Legendary - Icehouse

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JOSHUA PATERSON goes one-on-one with Icehouse front man, Iva Davies
about his recent music endeavours…
Legendary Australian icons don’t come
any nicer than Icehouse front man, Iva
Davies.
With a creative force that led his
band to an amazing 28 platinum albums, eight
Top 10 albums and over 30 Top 40 singles it’s
no wonder Tourism Australia has just made
him an ambassador and ‘Friend of Australia’.
Not only that but Tourism Australia
has recently released its latest advertising
campaign set to Davies’ own classic ‘Great
Southern Land’ to celebrate the 30th
Anniversary of Australia’s unoffi cial anthem.
“The idea was really Tourism Australia’s
initiative. I had almost nothing to do with this
idea,” Iva said.
“They quietly trotted off with a camera
crew around every state and territory fi lming
people singing the song. Everyone from
people in the streets to local community choirs
to some of Australia’s most recognised artists
such as Eskimo Joe and Katie Noonan.”
Quietly edited behind his back, Davies only
saw the fi nal online video clip the day before it
was launched and was incredibly impressed
and moved with what they had done.
“The idea that I could play that clip to my
children and have them see a large choir on a
beach singing my song is quite extraordinary,”
he said.
Davies was inspired to write ‘Great
Southern Land’ while on a plane fl ying over the
vast landscape of central Australia on his way
to the UK for the fi rst time in 1981.
The song then went on to feature on the
‘Primitive Man’ album, an album that features
extensively in their new ‘Primitive Colours
Tour’.
“We’re going to be playing a lot of songs
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from other albums but we are loading the set
list with some additional songs from ‘Primitive
Man’ and ‘Man of Colours’,” Iva said.
“Because we haven’t played those songs
in a long time, they weren’t necessarily hit
singles or things like that, it’s almost like we’re
playing the songs for the fi rst time.
“The ones we have chosen are the songs
that really work with a live band. The band
has an incredible amount of energy and we’ve
chosen the set list to really showcase that.”
Icehouse is set to play at Rooty Hill RSL on
Wednesday, October 31. Iva opened up about
what it is like for him to play small town gigs for
communities like Penrith.
“Playing an RSL is defi nitely a lot more
intimate than the size of the stages we’ve been
playing up to this point,” he said.
“But there’s also something about the
familiarity of venues like that that takes me
back 30 years to when we started out by
playing similar venues for many, many years as
other bands did as well. We’re very excited to
be doing it again.”
Touring now is defi nitely more of a luxury
for Iva and the band and their schedule is less
demanding.
When Icehouse did their ‘Man of Colours
Tour’ they found themselves on the road nonstop
for 14 months, with seven months spent
in North America alone.
“Playing gigs for us now is a real novelty
because for 18 years we hardly played at all,
so playing now is an incredible indulgence and
a real comfort to know that it’s not going to go
forever too,” Iva joked.
What really surprises Davies about touring
now is the newer generation who are now
familiar with his songs.
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Playing gigs for us now is a
real novelty because for 18 years
we hardly played any at all
When Icehouse played the Homebake
Music Festival last year Davies admitted that
he was a little hesitant about the gig.
However it turned out that Davies had no
need to worry. Homebake proved to be the
best gig the band did that year.
“The crowd started singing virtually from
the fi rst words that I sang and they didn’t stop
for the entire set,” he said.
“As soon as I got off the stage the bass
player came over and said to me, ‘Did you see
the amount of 20-year-olds singing all those
songs?’ and I said, ‘yes, most of them weren’t
even born when those songs were written!’”
Iva Davies has had a career blessed with
hits at every corner, but which of his own
Cover Story
03
songs is his favourite?
“Trying to choose a favourite song that I
have written is in many ways like trying to pick
your favourite child, it’s impossible,” said Iva.
“It’s pretty hard to escape the place that
‘Great Southern Land’ has found for itself
and I’m immensely proud that people are still
listening to that song after 30 years.”
Iva Davies and Icehouse are playing
at Rooty Hill RSL on Wednesday,
October 31 at 8pm. Tickets are $61.
For more information go to the Rooty
Hill RSL website, www.rootyhillrsl.
com.au.