Freed man’s Dubbo music escape
ONE of Australia’s best-recognised musical talents will perform at Dubbo’s Regional Theatre later this month. It’s part of Tim Freedman’s first regional solo tour to launch The Whitlams’ new single “Man About a Dog”, a track from their upcoming album. The well-loved Aussie music man sat down, electronically, with Dubbo Photo News to share his take on the tour, along with his insights on how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the live music industry.
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Tell us about this tour and why you believe it’s important to set up the show in regional cities such as Dubbo?
When everything changed last year, I got used to playing solo on the piano and telling stories. I started enjoying playing to seated audiences and I’d been to the cities twice, so the next step was to take it out into the country. The lightbulb moment was when we realised the next single was set in the country so it all dovetailed nicely.
Covid hugely impacted the entertainment industry and now people in metro areas are hungry for live acts. In the regions there are
far fewer live acts during normal times. Do you think country audiences are so passionate about quality performances because they’re the exception rather than rule given the age-old problem with the tyranny of distance?
My favourite shows on the last tour were in Lismore and Castlemaine. We’ve always found country audiences enthusiastic, perhaps because of the distance you’ve mentioned. Lately, the city audiences are coming out and seeing their first acts in a while which has reminded me of the high spirits in the regions.
What are you going to deliver for the audience in Dubbo?
The Whitlams’ haven’t released an album in 14 years so I’ll be previewing our new single from The Whitlams’ forthcoming album, Gaffage and Clink. It’s the first track to take the boy out of the city and place him firmly in the country – driving through the hills to see a Man About a Dog, just as the drought breaks.
I’ll also be playing reworkings of Whitlams’ classics like No Aphrodisiac and Blow Up the Pokies, plus some of my favourite tracks from Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Randy Newman.
Tickets are on sale now from: