It’s passé to be big in Japan, but Finland is an entirely different matter. “We’re reasonably popular there, which is quite odd,” explains Ninetynine’s self-effacing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Laura MacFarlane. “I think that’s just because we’ve got a label there and we’ve actually made the effort to tour and play gigs.”

“The great thing about Finland,” adds MacFarlane, “is that you’ve got the possibility of crossing over into Russia and getting freaked out.”

Finland and Russia were just two of the destinations Ninetynine visited in the final quarter of 2006 (as well as Spain and Britain), a time when touring overseas held a more optimistic outlook than staying in Australia. Because their domestic label, Unstable Ape, changed distributors virtually the week their last album, Worlds of Space, Worlds of Population, Worlds of Robots, was released, the disc wasn’t easily to obtain for initiates and newcomers alike.

“I think we just got lost in the shuffle,” concedes MacFarlane, her voice still holding a Scottish burr from her birthplace of Glasgow despite several decades of residence in Australia. “That’s what happens when you do things in the world of indie music.”

By the same token, the 12-inch vinyl edition of Worlds… is behind schedule, but the disc is definitely available – “same album, different logos,” MacFarlane notes – now that Unstable Ape has a new distribution deal in place.

Having been back in Melbourne for three months now, waiting for the album to be reissued, Ninetynine have been rehearsing, writing new material (some of which will be heard on their upcoming dates) and commissioning a series of low-budget videos for album tracks with the simple proviso that the band don’t have to appear in them.

Band member Amy Clarke is taking a sabbatical, with Meg Butler taking her place, while longtime Ninetynine associate Iain McIntyre, who rarely tours with the group, will be appearing at the first Melbourne gig with MacFarlane, Butler and drummer Cameron Potts. “We’re used to being a three-piece,” says MacFarlane with a laugh, “but we’re more than happy playing with four.”

Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, VIC
Friday 27 April

Producers Bar, Adelaide, SA
Friday 4 May

Scooter, Sydney, NSW
Saturday 26 May

Pony, Melbourne, VIC
Saturday 2 June

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