Ed Kuepper
ARIA award winning solo artist and founding member of legendary 70s proto-punk outfit The Saints and post-punk originals Laughing Clowns, Ed Kuepper brings his one man request fest to Darwin this August.
You were in Darwin just over 12 months ago – have you been touring since then?
No, not exclusively, but I've done a few fairly unusual shows in that time, including a performance with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra which was fantastic and opened up a few things for me. I like playing live and like to keep varying it a bit so that each of the shows has something distinctive about it. My intention is to enjoy – and mostly I do.
Tell us about the By Request Show that you’re bringing our way this year. Are there songs you hope will be requested? Something you’ve brushed up on – that no-one has yet asked for? (hint, hint dear reader!)
The By Request Shows are something outside of the way I normally tour, and I don't do that many of them. They hand over to the audience a degree of input and interaction that isn't possible at my other shows – it's kind of giving something back to people that have supported me over the years. The shows are pretty spontaneous, and no, there isn't anything that I hope will be requested – well, apart from hoping that I don't get too many requests for songs I don't remember. The intention of the show is to play what fans want to hear as opposed to what I want to hear.
What’s been the most surprising or delightful request that’s been made on this tour? Has anyone stumped you with a request?
People sometimes call out the most obscure B-side or album track that surprises me from time to time, but it's kind of flattering that people know them, so it's not something I complain about. Sometimes I get a request for something I can't remember, but people are usually pretty cool with it, although there was one show where a woman broke down and cried because I couldn't remember a song. I had to draw on my psychoanalytical and guru healing skills to resolve that but you know, everyone went away a much better person at the end of the night, even if I didn't play the song.
Local fans will know that you provided the soundtrack to the 2015 ï¬lm Last Cab to Darwin – is there more ï¬lm work on the horizon?
There is. I can't reveal too much yet but it's a really different type of thing. A ghost/psychological horror film I guess would describe it, work hopefully starts later this year.
Fri 4 Aug | 7pm | Railway Club
