How does it make you feel when your best mate and duo partner suffers a heart attack on the eve of your national tour?
“Old” is the response from Thomas Busby who’s on the phone in a busy airport heading to the first gig of The Shell House tour.
“Personally, I’m happy that it’s forced us to slow down. We love working hard, but you need to get your priorities right. Jeremy’s got a family history of heart problems, and there’s no time limit on looking after your body”.
๏ฟผ๏ฟผBusby Marou, aka Thomas Busby & Jeremy Marou are headed to Newcastle tonight (25 May) in support of their ARIA #1 album Postcards From The Shell House. The Queensland duo were thrilled to claim their first ARIA number one and you can hear the excitement in Thomas’ voice when we ask him about the forthcoming show in Newcastle.
“We’ve heard it’s a great venue. It’s a sold out show and Jeremy’s healthier now than in the last ten years, so it’s gonna be a great gig man” he excitedly tells us.
Postcards From The Shell House was recorded with producer and songwriter Jon Hume. Critics have declared the release as a “return to their roots”.
The shell house is an old heritage-listed building on Great Keppel Island off the coast of their native Rockhampton and has great cultural significance. Early in their career Tom and Jeremy would sit around a campfire there and sing songs, one or two of which ended up on record. Last year, with producer Jon Hume in tow, that same method in the same location produced a few songs for the new album.
“Weโre a duo at the heart of it, and Jon Hume understood that. He’s also a perfectionist and a great guitarist, so he really brought out the best in Jeremy’s guitar playing. In the past, we’d listen back to a take, and think we’d nailed it. Jon would always tell us to do it again, and you can hear that on the record” Thomas explains.
Supporting Busby Marou during their tour is Melbourne band, The Teskey Brothers. So make sure you get in early for this one!
