Sarah Blasko's Theatre Life

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” explains Sarah Blasko, referring to the tour of Australia’s theatres she’ll be undertaking from this coming Friday, when proceedings commence in Brisbane. “I like performances that are intimate and that showcase the songs in a different way, so it’s pretty exciting to finally have the opportunity to do that.”

The Autumn Theatre tour, which will feature an eight-piece chamber ensemble playing two sets with no support act, is a fitting continuation of the mood evoked by Blasko’s second album, What The Sea Wants, The Sea Will Have. The record’s layered instrumentation and resolute sense of moral enquiry are well-suited to the involved line-up Blasko has assembled (she’s actually using a different string section in each city – “we realised how little rehearsal these people actually need,” she admits).

“I think it’s going to be very exciting,” she notes, and being Sarah Blasko her excitement sounds like it is tinged with nervousness. Nonetheless the success of the album, and the expansion of the tour into multiple nights in each destination, is vindication for Blasko. Having recorded the album she wanted to make, it’s now proving to be a touchstone for fans.

“I certainly don’t like things that are too obvious,” she notes. “I always get suspicious if I like something too much straight away. It’s more important to me that people like what you’ve done enough to want to go back and listen to it again. I like the idea of artists – such as Beck or Bjork – whose records you buy because you’re on a journey with them and you feel that you something about them from their music.”

Still, Blasko is happy to deflect praise with self-deprecation. “Someone recently told me that [What The Sea Wants…] was their favourite album and that they listened to it all day,” she wryly observes. “Then they told me that they’d gotten it two days ago.”

Her previous tour, a run of regional venues, also gave the Sydney singer-songwriter a sense of the public’s enthusiasm. Audiences chanted her name, sang along and occasionally lifted her off the ground with overly enthusiastic hugs post-show. “There was some serious backslapping, too,” she adds. “I felt like the man of the match.”

The details for the Autumn Theatre tour, presented by Mess+Noise, are:

Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
Friday 30 March
(Tickets available from Qtix on 136-246 and www.qtix.com.au, or directly from the venue on 07-3840-7444)

Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
Saturday 31 March
(Tickets available from Qtix on 136-246 and www.qtix.com.au, or directly from the venue on 07-3840-7444)

Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
Monday 2 April
(Tickets available from Qtix on 136-246 and www.qtix.com.au, or directly from the venue on 07-3840-7444)

Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, Brisbane
Tuesday 3 April
(Tickets available from Qtix on 136-246 and www.qtix.com.au, or directly from the venue on 07-3840-7444)

National Theatre, Melbourne
Wednesday 4 April
(Tickets available from Ticketmaster on 136-100 and www.ticketmaster.com.au, or directly from the venue on 03-9534-0221 and www.nationaltheatre.org.au)

National Theatre, Melbourne
Thursday 5 April
(Tickets available from Ticketmaster on 136-100 and www.ticketmaster.com.au, or directly from the venue on 03-9534-0221 and www.nationaltheatre.org.au)

Octagon Theatre, UWA, Perth
Thursday 12 April
(Tickets available from BOCS Ticketing on 08-9484-1133 or www.bocsticketing.com.au, or from 78s Records or Mills Records)

Octagon Theatre, UWA, Perth
Friday 13 April
(Tickets available from BOCS Ticketing on 08-9484-1133 or www.bocsticketing.com.au, or from 78s Records or Mills Records)

Scott Theatre, Adelaide University, Adelaide
Saturday 14 April
(Tickets available from CIB on 08-8231-0824 or Venuetix on 08-8225-8888 and www.venuetix.com.au)

Scott Theatre, Adelaide University, Adelaide
Sunday 15 April
(Tickets available from CIB on 08-8231-0824 or Venuetix on 08-8225-8888 and www.venuetix.com.au)

York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney
Wednesday 18 April
(Tickets available from the venue on 02-9351-7940 and from Ticketek at www.ticketek.com.au or on 132-849)

York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney
Thursday 19 April
(Tickets available from the venue on 02-9351-7940 and from Ticketek at www.ticketek.com.au or on 132-849)

York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney
Friday 20 April
(Tickets available from the venue on 02-9351-7940 and from Ticketek at www.ticketek.com.au or on 132-849)

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