Wilson herself has just wrapped up a run of dates with old friends The Smith Street Band, with whom she recently collaborated on their single I Scare Myself Sometimes. Wilson speaks fondly of the tour, on which she was also joined by international cohorts Andrew Jackson Jihad and The Sidekicks for the first few weeks. It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing, however – a sudden illness temporarily sidelined The Sugarcanes’ guitarist, Alister Self.
“I felt so sorry for him [Self],” says Wilson. “He had been looking forward to doing the shows and was so stoked about getting to play these big dates, and then it got to the point where he was just too sick to travel. We were incredibly lucky to have a ring-in – our friend Daniel [Lopez] was asked on the Tuesday night if he could do it, and by the time we left on Wednesday morning he somehow knew our whole set. He did an absolutely incredible job, considering we’d had all of one jam together.”
For a little backstory, Wilson was performing under her own name for several years, releasing an EP and touring nationally. She formed The Sugarcanes in early 2014 with her brother, former Knockabouts bassist Jack. The siblings were joined by Self, keyboardist Dave Gualtieri and later drummer Lizzie Dynon, which has been the core lineup for the majority of the band’s lifespan. “I’ve gotten so used to playing with them now, I still get really excited I get to play with them,” Wilson says. “I almost don’t even want to say it, but I missed them a lot when I was doing the part of the tour on my own. It’s like The Sugarcanes is a part of me now.”
The Wilsons are generally the ones who commence a Sugarcanes song, and their songs are a blend of their combined musical background in singer/songwriter balladry, early rock’n’roll, vintage soul and even a pinch of ska. “We write together a lot,” says Wilson. “Usually, Jack will come to me with the shell of a song and I’ll colour it in by adding in melody and lyrics. Once we’re on top of that side of things, we show it to the rest of the band and they’re able to layer their own contributions on top.”
The initial Sugarcanes recordings were somewhat humble – just three demo tracks, recorded by good friend Lincoln Le Fevre in his home studio. The next time the band entered the studio, however, it was a much grander affair – the quintet knocked out 14 songs in five days. “We rehearsed a lot for these sessions,” says Wilson. “Jack had worked with this engineer, Nao [Anzai], previously when he was playing in a backing band for this guy Jimmy Hawk. We were really lucky to be able to lock him down – Nao’s probably the busiest person that I know.”
Ten of the songs recorded during this period will make up The Sugarcanes’ debut LP – projected for release in the first quarter of 2016 – while two of those ten have just been released, Oh Darling and a re-recorded Lucifer. Wilson and co. will be launching the single with a very special gig on Saturday afternoon at Laneway Studios in the city. “We’re inviting a whole bunch of friends down for a barbeque,” says Wilson. “Then, we’re going to record Oh Darling and Lucifer live and put it to 7″. We’re leaving everything in – all the heckling, all the yelling, all of it. It’s an afternoon gig, too, so all the oldies can get day-drunk and get home early.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
