Jeff Lang brings new album to life on stage in star-studded Rechabite show

ARIA Award-winning Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter Jeff Lang is hitting The Rechabite on Thursday, October 10, as part of a national tour for his new album More Life—with tickets on sale now. The album is a culmination of years of creative collaboration, featuring contributions from notable artists such as John Butler and William Crighton, who will join Lang on stage on the night. OLIVIA WILLIAMS caught up with Jeff Lang to find out how the collaborations shaped the new record and what Perth fans can look forward to at the show.

Congratulations on the release of your new album, More Life! What was the inspiration behind the title? Does it reflect the theme of the record as a whole?

The title came from one of the songs on the album. The song More Life was written by Kerri Simpson and I, and seemed like it would make a good album title too. Something upbeat and positive sounding. The range of different collaborators on the album led to a fairly wide range of musical styles too, so the title seemed to fit.

You’ve worked with some amazing artists on this project, like John Butler and Don Walker. How did those collaborations influence the sound and direction of the album?

Each of the album’s guests and I co-wrote the song we performed together, so naturally that meant we’d each be leaning toward the other and meeting in the middle somewhere, between our respective styles. I think that resulted in songs that were not only a bit different for myself but for the other artists involved too. I really enjoyed seeing where each song would lead me.

You’ll be performing at The Rechabite on October 10 to celebrate your album launch alongside John Butler and William Crighton. How do you think their performances will elevate the show?

I’ve performed with both of these brilliant people a fair bit over the years, and it’s always exciting. William Crighton has a very commanding presence with a big voice, and John Butler is, as everyone knows, a formidable player. John and I always send sparks flying when we play together. And they both write great songs, so there’s a lot of scope for it to be a magical night.

What can fans expect from your own live set during this tour?

It’s not only a band show, but both William and John will be part of the main body of the gig. It’s not a case of ‘support acts’ followed by the ‘main act’; it’s more a revue-type of show. They’ll be joining me for some of my songs, as well as playing some of theirs with the band and I, and we’ll be performing the new duet material we recorded together for More Life. Ben Franz, himself a Western Australian, will be playing bass, and Danny McKenna will be on drums, and I’ll be bringing a range of guitars for slide and regular playing, plus a bouzouki for a couple of numbers too.

With over 32 albums under your belt, how do you think your music has evolved over the past three decades? Are there any experiences that have shaped your journey?

I’d like to think my sound keeps evolving, but then it’s hard for me to judge. Other people might be thinking, “Don’t kid yourself, son, it all sounds the same!” I just try to keep an ear out for the next song that might happen by and stay open to anything that moves me in the big world of musical sounds.

As a seasoned artist, what advice would you give to emerging musicians looking to make their mark in the Australian music scene?

I guess the best advice I could give is to try to remember why you started playing music in the first place. Hopefully it was because you fell in love with the stuff. Keep that in your mind, and you can ride out the rocky patches and flat spots that lie ahead of you on the road. Try to stay interested.