It’s been a whirlwind year for Melbourne trio Loose Tooth, with the release of their debut album Keep Up and first international tour now under their belt.
After such a busy period, the band are relishing in some time off before a string of shows to round out 2018, with guitarist Nellie Jackson revealing that years of planning has gone into preparing the band for where they are now.
“It’s been so amazing to see how people have reacted to it,” Jackson says. “I didn’t really think about that part of it until it started happening. There’s so much lead up to putting out an album, so once it’s out only then do you remember that we did this so other people will hear it.”
The band, known for their incisive hooks and hard hitting harmonies, have significantly evolved as songwriters since the release of 2013’s Saturn Returns. The EP cemented them as one of the most exciting acts in the country and put the band in the position to make a big impact with their debut album.
“Things almost felt like a fluke with Saturn Returns,” Jackson laughs. “I think this time around we were so aware of all the hard work it takes to put out a record, so we took more time to do it.
“The band has matured in a way, we move more as one now, so we wanted to play around more with songwriting on Keep Up, particularly our different strengths,” Jackson continues. “The songs are a little more thought out, and ultimately we wanted it to feel like a whole piece of work, rather than a bunch of songs put together.”
Jackson also expresses her gratitude towards their artist-run record label Milk! Records, with label managers Jen Cloher and Courtney Barnett, two artists that the band looks up to. “It’s really more a partnership than a ‘they’re the boss and we’re the band’ situation. They care a lot about what they’re doing and give very good advice, they know what they’re talking about since they’ve been through all this too.”
Since their album tour and BIGSOUND, the band have been laying low before their show at the Heart of St Kilda Concert, a special fundraiser held annually at The Palais for the Sacred Heart Mission – a not-for-profit organisation that assists people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty to find shelter, food, care and support.
“It’s a cause pretty close to all our hearts as we all grew up in and around St Kilda,” Jackson says. “I’m also a youth worker so I work with young people with drug and alcohol issues and obviously homelessness comes with that at times.
“Playing a show where the money goes to homelessness is a very humbling thing to do, but it’s totally more about the volunteers and the organisation itself, and this special thing that they do.”
There is a sense that Loose Tooth is as much about the friendship between Jackson and her bandmates Etta Curry and Luc Dawson as it is about music. “When we toured with Courtney Barnett I couldn’t wait at the end of every show to get back in the van and just be together,” Jackson says.
“It can be quite overwhelming on those big stages, so I always looked forward to being in a hotel room with them, unpacking the night and having a laugh. It was a really positive experience because of that, thankfully, because we want to do more tours together, that’s the ultimate dream and that was the ultimate test.”
