It’s been over twenty years since The Superjesus released ‘Rock Music’, their last full length album which spawned three singles including ‘So Lonely’ and ‘Stick Together’. But fans haven’t long to wait until the band finally drop their brand new self-tilted album on the world, with 21st March the earmarked date. It is with exciting times for both fans and band members alike, as the singles that have been released so far have really seen the band revitalised and sparkle again, with original members Sarah McLeod & Stu Rudd now joined by the wonderful Cam Blokland on guitar.
Festival appearances at the Red Hot Summer and Lookout have put the band firmly back on the map with audiences countrywide, with singles ‘Something Good’, ‘Lights Out’ and the Generation X cover ‘Dancing With Myself’ resonating with the sold out crowds. Latest release, the beautifully stunning ‘Diamonds’, has allowed McLeod to show off one of her new loves, the piano and is a song she felt may not even suit the new album. The band had other ideas and I am sure it will be one of many highlights on this collection of songs.
We caught up with Sarah, who was back in her hometown of Adelaide preparing for a run of the 27 Club at Adelaide Fringe, to talk about the new single, the album and a subsequent national tour. It’s always been a fun chat in the past and this was certainly no different…
Sarah: On the nick of time, you are!
Sean: I don’t like to keep you waiting! [laughs]
Sarah: [laughs] I was just like, “I’ll do this, this and this” it will be exactly 6 o’clock and I pressed enter and the phone rang and I was like, “Woah perfect!”
Sean: [laughs] How are you?
Sarah: I’m good baby. I’m in Adelaide at the moment.
Sean: Are you doing the 27 Club again?
Sarah: I am – yes, five weeks of the 27 Club.
Sean: We were so close to seeing it at Perth Fringe. Next year, I’m sure will be our turn.
Sarah: Fingers crossed. How are you Seany?
Sean: Very well thank you Sarah – super busy which is always great.
Sarah: Great, that is so good to hear that.
Sean: We have so much to cover and oh so little time. Firstly a huge congratulations on the wonderful ‘Diamonds’. What an incredible song and the production is mind blowing. I’ve been waiting for this track to come for so long, ever since you teased me at Mundi Mundi that there was a piano track possibly finding its way on the album. It has surpassed what I imaged it to be.
Sarah: Really? It’s always nice to hear that. The boys really did a number on the production of ‘Diamonds’. When I first wrote it, it had piano… and it had bass and drums too, to jazz it up a bit but when the boys got hold of it they really put some beautiful sprinkle dust on it.
Sean: I had it on through earphones and it really kicks. Amazing arrangement. I know you had been tinkering with the piano for a while, but where did this song in particular come from? Where you in a kind of classical place at the time?
Sarah: I initially wrote it for my next solo album, which most of which is slow piano ballads. When I started learning how to play the piano I started getting addicted to writing sweet soft engaging little piano ditties and I thought I can’t really put these forward for The Superjesus so I will have to do another solo album, and I have been working on that for ages and ‘Diamonds’ was one of the songs for that album. I thought I would play it to Ruddy just in case, because we didn’t have a ballad… we always have one ballad and we didn’t have one and I thought… there is another song called ‘Loneliness Is The New Black’ which is sort of slow and could maybe have been the go-er but then I thought, “no, there is room for a ballad ballad.” So I thought if we are going to do we need to do it properly and in a big way, you know, bring the band in and the big crescendo, strings so I spoke to Ruddy and he said, “absolutely, lets do it!” Part of me was a little bit bummed because I really wanted to keep it for my solo album and I loved it but then I knew the guys would take it to the next level, so for the benefit of the song I felt I had to give it away for a better life, “here’s your new foster parents.” [laughs]
Sean: Did it get played when you were doing your solo piano shows?
Sarah: Yeah, I played it when I first wrote it. Normally when I write something I usually play it that weekend and never play it again. I don’t know why but I just like to play it once or twice to people then I put it away again, because if I start to play it every night, when it comes to recording the album I get sick to death of those songs. I can’t keep listening to them, I have to create them, play them once then put them in a vault until it is time to work on them again. So I only played ‘Diamonds’ a couple of times.
Sean: And now it has grown into this beautiful monster of a track that I’m sure will be one of the album highlights but so far each and every single you guys have dropped have brought something different but each one equally great. ‘Something Good’ was one that stood out the first time I heard it live at Lookout Festival here in Perth – so catchy. I only heard it once before it was released but it was instantly recognisable.
Sarah: You know what’s funny about that? We’ve had a dance remix package made of it. It comes out in a couple of weeks and there is a sick mix that Paul Mac did of it and another mix by a guys called The Journey… they are really like dark, underground vibes. They are really cool.
Sean: Is that an exclusive? [laughs]
Sarah: You can leak it Seany [laughs]
Sean: So March 21st is the official release date for the self titled album. I’ve already jumped in to grab my limited edition copy of the vinyl… only 200 pressed I believe.
Sarah: Yes we have only had 200 of them made – hard work making vinyl.
Sean: We just had a Blues & Roots Fest here last weekend and I plagued the pillaged the merch desk for vinyl.
Sarah: Unreal. How good is it collecting vinyl? It’s just so special.
Sean: I grabbed Lachy Doley’s latest release…
Sarah: …’Live in Paris’. What a great title for a live album. How romantic.
Sean: Which will not be anything like ‘Live in Perth’ which you have just announced.
Sarah: [laughs] Nice segway!
