Jade Jungwirth
Pseudo Echo have returned with an epic national tour, performing their last concert of the year at the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine this Friday.
The tour coincides with the release of the Ultimate double album and DVD, chronicling their expansive 40-year music career.
The Ultimate tour features a six-piece lineup, fronted by founding member Brian Canham on vocals and guitar.
“After a 10-year hiatus in a different side of the business (running a production company), I realised I had missed performing and that at 60 I’m not too old,” Canham said.
“It’s been fantastic, if not exhausting (it takes a bit out of me on stage), but I’m pretty agile and my voice is great still. I’m working with a lineup of younger guys who are fresh and have a great energy.
“We have our first female, Sammy Paul. She is really fantastic with great vocals and is a real powerhouse on stage.”
Canham noted some of the differences between touring in the 80s and touring now and in particular the mutual respect between the audience and the band in recent times.
“We went through stages where people didn’t like us, most loved us, but now we no longer need to prove ourselves,” he said.
“These days the audience is a lot teenagers from the 80s, but also their kids, so we’ve got a broad audience.”
Another big difference is the fashion and the hairstyles, although there are swings and roundabouts. When Pseudo Echo first took off 1983 they were renowned for their root-permed mullets. These days Canham sports a pretty epic mohawk and at times a spectacular moustache.
“My son actually has a mullet now and he looks exactly like I did in my 20s,” he said.
“I get a bit restless with my image. I like to keeping pushing myself; with fashion and with music.”
What’s in store for the Castlemaine audience on Friday night? Canham told the Express that it is a particularly interesting show because the songs are predominantly old, played in chronological order featuring hits from Autumnal Park and Love An Adventure albums.
Also, for the first time since the 80s, the band will be performing feature tracks from the controversial, yet much-loved stadium rock Race album.
“We’ve never played in this way before. You can see a real evolution in the sound throughout the gig. The Race album has actually gained quite a following over the years. We released the album and then broke up in 89 so we hadn’t played it much. We’ve had people begging us to play it for the last 20-30 years.
“When we walk on stage and there’s a whole lot of love its amazing. Singing the a lot of the same songs over the last 30-40 years, you just get better at it. It’s second nature and you just get to have fun.”
