Few musicians exude the genuine warmth and congeniality of Melbourne singer songwriter Clare Bowditch. Whether it’s interacting with her adoring crowds during a live show or radiating compassion for fellow musicians in interviews, the mother of three remains consistently luminous. Touring in solo mode to support her third album The Moon Looked On, the auburn vocalist rebuffs Rip It Up’s suggestion that her cheery nature and Christian goodwill could stand her in good stead for a sainthood.
“Good on ya!” Clare retorts while brewing a cup of coffee during a morning of interviews. “Obviously I’m just a fucked up human being trying to find my way in the world - that’s why you become a creative artist. Maybe from the outside looking in it does sound like it’s all really together and so on, but there is certainly no sainthood coming my way, that’s for sure.
“I was raised in a good ol’ Catholic family of five, but my Mum is from Amsterdam and is very cool and liberal in many ways and also a really strict Catholic in other ways. She was born and grew up in Amsterdam and moved over here in her 20s and fell for my Dad. The European way of life is familiar to me because of my mother but also pretty exciting.”
So when you are on stage in Europe are you able to pull out a few words to enthral the locals with your language skills?
“They’re all so incredible at English that they pretty much just laugh themselves off the chair if you try and speak their language, but yes, I do occasionally do translated stuff. It’s more a kitsch novelty than anything else.”
Traversing the country without her regular backing band The Feeding Set, Clare will be supported by her regular guitarist Tim Harvey’s other act, Hot Little Hands. Through her enjoyable summer radio program on Triple J, Clare was able to promote numerous Australian bands and share fun anecdotes about her friendships with local artists.
“I do everything I can to make sure that people get the opportunity to have their music heard. For me, that early support shown to me meant that I could make music that wasn’t common or popular at the time at all. I guess one of my feelings is that once you start getting some kind of name for yourself you can actually have some kind of influence over the way Australian music culture goes forward in a small way. And that’s part of why I argue so passionately for funding in the arts and why I see that as so important to the ongoing diversity of musical genres, ‘cos if we don’t fight for those things then all we get is the crap that we’re fed from commercial radio stations.”
Having proven herself an accomplished radio personality during guest appearances on Melbourne’s 3LO as well as her Triple J stint with bandmate Libby Chow, Clare suggests further stints on ABC airwaves may have to wait until her musical muse is quelled.
“Look, they’ve been very generous to us and they gave us complete free rein for our program. It went well and hopefully at some time in the future we might work with them again. I’m split in many different ways as every human being is, but I’d like to concentrate as much as I can on the music while I’ve still got that burning inside of me. I recently saw some old YouTube footage of David Byrne interviewing PJ Harvey and it does make for a fascinating interview, because they’re two people from the same realm of life. That’s something for me I think I’ll kind of leave for a few years in the future.”
When musicians interview musicians you do get a completely different picture though - they’re bother from the inside looking out rather than the outside looking in.
“Exactly - and it makes for a really intimate interview. Last week I was interviewed by Stephanie Ashworth from Something For Kate, since she’s writing for the Triple J mag at the moment. It was really relaxed and I felt really understood, which is lovely.”
Clare Bowditch has previously proven her love of well-crafted lyrics via covers of Crowded House’s Fall At Your Feet and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, but don’t rule out a cover of The Veronicas in the future. Thanks to her pre-school daughter Asha, Clare has found herself indulging in the pop pleasures of the Queensland Origliasso twins’ latest album, Hook Me Up.
“You know I’ve recently been very addicted to The Veronicas thanks to a small person in the house who is very keen on that album,” Clare admits “I appreciate that kind of music and I’m really quite excited about the kind of beats that my Casio is pumping out, so who knows what’s ahead?”
Has Asha dragged you along to a Veronicas live show yet?
“No, and I have to say, I do heavily censor what she actually hears so I think the live show might actually blow her five-year-old mind at this stage. ‘Take me on the floor’, ‘Kiss a girl’, ‘Kiss a boy’… they’re obviously sexual lyrics but they are still towing that line between womanhood and appealing to children. They handed me my ARIA in 2006 and I see them every now and then at the airport and they’re gorgeous, they’re very lovely young girls. But Jesus, when they get saucy, look out! I should talk though, having written a song about having sex in a cubicle with your workmate on You Look So Good. I’m not one to pick or cast nasturtiums.”
I don’t know if your line ‘Sit on you’ is quite in the same league as ‘Take me on the floor’.
“Maybe not, but my mum did ask me what that meant. That was an awkward conversation.”
Clare Bowditch and Hot Little Hands perform at Jive on Fri Jun 20. The Moon Looked On is out now through EMI.