On the back of his fifth studio album Josh Pyke is bringing his folk sounds to Wollongong again, playing at Waves in Towradgi the first weekend of June.
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Nearly a year ago he released “But For All these Shrinking Hearts”, debuting at #2 on the ARIA charts - the highest album debut ever for the singer-songwriter.
Pyke is pumped to be doing a 32 date regional tour, saying there are vast differences between city audiences.
“Queensland is very, very rowdy compared to NSW. Melbourne is subdued, Adelaide’s smack bang in the middle of Queensland and Melbourne … and [Wollongong’s] definitely pretty rowdy … the crowd is always more appreciative and kind of rowdy but in a very warm and happy way,” he said.
“Capital cities are bit more reserved like, I guess they’re used to going to shows. Where you then go to the Northern Territory and other areas [artists] don’t get out to a lot and there’s a real sense of appreciation, it’s more celebratory.”
The 38-year-old has been touring the country for the past decade and feels lucky to have built up a good fan base as playing gigs has become the staple musicians to earn a dollar thanks to the rise of digital downloads.
Pyke said “if you can suffer through the early years” of living out of a suitcase, being a muso still could be profitable.
“[The digital landscape] is a massive game changer, in some ways it’s brilliant,” he said.
“On Spotify at the moment I’ve got songs that have been streamed millions of times … and a couple of weeks ago the most listened place for my music was Brazil and I’ve never even toured Brazil.
“Things like that are amazing but the flipside is it doesn’t pay any money. Everyone’s saying ‘it will eventually’, but I just don’t know.”
So touring is where it’s at between records for Pyke. He hopes his honest songwriting, which is “self therapy” for him, is relatable to his fans and coaxes them to his live shows.
“I have a studio in my back yard and head down there and record stuff and write stuff … I definitely have a compulsion to write and record music at least a few hours every day,” he said.
“That’s what I do when I’m not on the road, which is good because before it was my hobby and now it’s become my job.”
Josh Pyke plays at Waves, Towradgi, on June 2. Tickets via www.moshtix.com.au