Music

missy higgins

‘A Sunny Afternoon’ with Missy Higgins

 

  

There’s nothing better than relaxing on a sunny afternoon with music, family and friends, right? That’s what the team at Yours and Owls thought too, creating their latest offering ‘A Sunny Afternoon’ – a family-friendly festival in Wollongong on Sunday, March 1. We speak to headline performer Missy Higgins about her latest tour and life with kids.

Words Lee Price Image Julie Lowe

It’s nice that the festival is for families. Are you bringing your partner and kids to the festival? Do the kids get a kick out of hearing you sing?
I really wish that I could but it’s a bit hard. I’m considering bringing my son but it means that I’d have to bring him on the whole NSW leg of the tour. He is only five so it would mean a lot of really late nights for him and I’m just not sure.

I miss them so much when I’m away from them, it’s very enticing to just bring them with me.

My kids often tell me to stop singing. Does that happen to you? Even as a person who can actually carry a tune?
All the time, yes! Sammy is always telling me to stop singing. He does it a bit less these days but for the first few years of his life he would just be like ‘noooooo stop singing!’ He would put his hands over his ears.

Every time I try to play the piano my daughter Luna comes running into the room and demands to go on my lap. She just pushes my hands away from the keys so she can play herself.

I was practising yesterday and they both came barging in. Sammy picked up the ukulele which was kind of cute and started playing along with me. But of course he can’t play so it just sounded like noise right next to my face when I’m trying to sing.
There’s nothing special about my singing for them, it just means that my attention is elsewhere, which they don’t like.

What would be your idea of a perfect sunny afternoon? (Besides this festival of course)
I would be camping way out in the bush, next to a river, with a bunch of friends and my family. With no devices, just the sound of birds. Maybe I’d be playing guitar without my kids shouting at me.

Have you enjoyed performing down this way in the past, like your night at Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul? I was too slow getting tickets and then it sold out! Do you know the south coast / Wollongong area well?
I only know the area from having played down there a few times. One of the girls in the band, Elana Stone, is from Thirroul and she absolutely loves it. Sometimes we would take a stroll down to Thirroul beach and go for a swim before the show, when we played at Anita’s. It’s a really beautiful little town.

I saw your gig at the Opera House Steps last year (Feb 2019) with John Butler. He’s a bit dreamy, isn’t he?
John Butler is amazing. It was so good to be able to watch him every night. He’s an incredible musician. He can make such a big sound out of just one instrument.

You’ve toured and performed with the likes of Paul Kelly and Ed Sheeran, is there anyone else you’d love to tour with or collaborate with?
I’m not that big on collaboration with anyone unless it comes up naturally. I’m just a really shy, quite introverted person especially when it comes to my writing process. So if it’s somebody that I really admire and think is an amazing artist I’m probably going to freeze up when I’m in front of them.

Singing live is fine for me and I don’t get nervous doing that. I absolutely love harmonising with other singers. I grew up harmonising with my brother and sister all the time. There’s something so primal about your voices blending in that way.

One of my favourite memories is singing on stage with the Indigo Girls when I toured with them in America. They were such idols of mine. I remember I just got full body tingles. I walked off stage and was just having an out of body experience. I was just so high from it.

Do you have any rituals you need to do before a big show to help you get ready?
No I’m not superstitious in the slightest. I don’t even really warm up. I don’t have any rituals that I do with my band. I just kind of try and relax and get myself into a fun mood so that I can be loose on stage.


quick questions: 

Beach or pool? 
Beach!

Sydney or Melbourne? 
Melbourne. Of course I would say that because I live here! I really like Sydney too though.

Beer or wine?
Oh a hard one, I love them equally! Can we mix them together?

Cake or ice cream? 
Ice cream.

League or AFL?
AFL.

Cat or dog?
Dog.

Peppa Pig or Bluey?
Bluey, definitely. Peppa Pig is kind of obnoxious. We just realised a few weeks ago that Bluey is a girl. My son refuses to believe it. He says ‘no, no, Bluey is a boy!’ I just decided to let him go with it because it was making him angry. The show is so cute and so authentic. There’s something so relatable about it.


