The Preatures return with Blue Planet Eyes 10th anniversary tour

It only seems like one hot minute since Is This How You Feel burst onto the airwaves with all of its retro charm, and we were enchanted by the sweet voice of Izzi Manfredi and the raw rock elements of The Preatures, but 10 years have passed since its release along with their debut hit album Blue Planet Eyes.

Following two ARIA-charting albums, The Preatures disbanded in 2021. Lucky for us, a one-off 10th anniversary show at their spiritual home of Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel in late 2014 got the juices flowing again, and The Preatures are back, for now, to embark on a 15-date national tour to celebrate their breakout debut album, Blue Planet Eyes. They head our way next weekend to play Fremantle’s Freo.Social on Friday, July 25; Margaret River’s The River on Saturday, July 26; and Bunbury’s Froth Craft Bunbrewery on Sunday, July 27.

ANTHONY JACKSON chatted with Izzi Manfredi and Gideon Bensen of the group to talk about the upcoming tour and reminisce on the genesis of Blue Planet Eyes.

You’ve already played three shows on this run—two in NSW and one in the ACT—and now you’re heading into the second phase of the tour this weekend. A lot of the shows have already sold out, which is so exciting! Can you take us back to that first NSW show of the tour—what was going through your heads walking on stage? What was the energy like in the room?

Izzi: (Laughs) The first show was a real glass of cold water in the best way. Like, every show from now on will be like stepping onto a travelator. We were in a little sports pub down in Sydney’s south with about 300 people. We had all sorts of sound problems; the PA wasn’t big enough, so the sound cut out a few times. I mean, what can you do? We were just laughing and keeping the audience in good spirits while our crew shat themselves trying to fix the bugs. It was a great reminder of all the challenging, slightly shitty gigs we’ve done in our lives as a group. Those moments are also what it’s all about, you know?

Gideon: It honestly felt a bit surreal. There was definitely some nervous energy flying around before we went on, probably more than I expected. You spend so long away from it, you start to wonder if it’s even still in you. But as soon as we stepped out and heard the crowd, it was like this huge wave of warmth hit us. The energy in the room was beautiful, really. It felt like everyone was just as happy to see us as we were to be there. It reminded us straight away why we started doing this in the first place.

And how were the crowd reactions to those shows?

Izzi: The crowds have been in some kind of emotional ecstasy. Honestly, it’s been a trip to see it unfold. I feel the same as them, but I have to keep it together so I can perform. And then we have people who are travelling to see us on multiple legs. But mostly people just want a good excuse to come together. I love seeing people up the front in their Izzi t-shirts or vintage Preatures merch. It’s very cool to see the world we spent all those years building before our eyes.

Gideon: Yes,incredible. People have been singing along like it’s 2014 all over again. There’s this warmth and love that we don’t take for granted. We’re seeing people who came to our very first shows bringing new friends and partners. That means a lot to us.

Back in December 2024, The Preatures played an intimate one-off reunion at the Lansdowne Hotel—your first show since 2021—which ultimately led to this current 15-date, 10th anniversary tour. Whose idea was it to get the band back together for that Lansdowne show, at the very venue where you played your first gig? Who picked up the phone to make it happen?

Gideon: It came about really organically. I’m not sure what had been discussed within the band at that point, but Iz and I had a coffee and chatted. We’d been catching up more just as friends, and the idea of doing one little show started to grow legs. Next thing we knew, we were rehearsing. It felt right to go back to where we started. We weren’t even thinking beyond that night. But the response was insane.

I remember seeing Is This How You Feel? late one night on Rage back in 2013 and being instantly captivated. It felt like a lost 70s disco-rock anthem, but completely fresh and new. Can you take us back to that era—how did it feel for you at the time? Did you have any sense of what an impact that song was going to have?

Gideon: That’s such a nice thing to hear. That era was chaotic and exciting. We were broke, playing every tiny venue we could, writing constantly. Is This How You Feel? felt like a turning point for us. We knew we’d caught lightning in a bottle with that one, but you never know how something’s going to land. When it took off, it really changed the trajectory of the band.

