Time to break out the glockenspiel and string section. It’s my Born to Run era!
A SPRINGSTEEN IN HIS STEP PETER KRBAVAC If, with a temporary overseas relocation, tours at home and abroad and work beginning on two new albums, 2012 was a packed year for MIKE NOGA, then 2013 is looking busier still. The aforementioned albums will have to be released and toured, of course, and there’s the prospect of a less temporary relocation for the Melbourne musician.
When we speak, Mike reveals that The Drones have just polished off their new album, which will be the first order of business for the New Year. ‘It’s being mixed as we speak,’ he reports enthusiastically. ‘We’re all really excited about it. It should be out a little bit after ATP next year.’ This, coupled with a recent tour alongside Tex Perkins’ Dark Horses, has delayed work on Noga’s new solo set. ‘I’ve got my dear mate Paul Dempsey in the producer’s seat for my new one and [now] it’s all systems go,’ he says. The album promises to be a ‘more “grand” affair’ than the pared-back sound of last year’s The Balladeer Hunter. ‘It’s not necessarily a reaction to The Balladeer Hunter’s strippedback approach, more the natural feeling of wanting to do something different,’ Noga says. ‘Time to break out the glockenspiel and string section. It’s my Born to Run era!’
Many of these new tunes were written during a six-month stint in London earlier in 2012. Though he has a base of contacts from his years touring through the country with The Drones, Noga does note that breaking into the UK gigging circuit meant basically starting from scratch. ‘It was incredibly refreshing, to be honest,’ he says. ‘I love Australia, but there’s nothing like playing to new audiences to make you feel inspired again. People seemed to really dig it. I met some great folk at labels and it looks like I’m heading back early next year for a more permanent relocation. I’m 34 now, which is old in this biz. Time to go give it a crack, I say!’ All the more reason, then, to take advantage of Noga’s upcoming Australian tour with long-time mate Ben Salter of The Gin Club, as it may be his last for a while. As befits the freewheeling nature of the tour – ‘Just an excuse to hang out, really’ – the pair will share the stage for most of the night, assisting on each other’s songs and perfecting their comedy patter. ‘A musical love in? Certainly. But slightly more Derek and Clive than Simon and Garfunkel, if you catch my drift,’ he says. For his part, Noga promises to ‘chuck a tantrum if [Salter] doesn’t let me sing something on Gas Guzzler. I’m a terrible guitarist though, so you’ll find me, for the most part, ‘helping’ – ruining – his songs. You know his terrific solo album The Cat? Wait ‘til you hear me solo all over that sucker.’ Mike Noga and Ben Salter bring their A Night on the Tiles tour to The Front Gallery and Café on Sunday December 9. Doors at 7.30pm and entry is $15.
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