Playing one final show before she disappears into hibernation to work on her highly-anticipated second album, Georgia Fields will be visiting The Famous Spiegeltent, along with her band and string quartet, to present the lush string arrangements of her first record, along with a preview of what can be expected from her completely new artistic incarnation.
It has been a busy couple of years for Fields, which saw the release of her critically-acclaimed, self-titled debut album, a touring schedule which was relentless to say the least, and a performance on SBS’s RocKwiz beside ’60s crooner Normie Rowe. It’s as a result of these experiences that Fields says she has evolved as a musician and has adopted a newfound confidence in her music.
“I feel like I’ve come such a long way since my first album. I look back at it and feel like I was just a baby back then, even though it was only two years ago. It’s been a pretty intense period. I did a lot of solo touring last year, which was good, but also really tough. It definitely forced me to come out of my shell a lot.”
Although Fields’ musical roots have always been firmly planted in pop, there has forever been an experimental element to her craft – notably with the use of children’s toys, lemonade cans and a cordless drill being used to spice up her recordings. This is something she says she wants to explore further, without ignoring her long-standing love for all things pop.
“I’ve always pursued a very ’60s orchestral-pop sound after being inspired by Brian Wilson and The Beatles’ stuff. But recently I’ve been getting into David Bowie and Phil Spector’s ‘wall of sound’ production. But then again, I also listened to a lot of Mariah Carey when I was growing up and I’m a pretty die-hard fan.
“I suppose that when I used the drill and the toy, it was just a playfulness I wanted to bring to the songs. I like nabbing little elements form different sub genres and bringing them back to pop.”
Fields’ visit to the Spiegeltent will see as much role-swapping as the multi-instrumentalist is famous for – ukulele, to grand piano and electric guitar at the very least. Also, as well as showcasing favourites from her self-titled debut and 2007’s Drama On The High Seas Of Emotion EP, this will also be an outlet to audition material from her up coming sophomore LP, which she says is still fully being realised.
“With the new album, there’ll still be a lot of strings, because I love strings, but I’m also hoping to incorporate earthier, grittier sounds, mixed with lots of vintage, sparkly, psychadelic Casio shimmery synths.
“I’ve also got plans to record it live, to capture the performance. When everybody is playing together and you feed off one another, you can hear that when you listen back to the recording. That’s something you just don’t get that when you layer a song up on Pro Tools. Even if there are a few mistakes, you just have to accept that it’s part of the recording,” she says.
This change in direction is to be broadcasted in every way possible, even down to her attire – she will adorn a custom-designed outfit by Jessica Yorston of clothing label Stella Blanche especially for the show.
“Lately I’ve been getting really inspired by Bowie, particularly his Ziggy Stardust era, and I’ve been backtracking to ’90s Bjork too. I’ve also been researching paganism, in particular, moon worship and ancient rites surrounding lunar cycles. Looking at it across a huge spectrum of time, it’s really apparent how much costume plays a part in the way we experience the ritual of live music.
“I’ve never had a stage costume designed before, so I’m pretty excited! And Stella Blanche has this fantastic mash-up of sci-fi, mod, and ’60s Tropicana, so I can’t wait to see what she comes up with,” says Fields.
An enchanting venue that seems so fitting for Fields’ sophisticated, quirky pop, she says the opportunity couldn’t have come at a more perfect time in her career.
“I feel so lucky to be playing at the Spiegeltent and it’s definitely going to be a special show for me. It feels like it’s the end of a chapter – a perfect way of closing off the orchestral direction and peeking into what might be coming in the future.”
BY CALLUM FITZPATRICK
GEORGIA FIELDS will be playing at The Famous Spiegeltent on Monday April 16 from 7pm to 8pm. Tickets to this very intimate performance are available via the Arts Centre website.
