Stereophonics will return to Australia in April and May for Live Nation with a longer and bigger show than before.
“We try and add something to whatever we do every time we go out on the road,” Richard Jones tells Noise11.com. “This is our 10th or 11th arena show. You’ve got to keep changing. It’s our 10th album and we have about two hours 15 minutes of show. There are lots of things going on to keep us entertained”.
This will be Stereophonics first time in Australia in five years and showcase the band’s 10th album ‘Scream Above The Sounds’. “Every time we release an album we try and put in as much as possible when we go on the road. It’s our excuse to get back on the road … release an album and then go and tour it,” Richard says.
Stereophonics first album ‘Word Gets Around’ turned 20 last year but the band isn’t reminiscing. “It could have been easy for us release another greatest hits to celebrate being 20 years in the business but we’d rather release new music and show people that we are moving forward. Its how we want our band to be,” he says.
Out of 10 albums, Stereophonics have had nine Top 10 hits in the UK. The one that missed ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ peaked at no 11. “We never take for granted that people are going to buy our albums. We try and show people we are changing all the time. We never wanted to be a band that was one hit success. We always wanted to have a catalogue of work. We will keep touring and playing new music as long as we possibly can”.
Considering the band has recorded 115 album tracks most of their songs have at one point made a setlist. “There’s not a lot we haven’t played live, maybe a dozen songs,” Richard says. “And that’s because they maybe had string quartets or a brass section and we would be able to do them justice. So sometimes they just don’t fit in the flow of the set. You’ve got to pick the set for what is going on at the moment”.
Despite their popularity in the UK (with six number one albums) they have never cracked the USA. “We’ve never been on a label long enough to have success there. We’ve had marginal success on the East and West Coast but its such a big place with so many different tastes,” he says.
The band is finding new fans though with thanks to the internet. “For us, if we didn’t have a record label in the region we would never have known if we had an audience. Last year we played two great shows in Mexico City. We never knew we had a fan base there. We can now go to Malaysia and South Korea. Now we can go online and see where people are listening to music,” he says.
Stereophonics Australian Dates
Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall, Sydney – Thursday April 26
The Tivoli, Brisbane – Saturday April 28
The Forum, Melbourne – Monday April 30
Hq, Adelaide – Thursday May 3
Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth – Saturday May 5
https://www.livenation.com.au/artists/stereophonics
