Scott Carne chats to Rock Club 40 about the Culture Club Encore Tour
They were one of the most significant bands on the 80s music scene, known for their very catchy pop tunes as much as their distinctive style and image and with a loyal fan base that appears to be as devoted today as it was 30 odd years ago. And following on from their highly successful Australian tour earlier this year, iconic 80s band Culture Club is back for their Encore Tour which takes in some regional areas around the country including several wineries shows and finishing with a concert at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on Sunday. Fans were very enthusiastic on their last tour here so this will give them one more chance to see the band perform again before the end of the year. And joining them on this tour is an impressive list of Australian bands including the reformed Kids in the Kitchen. I spoke to the Kids’ singer Scott Carne about working with Culture Club on both tours and about getting the Kids back together again.
Kids in the Kitchen supported Culture Club on their Australian tour earlier this year and Scott says that they really enjoyed the experience. “For us, it was great. Everyone was match fit. It was a great vibe. In some states, they had another support act but it was a great gig and the Culture Club band is sounding really great. Boy George is sounding great. He’s managed to pull himself through some tough times and he has come out shining so hats off to him. It was a successful tour.” As a support band for a tour by an international artist, Scott was particularly pleased with the way they were received by audiences. “I just remember that when people came to see the Culture Club tour, a lot of them came early to see us which was great. We were treated as special guests by the Australian public and that meant a lot to us. That made it really enjoyable. We weren’t just there to fill the void.”
Getting the band back together was, he admits, partly a form of therapy. “Because obviously in the old days, the wheels fell off. It didn’t end very well back in the 80s. We were o.k. together but it was just the whole industry at the time; we were all just burned out. It was kind of a tough way to end so this has been good for the camaraderie and for paying respect to what we did and to just enjoy each other’s company I guess. We came back together as adults reflecting on what happened and to get back to the music.” And now, without managers and people telling them what to do, they are doing it on their own terms.
The band’s recent headlining gig at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne drew a capacity crowd despite the inclement weather which was very heartening for the band. “We want to keep going now that we’ve done the work,” he tells me. “But we want to keep it special and keep enjoying it.” He points out that other commitments of the various band members place restrictions on their availability so they would need to work around those. In addition to the live performances, Scott is excited to announce that Kids in the Kitchen have also recently rereleased a remastered edition of ‘Shine’. “Finally, you can buy it on CD now.”
Kids in the Kitchen will be part of a great line-up of support artists at Culture Club’s show this Saturday at Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley, joined by 1927, Pseudo Echo, Wa Wa Nee and Real Life. The support line-up varies in other cities with Pseudo Echo and Real Life tonight in Perth and, in the Barossa Valley, it will be 1927, Pseudo Echo and Real Life while the show this Sunday at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne will feature support from 1927, Pseudo Echo, Eurogliders, Wa Wa Nee and Real Life.
Touring with a band like Culture Club has given the band some great exposure to a wide audience and, if previous shows are anything to go by, the upcoming Encore shows should see a diverse range of music fans, including many younger punters who weren’t around in the 80s, discovering more of the sounds that made that era so loved not only by the generation of its time but by future generations as well.
And if you loved the 80s and its music, don’t miss this gig! As Scott says “It will be a huge 80s show.”
See below for a full list of tour dates, venues and booking information.
by Sharyn Hamey
Copyright © Sharyn Hamey 2016. All rights reserved
CULTURE CLUB
ENCORE TOUR DATES
Tuesday 6th December 2016
Jupiters Theatre, Gold Coast
Tickets available from 10.00am, Wednesday 19th October
Support act: TBC
Thursday 8th December 2016
Fremantle Arts Centre
Tickets available from Oz Tix
Support acts: Pseudo Echo and Real Life
Friday 9th December 2016
Seppeltsfield Winery, Barossa Valley
Tickets available from 9.00am, Wednesday 19th October
Support acts: 1927, Pseudo Echo and Real Life
Saturday 10th December 2016
Hope Estate Winery, Hunter Valley
Tickets available from 9.00am, Wednesday 19th October
Support acts: 1927, Pseudo Echo, Kids In The Kitchen, Wa Wa Nee and Real Life
Sunday 11th December 2016
Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Tickets available from 9.00am, Wednesday 19th October
Support acts: 1927, Pseudo Echo, Eurogliders, Wa Wa Nee and Real Life
