Interview | Babe Rainbow

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Interview by Kieran Webber | Header Image by Kristofiski

We’ve been in admiration of the Babe Rainbow since we got our ears round the mellow, groove riddled ‘Peace Blossom Boogy’. It was such a delightful slice of psychedelic-folk rock that we immediately devoured their self titled debut album.

Since then much has happened for the Australian outfit, who’ve conquered the world with their melodic jams and terminally chill vibe. They’ve toured the world, released a sophomore album and more recently will dropping album number three ‘Today’.

Off the back of the new album the band are also heading out on tour across this beautiful green and blue sphere we call Earth. The ‘Earth Is An Egg, Don’t Frack It’ tour will also see the band make their way to Cornwall’s capital, Truro!

We were super eager to chat lead singer Angus Dowling ahead of their show at The Old Bakery, Truro so caught up with them to find out more about their lives, recording process and of course surfing.

Tickets for the Old Bakery show available here.

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Kieran: Firstly, I want to say thank you guys for taking the time to answer our questions! How have things been? What have you been up to?

Angus: Cool! Love these little quizzys. Thanks for asking, we’ve been pretty wonderful. How are you? what’s the surf like in Cornwall? We’re sort of driving there this morning with a few stop along the way and we’re going to the jurassic coast for peanut butter sandwiches in Dorset there’s this all good place there more of a bakery good coffee too.

Kieran: We’re all good, thank you. Surfs been good, a little windy of late but September swells are on the way! So, Australia has been throwing out some amazing artists of late (yourselves included), what has sparked this do you think? 

Angus: There’s stuff in the water!

Kieran: The word retro is thrown around a lot lately, it’s almost a dirty word BUT how was it you came to your sound that is remiscent of the sixties and seventies? 

Angus: Dirty Dad. We like retro it’s solid like this old tea pot we bought in Glasgow yesterday, it’s red and it’s tin and it’s just real solid. That 70s 60s sound is just natural to us because it’s what we like listening to at the beach. Retro music sets a good scene for atmosphere, like cooking onions.

Kieran: What sort of music did you listen to growing up and how has that shaped The Babe Rainbow?

Angus: Canned heat and Bert Jansch, Bees Gees, The Rolling Stones, all the retro surf music off surfers mood and digging the graveyard and stacks like that. We still listen to all of that it’ll never get old like the Babe Rainbow, she’s ageless so she might be a million or still only 16.

Kieran: Was there anything external that influenced you guys.. such as surfing? 

Angus: Yeah definitely, and the beaches of the world, and working on farms as a young kid and learning stuff. Meeting kind people from all over and experiencing things like falling in love and having babies and growing mustaches and buying something expensive like a fiat or an irish setter, everything influences us we’ve got the i’s in influence.

Kieran: How do you fit surfing into your life as you tour? Do you try surf as much as you can in the different countries you visit? 

Angus: Wherever possible for sure but were not precious about it because the surfs so good at home where we live. A couple weeks seeing museums and old cities and playing footy in parks is good too. It’s good surf in Japan though.

Kieran: Is there a particular wave that has stood out for you guys?

Angus: All the waves in New Zealand are pretty neat. Malibu is really groovy and so is mexico and margaret river.

Kieran: How do you fit recording music into your schedule when touring, surfing, living your life? 

Angus: Once a year we like to take all our ideas and things to the studio thats on a farm not far from the beach near where we live and work out a new record. All the other times we just collect little bits of jigs and grooves and good phrases or ideas and cook them up usually January/February when it’s really hot and the waves are good.

Listen to ‘Many Moons Of Love’ here:

Kieran: Do you have a particular recording method or is it loosey goosey? 

Angus: Depends on the song but it’s usually pretty loosey goofy, gives the song a chance to find out what he wants to be before he’s locked in there.

Kieran: What was the influence behind the new album ‘Today’?

Angus: Real fruit roll ups.

Kieran: What music have you been listening too lately? Anyone you’d recommend? 

Angus: Zoe fox and Bananagun, our buddy’s the Tomorrows Tulips are pretty sick, los bitchos are playing with us this uk tour they’re from England i think they look cool too. There’s some nice folk singers coming from australia soon.

Kieran: Lastly, we like to end with a story do you have anything weird, gnarly or strange that has happened to you that you’d like to share?

Angus: The last time we were here we stayed in a castle in dorset called Monkton Wyld and got totally wasted with the farmers drinking cider they make there from a barrel. We went exploring in the middle of the night on the top floor of the castle because they told us it was haunted and opened up one of the bedroom doors and saw two ghosts. Never saw a real life ghost before that, it was pretty neat.

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