‘A SUNNY AFTERNOON’ TICKET INFORMATION:

$99.90 – General Admission
$159.90 – VIP
$49.90 – Kids (4 – 17 – must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian)
$229.90 – Family ticket (2 x GA and two x Kids)
Kids under 4 are free

 

>
Sometimes we would take a stroll down to Thirroul beach and go for a swim before the show, when we played at Anita’s. It’s a really beautiful little town

More Music related articles:

With the launch of her newest album 'Married to the Sound', Elana Stone speaks on her musical evolution, the impact of motherhood and her home of the Illawarra region.

Ahead of her upcoming LP release later this year, we talked to singer-songwriter, Polly Hazelton, about her new single exploring the impact of addiction, 'Round 2000'

Indie-pop royalty San Cisco are hitting the road touring regional Australia in support of their fifth studio album 'Under The Light', released this month. We caught up with lead singer Jordi Davieson to chat about creating the album in their home studio and collaborating with industry heavyweights.

As autumn approaches, so does music festival season! From a one-day festival in our backyard, to a long weekend Bluesfest jaunt, it’s time to grab your wellies and start planning your festival outfit!

Freyja Garbett, an experimental artist, composer, and producer hailing from the Illawarra has captivated audiences across the globe. Inspired by the rhythms of the ocean and the art of surfing, her music transcends genres and carries an urgent message of environmental advocacy in their soundscapes.

A queer black Australian icon is being called to the stage once more. We chat to Elenoa Rokobaro, the powerhouse performer bringing Nellie Small and the magic of cabaret to Merrigong.

We spoke to guitarist Andrew Blanch from Ensemble Offspring about The Surge, ahead of their performance at Bundanon.

After being discovered by fellow South Coast surf rock band The Terrys, Kiama’s Bronte Alva has been making serious moves. Embarking on a three-month long tour to celebrate the release of her new single ‘Taylor Swift,’ Bronte will go out with a bang when she takes to the stage at the Yours and Owls Festival in October in front of a home crowd.

Melbourne band, Teenage Dads, have spent the year touring Europe and the US with Lime Cordiale, racking up 55 shows in just seven months. Wollongong gets the chance to see the ‘Hey Diego’ and ‘Speedracer’ boys perform twice this year – this week as part of their headline tour plus at Yours and Owls in October.

Local indie-pop dance group Pirra recently played their biggest venue ever – the Sydney Opera House - and are ready to take on Yours & Owls Festival 2023

Meet Wollongong’s latest music collab Benjamino x Meadowhip (aka Ben Cauduro and Cara Walkam) and their new track ‘On Repeat’

Indie rock band Holy Holy are kicking off their national tour in Wollongong this Friday April 14, to celebrate their latest single ‘Messed Up.’ We caught up with Timothy ahead of their upcoming gig at UOW UniBar.

This March, the Kiama Blues & Jazz Festival will see local jazz musicians Alan Hicks and Nick Garbett unite on stage

The solo project of Australian musician Ben "Boo" Gumbleton, Boo Seeka is halfway through a jam-packed regional tour. We spoke to Ben about the power of playing live, his love for touring regionally and the importance of staying true to yourself creatively.

Performing at both Honk Oz and the Illawarra Folk Festival in coming weeks, US saxophonist Ken Field chats about bringing the sounds of New Orleans street bands to Wollongong.

Five years ago, The Finz didn’t exist, and its foundation members weren’t even musicians. Now, they are selling out venues and breaking pub records for beer sales.

What began as a studio project in 2012 has led to a successful decade-long music career for local seven-piece, Shining Bird.

The indie quartet have just released a new single, Honeymoon Diver

Let’s Be Friends

We’d love to send you occassional news and updates of happenings along the Coal Coast to your inbox!

Let’s be friends

We’d love to send updates of happenings along our Coal Coast to your inbox!

Name(Required)
Email(Required)
Privacy(Required)