what we do live, yes I can do the solo stuff but I mostly do this and it’s so fun. I also fell like my husband, my brother and we’ll call the rest my cousins or whatever, they just work so hard and we’re all doing it together, it’s not just me, we’re a team so I don’t think that just I should get the fun bits. Plus, they really like Greggs!”
Anything else beyond baked goods to keep you guys want to be coming back? “I just had a coffee from round the corner and we’re Australian so coffee is GOOD in Australia but this stuff was next level and must have had something in there, we did soundcheck and we were shaking. There’s a lot to keep us coming back, we’re coming back in summer to do a festival in Yorkshire called Underneath the Stars and we’re looking to do some other shows and maybe some other festivals as well. I’m looking at bringing my whole tour model over and giving it a little trial in the summer up north and in Scotland to see how it goes.”
Cool, that’s good as there’s no Scottish shows on this run. “My family is Scottish so I desperately want to get up there and we have a lifelong plan for here in Europe.”
It's exciting to hear that you keep wanting to come back but I’ll let you get ready for the show, I’m looking forward to seeing you go wild. “Well, I feel like I’ve set your expectations really high, I can’t reach the bar from the stage here tonight.”
To be honest, tonight needs to go well because if it goes tits up, I’m the one that told you to play here. “You are, so If it does I’m holding you to account.”
That’s fine, I get blamed for most things on a regular basis anyway but great to see you mate and thanks for the catchup.
LEEDS, BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB WEDNESDAY 3RD APRIL MANCHESTER, DEAF INSTITUTE THURSDAY 4TH APRIL LONDON, OMEARA FRIDAY 5TH APRIL CARDIFF, CLWB IFOR BACH SATURDAY 6TH APRIL BRISTOL, DARESHACK SUNDAY 7TH APRIL DUBLIN, WORKMAN’S CELLAR WEDNESDAY 10TH APRIL BELFAST, EMPIRE MUSIC HALL THURSDAY 11TH APRIL CORK, DE BARRA’S FOLK CLUB FRIDAY 12TH APRIL LIMERICK, DOLAN’S SATURDAY 13TH APRIL
“Hey Dawn” the award winning fourth studio album from Fanny Lumsden is available to stream or buy HERE. The UK and Ireland tour continues with all dates shown above with any last remaining tickets available on her WEBSITE.
You can also keep up to date with Fanny to get more news on her summer tour dates including Underneath the Stars festival over the weekend of August 2nd to 4th by checking out her socials on INSTAGRAMTIKTOKFACEBOOK or TWITTER.