Over the last two years, ARIA-winning, vocally electrifying songstress KATIE NOONAN and her new band THE CAPTAINS have been constructing a vessel of stirring new tunes for our listening delight. She chats to CAITLIN MAJOR about her latest musical creations and The Listening Party Tour.

CAITLIN MAJOR: Can we expect the some of the deliciously lush Katie Noonan tunes we’re accustomed to from your anticipated EP and album release next year?

KATIE NOONAN: Well the band sounds enormous! And the incredible Australian chamber orchestra also plays on the album. So at times it is a beautiful big wall of lush sounds.

CM: You’ve been testing your new tunes live in a series of underground Sydney gigs, what has been the response?

KN: It’s been awesome. The creative process for this album has been so great... slowly letting the songs evolve as they get written and then letting them grow as they get arranged in the rehearsal room and then letting them bloom as they get played live at these cool underground warehouse space gigs. We were also artists in residence for two writing sessions at Bundanon – Sir Arthur Boyd’s artists space in NSW – which was a great blessing…

CM: How has working with The Captains influenced your music?

KN: Immensely. They are wonderful musicians and people I trust – musically and personally. So it’s been great to invite them to really put their sweat into these songs.

CM: You say, “I haven’t felt this positive about my music since the george days.” What has changed?

KN: Back to the band thing – rehearsing, playing, touring and feeling trust again. My last two albums were wonderful – but one was pretty much with session players and with a producer that I didn’t really gel with and the other was with incredible musicians most of whom I met the day before the session! So very different.

CM: You’ve been co-writing with a bunch of famous Aussies and Kiwis, was there someone who you particularly enjoyed working with?

KN: Tim Finn was a huge honour. Josh Pyke was a gift of music I really needed at the time, Don Walker is a legendary gentleman, Tom Shapcott is one of our greatest Aussie poets and Sia is a beautiful crazy spunky girl and I needed girl friendship at the time... so all wonderful.

KATIE NOONAN & THE CAPTAINS’ Listening Party Tour hits Brisbane Saturday Dec 12 at X&Y Bar. Watch out for their planned EP release in February and an April album release next year.

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