“The idea is if you hash-tag Hey My Love on Instagram your photo will get you in the video. Once we started we were like, ‘Instead of making one video, let’s keep this going.’ We’ve done the first version of it and there’s probably going to be three more to come.”
Hume believes the impact generated by the video’s hands-on aspect surpasses flashy big-budget production. “When you look at a lot of video clips they can tend towards being a bit of an ego rub for the band; to make them look cool and make it look expensive. So we had this idea to try to do something more genuine and invite everybody to share their favourite photos of people and things they love and collate that into a story. There’s something really powerful about everybody’s experiences; there’s an emotional pull to it,” he says.
The resounding success of the video suggests Evermore will continue to adopt an inclusive approach for future video projects, rather than reach for grandiose images. “I love beautiful cinematography but there’s something really powerful about realness. It attacks people more than impressiveness. Something that feels genuine connects with people a lot more than something that feels expensive,” Hume muses.
Hey My Love isn’t the first video to feature Peter’s direction; he was actually behind Evermore’s first three videos back in 2001. He explains that there was an imperative in the early days for the band – completed by his brothers Jon (guitar/vocals) and Dann (drums) – to develop a multi-faceted capacity.
“We lived in a small town in New Zealand and we didn’t know any filmmakers, the same way we didn’t know any record producers. We just learned it ourselves. Both of our parents are artists, painters, and they were incredibly encouraging. They always believed we could do anything,” says Hume.
Evermore have maintained the DIY adaptability learned in their youth and in addition to video direction they continue to produce their own albums and design the artwork. They’ve also set-up a recording studio in the Macedon Ranges, just north of their adopted home city of Melbourne. Peter explains that it’s youngest brother Dann Hume who has embraced the producer’s role with particular agog.
“Dann has produced Lisa Mitchell’s two albums there and we’ve done Amy Meredith and Alpine’s record and Snakadaktal’s record. He’s one of the busiest producers in Australia. He’s enjoying doing that; that’s what he’s got the joy for,” he says.
In fact such is the extent of Dann’s production commitments that he won’t be taking part in the upcoming Hero tour. “We’ve got a drummer called Chewy, who’s awesome. A friend of ours who’s been playing for the last six months.”
Evermore recently supported both Maroon 5 and Matchbox Twenty on their respective Australian tours and after ten years of touring they’re now well experienced with larger scale shows. However, Peter says that the pure excitement to perform hasn’t by any means worn off.
“I’ve done music since I was 15 (he’s now 27-years-old) and it’s still the biggest buzz playing. It doesn’t matter how many people there are. There’s this energy feedback loop that happens, particularly in Australia and New Zealand where people know the songs and are singing along. It builds up this awesome environment and you feel like the centre of the storm on stage.”
The Hero tour takes them to a number of comparatively cosy venues, many of which are in less-frequented locations. Hue is enthusiastic about extensively exploring the country’s regional terrain. “When you get out of the main cities people are really excited to see you and there’s something really cool about playing those towns. There’s something really great about doing a big tour. Playing 30 shows in a row, it’s a bit like training. By the end of thirty shows we’ll have a very very tight show.”
Similar to including the public in the construction of the Hey My Love video, traveling far and wide across the country to correspond with as many fans as possible is evidence of Evermore’s willingness to personally engage with their audience. Hume agrees it’s important for fans to feel like they are a part of something, which exceeds just liking the music they hear.
“A little while ago we actually invited a bunch of our friends and fans to come to our studio and we put on a concert in our backyard. There really is a family feel to it. You meet people who met at a concert and now they’re married. It’s cool to be some small part of people’s lives and connect them.”
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
