Amy Shark takes her beats around the bush
For the chart-topping pop artist, a big crowd in Perth on Friday night will be followed by an extensive 60-date regional trek across the country.
Most Australian performing artists, once they hit the big-time by headlining major venues such as Rod Laver Arena, do their very best to stay at that level for as long as possible, so that “national tours” generally consist of a handful of dates in capital cities.
Not Amy Shark, though. After playing to a big crowd at RAC Arena in Perth on Friday night, the pop singer-songwriter will begin an extensive 60-date regional trek across the country. For the 2020 winner of the ARIA Award for best Australian live act, it’s a fitting move.
“I don’t see this as a backwards step or anything like that; I just see it as working, and doing what I like to do,” Shark told The Australian.
“I’ve played small shows my whole life; I’m more comfortable in a room of 1000 people than I am with 10,000,” she said. “Life’s too short to be scared; you’ve just got to go for it.”
Starting in Bunbury, WA, on Monday, Shark and her crew will spend the best part of three months on the road, visiting regional centres all the way through to late August, when the tour ends in her home state of Queensland.
The regional trek – titled See U Somewhere – was inspired by the work ethic of fellow singer-songwriter Paul Kelly.
Like him, Shark says she wants to become “one of those artists that is known throughout the whole of deep Australia. I want to make it my job to win them over.”
Venue capacities will range from 440 to 2500, and with about 80 per cent of shows sold out, her tour is projected to sell about 60,000 tickets.
As well as the simple pleasure of performing her songs to fans across the country – an act made difficult in the past two years due to health restrictions and border closures – Shark was energised by another thought, too.
“I like the idea of being a female artist doing it, in the pop world,” she said. “I guess it’s usually four smelly dudes in the back of a van doing this sort of thing; I’m just showing that I can do it, too.”
When reminded of her male bandmates, Shark laughed and replied, “I do have three dudes in my band – they actually smell pretty good, but I’m sure by the end of it, we’ll all be smelling pretty bad.”
After her Perth arena show on Friday night, Shark will visit regional WA, NSW, Victoria, SA and Queensland – as well as shows in Darwin, Canberra and Tasmania – before ending in Cairns on August 29.
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