Flume on why pandemic touring halt was ‘the greatest thing for me’

Flume has returned to touring after a roller coaster two years which included a dramatic act of catching Covid on purpose.

When Australia’s global electronic pop star Flume got back on the road this year, it was a “big shock”.

The 31-year-old Grammy winner spent the enforced pandemic hiatus restoring his mental and physical health after several years of non-stop touring brought on long bouts of loneliness, drinking too much and depression.

The life of a touring artist is unnatural. They are homeless for months on end, travelling constantly and after two hours of high-energy performance, basking in the adulation of thousands, return alone to a hotel room or bunk bed on a bus. Or seek solace at the bar.

Harley Streten, aka Flume, is now back on the tour rollercoaster after spending two years reconnecting with family and friends in Australia, surfing, hanging out with his dog Percy and growing vegetables on his northern NSW property.

Harley and Percy chilled out for two years after finally getting off the road. Picture: Zac Bayly

“It’s like a drug, success and fame and status, playing to all these people,” he says.

“The greatest thing for me, mentally at least, was to have that speeding train stop, and have two years living like a normal human, having routine, waking up at the same time and exercising every day. I was so happy doing that.

“So coming out on tour, from such a simple life to this complex, chaotic lifestyle has definitely been a big shock but at least this time, I’m armed with the knowledge of what it’s like not to live this life and get to a point of balance with my work and personal life.”

Flume kicked off his Palaces world tour at the Coachella Festival in April. Picture: Getty.

Streten does admit to some crazy behaviour before he returned to America this year to kick off his Palaces world tour at the world-famous Coachella Festival.

He intentionally caught Covid.

“I didn’t want to get it on the trip to America and have to worry about being sick there (on tour),” he said.

“All my friends had got it and I was the only one who hadn’t, so I kissed my friend who tested positive and I got it. We all hung out together and cooked and it was all quite sweet.”

The tour halt gave him much-needed time and creative brainspace to finish his third album Palaces which topped the US Billboard Dance/Electronic charts when it was released in May and scored him six nominations for the 2022 ARIA Awards.

Its songs, including the hit single Say Nothing featuring rising Australia pop artist May-a, have already added millions of streams to the billions he has generated since exploding on the world stage with his self-titled album a decade ago.

During his time out, he also unearthed the old laptop he created that first album on in the bedroom of his family home on Sydney’s northern beaches.

When he booted up the computer he found the files of a song from that era which had never been released called Slugger 1.4. He shared it with fans this week ahead of the Australian leg of his world tour.

“The laptop was like a bomb had gone off in it, it was trashed, but I know where to get my stuff on it, no else could have found it,” he said. “Out of the 200 icons on my computer, I know which one has the tracks on it, it’s really just an extension of your brain.”

Flume created his own world with the visuals for the Palaces show. Picture: Supplied.

Presenting Palaces to the world on stage has reignited his love affair with creating a live experience; Flume’s epic concert productions have set new benchmarks for electronic dance shows.

“It’s really satisfying doing that now, to have the budget and less restrictions to create the world I want to create and getting deeply involved in the visual elements of everything,” he said.

Flume performs at Brisbane’s Riverstage on November 16, The Dome at Sydney Showground on November 18, Melbourne’s John Cain on November 24, Adelaide Entertainment Centre on November 30 and Hobart’s Regatta Grounds on December 2. He also headlines the Spilt Milk festivals in Canberra, Ballarat and Gold Coast.

Originally published as Flume on why pandemic touring halt was ‘the greatest thing for me’