Josh Pyke Interview

Pretty much any Australian lass would love to have a serenade from this man. Josh Pyke just seems to have a way with words. He accompanies his beautiful lyrics with delicate melodies and musical masterpieces are created. Boys, if you want to get in with your ladies, it’s easy, just “play a little Pyke and turn down the light”. There is the other option of going to see him live for added authenticity. Josh has toured the UK a bunch of times and he’s coming back before heading to the studio again. Australian Times Journalist Vivienne Hill caught up with him to find out what’s on the way for the Aussie artist and why he keeps coming back to charm the UK with his tunes.

Josh has now toured the UK about 10 times and will be back in March to woo his audiences once more. He is looking forward to seeing some old friends again. “I've toured the UK quite a few times now. It pretty much feels like a second home, and the thing I miss most are the friends I have over there. Some of my best friends live in the UK and it's such a blessing to be able to tour and play music to people and also get to see my friends,” he said. “I don't really miss the food in the UK though.”

We all know there is a definite lack of freshly grown cuisine in the UK compared to Aussie’s fine culinary selection but Josh assures me the fans are much the same. “I find they're pretty similar, although there is (as there is in Oz) a real difference between crowds from town to town,” reveals Josh. His tour will take him all the way from London to Glasgow, stopping at most main cities along the way. ”I’m really excited! It'll be the last shows in the UK I'll do for this record, and I’m looking forward to playing with my support, Emma Pollock too. I feel like the shows have been getting better and better in the UK, and I plan to keep on coming back and building it there.”

After the tour Josh will head back to OZ for an exciting collaboration. “I'm doing a record right now with Kav from Eskimo Joe, Bob Evans (put his real name in) and a dude called Steve Parkin, we're called the ‘Basement Birds’, and I’ve loved collaborating with them,” says Josh.

Pyke still has plans to fly solo aiming to hit the studio soon for a follow up to his second album ‘Chimney’s Affire’. “I've written a bunch of tracks, but I’m still trying to figure out who to do it with and where to record it,” he reveals. “I'd like it to be more rocky, and possibly actually rehearse the songs up with a band, and record the album pretty much live.” As for the name of the album, nothing is set in stone yet. “Maybe I’ll call it ‘Bodies Vanish’, but that'll change no doubt,” he jokes.

If there’s one thing that’s certain to be on the new album, it’s some more of those intricate loved up lyrics that Josh is so famous for. “I love romance! I think people should always try to be romantic and make the effort to do that stuff,” he says. Definitely some hard evidence there that not all Aussie men aren’t all wife beater wearing, Bundy drinking, bogans.