Those early singles and EPs were all produced by your guitarist, Jack Moffitt, but for Blue Planet Eyes, you brought in Jim Eno from Spoon. The album really retains that classic Preatures energy but shifts things up to another level. How did Jim help shape the sound and influence the creative process?

Gideon: Jim was brilliant because he didn’t try to reinvent us. He was all about capturing performance. We’d been so precious about parts and arrangements on those earlier EPs. Jim just encouraged us to relax into the groove more—to let things breathe. He brought this clarity to the sessions and really trusted us to trust ourselves.

Better Than It Ever Could Be is one of my favourite Preatures songs. I love the energy and rawness of the EP version. It appears on Blue Planet Eyes, renamed to It Gets Better, with a slightly reworked arrangement. What was the thought process behind the rework? Can you give us a bit of a behind-the-scenes perspective into what was happening in the studio and the differences between the songs that appeared on the earlier EPs and then on the album?

Izzi: Glad you love the single version. This track is just known inside the band as Better. We actually released the single version because of our UK label’s strategy at the time. They wanted ‘something that sounds like a demo’to service BBC1 ahead of them adding Is This How You Feel? to full rotation. We busted the track out on Christmas Eve, I remember.

Then they came back and said, ‘this sounds too much like a demo.’ And so we were kind of unsatisfied with how it had ended up; it felt neither here nor there. We were interested in stretching into new British soul territory back then. I was listening to a lot of Rudimental, and we wanted to push the track as far as it could go sonically. I’ve also always loved artists who cover their own songs, rework their own material, and the idea of remixes being a kind of pop cultural ping-pong. I like both versions for different reasons.

Gideon: Yeah, totally fair call. It’s pure energy. For the album, we wanted to push it further, make it feel less ‘rock.’ There’s always this tension between what you capture in a raw take and what serves a bigger picture on a record. Jim helped us find that balance.

When you get to the West Coast next weekend, you’ll be playing the whole album in full along with some other key hits, but you have also hinted at some previously unheard material. Is this for real? Do The Preatures have new songs that you will be showcasing?!

Izzi: We do have new songs. Whether they will be ready to play on the WA leg, we’ll have to see!

No doubt you’ve seen the news about Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek investing profits from musicians into AI military tech. It’s no secret musicians have been getting shortchanged on streaming royalties for years, but this seems like a whole new level. Some artists have started pulling their music in protest. What’s your take on Spotify and platforms like it? Do you think there’s anything artists—or listeners—can do to push back against these gatekeepers that control so much of the space between artist and audience?

Gideon: It’s frustrating, honestly. Streaming platforms were pitched as this big equaliser for artists and fans, and on a surface level they are. But when you see where the profits are going, it’s disheartening. The best thing fans can do is buy records, go to shows, and support artists directly however they can. That’s where the real connection happens.

On a related note, we’ve seen AI music creeping further into the mainstream—including on Spotify. Naturally, songwriters and producers are getting nervous. As artists, how do you feel about the idea of outsourcing creativity to AI? Do you think it signals the end of the human artist, or is it just another tool creators can use?

Gideon: I think there’ll always be a place for human music. Music is about connection, and I don’t think AI can replicate that spirit. Sure, it’ll be a tool for some people and maybe even a shortcut for others, but real artists aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. You can’t teach a machine to feel heartbreak, not properly anyway.

Back to Blue Planet Eyes—you’ve just released a special 10th anniversary vinyl reissue on electric blue transparent glitter vinyl. It looks incredible! Will fans be able to pick these up at the shows?

Gideon: Yes! We’ll have them at the merch table, and they’ve been flying already. It’s such a beautiful pressing. We’re really proud of it.

And finally, the big question: is this just a one-off reunion tour, or are there plans for more? You’ve hinted at new music… Is there a possible album on the horizon? Are The Preatures back for good? Here’s hoping!

Gideon: We’re not making any big announcements just yet, but let’s just say, we’re feeling inspired. We’re loving playing together again. So… who knows?