Queen of country Kasey Chambers has extended her national Campfire Tour to take in some of her favourite regional stops and Laurieton United Services Club is lucky enough to be on her list.
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She says her twelfth studio album Campfire is stripped back to the roots of the music she was brought up on.
“The feel of this one is a big part of my life as I was growing up. It’s the album I have always wanted to make. The name and the concept have been in my mind since forever.”
Chambers has drawn on her experiences living in Africa with her mum 21 years ago. “A few songs on The Captain were inspired by the people there. The countryside reminds me of outback Australia,” she says.
“Other songs on The Captain are influenced by my time living on Norfolk Island in the late ‘90s. The Captain is a Norfolk Islander.
“This [Campfire] album reflects all of the places I have lived, the stories, the songs, it’s the journey of my life.”
As such, Chambers says it is the quickest album she has ever written. “Maybe because I’ve had it in my head for a long time.”
She says now was the “right time” for such an album. “I mostly go where the wind blows me as an artist. I go with whatever, and it felt so right, it literally fell out of me.”
For Chambers, Campfire felt very organic. “It was a short labour,” she says.
Her guest on the tour is Grim Fawkner, whom she hadn’t heard of until her dad sent her a link to his songs. “I thought his voice was inspired, he’s crazy good. It becomes like a little family on tour, with a lot of jamming and storytelling, and he’s like that.”
Her dad Bill Chambers is with her on stage and Brandon Dodd. “Dad is such a big part of my story, they’re the fireside disciples,” she says.
As she will be singing some of her milestone hits from other albums it will be a big night. “I love playing the old songs. I invite people to sing along. It’s an intimate show with lots of stories. I hope people go away from the gig, knowing a lot more about me as a person.”
It’s a far cry from when she used to feel intimidated putting her heart and soul “out there in song”. “I love playing in an area where people are always supportive. And we wouldn’t keep coming back if people didn’t respect us. We have a good time playing there [Laurieton].”
After this tour finishes up in August, Chambers will spend a little time “getting sorted”, doing a few one-off shows, and then start putting together another album. For now she is happy to be back on the road, and we are, too.
