A big rap on tour of country
CROAKING down the phone from somewhere on the Gold Coast, rapper Illy is dealing with the consequences of performing five nights in a row.
After back-to-back shows in the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast and Byron Bay, Illy has to cough and rasp his way through an interview spruiking his 40-date regional tour.
“I have to apologise for my voice,” he wheezes.
“We’ve just finished five shows backto-back so it’s just real worn out.”
An exhausted voice is a harsh reality of life on Illy’s biggest tour, but it’s a price he’s more than happy to pay.
“My voice has taken an absolute hiding, but you take the good with the bad and there’s so little to complain about compared with what there is to be stoked with,” he says.
“So I feel like complaining about any of it is probably not the thing to do. “It’s been unreal, man. “It’s obviously the biggest tour I’ve ever done and the response so far has been crazy.
“It’s getting to see as much of the country, getting to do these shows, I’m just really thankful for it, to be honest.”
While taking his live show to typically raucous regional audiences is usually a highlight, travelling further afield than capital cities has other benefits.
“Getting to see the northwest of Australia has been really cool, we got to go to Horizontal Falls, which is like 90 minutes north of Broome, up in the Kimberley, and I’ve never been to any of the Kimberley before, so getting to see that was pretty special,” he says.
“And just broadly, getting to see so much of the country, we’re really fortunate to be able to do it.”
Illy — real name Alasdair Murray — announced his extensive regional tour on the back of his fifth studio album, Two Degrees, released in November last year.
Despite releasing arguably one of the most locally renowned hip-hop albums with The Chase in 2010, Illy rates his latest effort as some of his finest work.
“I’m making the best music I think I’ve ever made. It’s been amazing, everything has kind of gone up a few levels and the fact that we’re able to do this tour is testament to how the album has been received,” he says.
“I always had the plan to do a big regional tour around this time this year, but the size of it was dependent on how the album went and how it was received, so the fact it’s the biggest tour I’ve ever done is pretty indicative of where everything’s at.
“I feel personally like I’m in the best spot I’ve ever been in as far as making music, so I’m really looking forward to what’s to come now.”
With half a tour yet to come — including a Geelong gig — Illy reveals his mind is already drifting back to preparing for his next release.
“Because we’ve been touring so hard this year I haven’t really had a chance to make much new music and I really want to get back into that, so that’s the first thing I’m going to be focused on,” he says.
“Hopefully in the next few weeks, in the break between tours I’m going to be trying to start some new stuff.”
Illy will be performing at the Wool Exchange in Geelong on Thursday, September 21.