Canadian rockers The Trews clearly love our country. They’re currently enjoying their second visit in 12 months with four solid weeks of local shows. I caught up with the band’s guitarist John-Angus MacDonald to chat about these gigs, The Trews’ new album Hope & Ruin, and why he loves Australia.
You’ve just kicked off a month-long stint in Australia. How are your shows going so far?
Good. We’ve had some great crowds so far and I feel like it can only get better from here. It took us a few days to get in the groove – we played our first show the day we flew in from Canada – but we feel like our internal clocks have now been reset and we’re ready to rock.
How do Australian audiences differ from the ones back home?
Not that different really, especially due to the huge number of Canadians turning out every night! I feel like our two countries have a lot in common which one of the reasons that I think we could have a good career here.
You were only just here last September. What encouraged you to come back so soon?
Back in the fall we feel like we caught a glimpse of what could be down here and wanted to get back soon to explore it further.
You’ve enjoyed real success in Canada, so it must be almost like starting over to come here where you don’t have that profile. What inspired you to try to crack the Australian market?
True, it’s a little like going back to our early club days in Canada but we feel that in order for the band to have longevity we have to break a few other markets. We can’t just have Canada or they’ll get sick of us!
Since you’re here for a month, are you planning on doing any sightseeing? What do you want to see?
Our drummer Sean and I have taken up surfing which has been great. I’d also like to tour the Opera House, climb the bridge, go to the zoo, swim with sharks … you know, the usual.
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