Sean: We didn’t didn’t get WA shows in the first announcement and my god how I cursed you all… then you drop the Perth dates and one lands on my birthday. So thank you all so very much [laughs]
Sarah: Ahhhh… when is it?
Sean: 4th July at The Rosemount.
Sarah: So does that mean you can come?
Sean: Oh yes indeed.
Sarah: That’s so cool. We’ll definitely catch up that night.
Sean: Look forward to it. It’s great to see a whole host of shows across the country supporting the album. It must be so nice to get the band back out on the road because you had a huge summer last year with some incredible festivals. It is such new coming of age for the band.
Sarah: We are really looking forward to getting back out there and playing all this new stuff. Its been over twenty years since we put out an album and we have been playing the same set pretty much each time and now we have these fresh new songs and it feels great! Within the band the dynamic has definitely shifted – we are a lot more focused on it and we are a lot more excited about it… we are even cleaning our equipment and putting fresh strings on our guitars [laughs]… we are even washing our jeans!
Sean: We’ve sold some songs – we can buy new stuff, yeahhhh! [laughs]
Sarah: [laughs] We can buy clean pants.
Sean: One thing I did notice was that there was a new face in the ‘Diamonds’ video. Who was they guys behind the drums?
Sarah: That is Ben Todd. Ben is a wonderful drummer who we adore. He has done a lot of work with Cirque du Soleil, he’s kind of like a high level session guy. He plays in a lot of musicals and things. We’ve known Ben for quite a while but I didn’t think he would be quite right for the band. I thought he was maybe too neat, if you know what I mean. But the more we played with him we started to think we’ll be the ragamuffins down the front and keep the neat guy there laying down the beat perfectly. He’s so spot on and has such a beautiful feel. He’s not crazy at all, he just keeps within his wheel house. He is so steady and so reliable which then allows us to stay down the front and go crazy. I actually think it works really well like this. Everything feels right in the pocket.
Sean: He looks so suave in the video.
Sarah: If you look at his wrists… I said to Ruddy that he looks almost orchestral, like he should be in a big band. Either that of in the FBI. [laughs]
Sean: [laughs] We’ve spoken a few times now but one thing I’ve always failed to ask because we run out of time is about your song writing. How do you differentiate between writing for yourself as opposed to writing for the band?
Sarah: Well, that is kind of one of things I find hard actually because it really does start to blend. I look at all my songs and think all of them could be Superjesus songs if you just speed them up and put drums on them but I think at the end of the day it comes down to lyrical content. Some of the more universal messages I can make into Superjesus songs and the really personal girlie songs I have to have a solo songs because I couldn’t see Ruddy standing there promoting some of the things I write about [laughs]. Some of my solo stuff is quite girlie so that kind of helps me to define what is to go where.
Sean: 2025 looks to another busy one for your personally too. There is all the Superjesus dates, the 27 Club stuff and I’m sure along the way there will be solo shows and I see you are back at Mundi Mundi again. I have to say that had to be one of the most incredible events I have ever been to. When you and I commandeered that brand new 4WD and headed up to the merch tent I was also blown away by the response from everyone, especially the kids. Its wonderful to see you connect with so many age groups but the kids absolutely adore you.
Sarah: I love doing those shows because we never get to play any all ages shows ever. Whenever there is an all ages show I find I’m surrounded by heaps of little girls with big wide eyes going “Wow! This is inspiring. We want to do what you are doing!” I look around and think, “Are you kidding?” [laughs] “You want to be a rock n roller kid? Let’s go!” But it is incredibly inspiring for me.
Sean: A very unfair question but in comparison to the previous albums the band has released over the years, how does this one feel? Is there an unbridled excitement?
Sarah: Yes, there genuinely is and it is because I love every single song. On every other album we have released I’ve loved a handful of songs and we’ve gone, “That’s a good songs, that’s a good song, that has got a real heavy bit, that part is fun to play” but you always concentrated on the singles in the old days… listen to me “In the old days” [laughs]. But now we are at a time where no one cares as much about album tracks, its more song after song after song so we thought lets just do a succession of singles which would just then become the album. So when we were writing we just looked at is as though every song was going to go to radio. So we backed every song and made sure they were the best songs that we could write and they needed to be catchy and memorable. So we put a lot of skin in the game getting that right and now I love every single song. I can listen to this record from beginning to end without fast forwarding or skipping anything… well sometimes I might fast forward a bit of ‘Lights Out’ [laughs]
Sean: Its always great catching up for a chat. In the short time we’ve known each other I genuinely love these interviews because I can always hear the joy and excitement in your voice when you talk about what’s to come.
Sarah: [laughs] Well, we do it for love. This is my life Seany. I just make music, I don’t do anything else. I just play gigs, go to sleep, wake up and do it all again so I just put everything I have into it. It’s just what I love to do.
Sean: It is always a pleasure to catch up and thank you so much for you time. I can’t wait to hear the album and hopefully we will get the chance to hear it just before release day on 21st March so we can review it. Excited to see you Ruddy, Cam & Ben hit the road with the live shows and we’ll see you in WA early July. Good luck with the 27 Club, it might be easier to fly over to Adelaide to catch one of them as we still are waiting in WA [laughs]
Sarah: We’ll you have plenty of time – we are running for five weeks [laughs]. Thank you so much Seany – Its always a pleasure to talk to you my darling.
Sean: Catch up soon.
Sarah: Bye honey.
With thanks to Revolutions Per Minute for arranging the interview.
