Interview: Eskimo Joe with Guitarist Stuart Macleod
It was a summer of festivals for Eskimo Joe.
The trio from Fremantle sizzled at The Good Things Festival in December before an army of 30,000 fans, while sharing the stage with the likes of Fall Out Boy, Limp Bizkit, Sepultura and Devo.
The festival was also a tipping point for something new that has been brewing for 27 years. Drawing a stack of inspiration from festivals throughout their career, the latest single The First Time personifies the sonic vibe of the big stage, like a sequel to their smash hit Black Fingernails Red Wine. Accompanying the track is a music video, an ode to nostalgia and a commemoration to their live performances and public appearances – or as their frontman Kav Temperley once told this writer during an interview – the “rockstar side”.
Right after rocking with headliners Live and Incubus over the weekend at The Lookout Festival in Perth, guitarist Stuart Macleod of the 8-time ARIA award winning band spoke with Sheldon Ang Media on their latest single, the current country tour and the wonderment of being a pillar of Eskimo Joe.
The Festivals
Sheldon: How have you been Stuart…alright?
Stuart: Yeah I’ve been alright Sheldon, been super busy, just positive…all good stuff.
Sheldon: It was such a great performance by Eskimo Joe over the weekend at The Lookout Festival in Perth.
Stuart. Oh, yeah. The Lookout – that was a great show. I enjoy all sorts of format – whether it’s a small, intimate or with a big crowd, but there’s just something about the big stage with a lot of people, the rock and roll element…all pretty loud and the smashing of the drums – get the blood going for sure.
Sheldon: And recently Eskimo Joe was at The Good Things Festival.
Stuart: Yeah, that was massive. Is so good to see that there’s still appetite for those big multi-stage festivals. It’s tough slog to try and get one of those up and running, especially one that’s a bit more of a diverse genre like at The Good Things – as it’s sort of hard rock and heavy; kind of and a bit of metal. I think they were branching out a bit more, especially this was a diverse lineup, everything from the Fall Out Boy to Sepultura and Devo, and everything in between. It was pretty cool.
The First Time
Sheldon: So this leads to my next question; with all of these festival that Eskimo Joe were performing in, do the atmosphere manifest sonically into the latest single The First Time? Because it does have that festival, big stage vibe. Almost a take off from Black Fingernails, Red Wine.
Stuart: Definitely. I think we were really channeling the feeling of those big stage, the Big Day Out’s, rubbing shoulders with idols and hanging out, spending time, the feeling, the smell of the sunscreen and just the feeling of the electricity, and the roar of the crowds.
Sheldon: So what gives that festival vibe? Is it the deep bass, drums or the combination of everything else?
Stuart: I think especially with something like The First Time there’s that middle section where we wanted to capture that feeling of being on a stage. So we had the big group vocal, almost like a crowd chanting, thousands of people chanting along, and after doing a few Big Day Outs, you really saw those bands that had embraced that big stage where they broke down their songs, and they had the kick drum, just pounding. They built the crowd, up the energy. So it’s that dynamic range as well, from the big chords, breaking it down the bridge, all those elements. I think there’s not one element per se. I think it’s just all those little tricks of the trade you learn after doing a few of those big tours.
Sheldon: In the lyrics, apparently, you guys used to smoke cigarettes, now you’re gasping for air. I’m sure the track is not about an anti-smoking campaign, right. Then the lyrics goes, don’t you want to feel like it’s the first time? Is there a danger in going back to how it was, despite the alluring factor?
Stuart: For sure. The bass, the song…it was rooted in that feeling of addiction and whenever you get hooked on something, whether it’s a person, a relationship, a cigarette, whatever that addiction is, it always starts with that dizzying high – that thrill. That nostalgic look back at a past relationship or something, trying to give up something or someone, but always in the back of your mind. You’re still searching for the buzz of that first moment.
Sheldon: And the video as well, it captures the nostalgic essence too, right? It’s a compilation of different sort of vibe or different sort of scenery. It was obviously done on purpose to capture the nostalgic essence.
Stuart: Yeah, definitely. We really felt like this was a bit of a distillation of Eskimo Joe’s previous work. It really tapped into that Eskimo Joe’s sound. So we’ve kind of borrowed on a bunch of different scenes…not only influences from the past, but I think it’s the first time we really referenced ourselves in our work as an influence. I think the film clip is a bit of a nod to that; the fact that the biggest influence on this song was ourselves.
Sheldon: When you look at those old, nostalgic clips, do you see them through a dreamy lens, or do you look at them and think, “You know what, we’re still living the dream now anyway.”
Stuart: Yeah, I think anyone who’s still making music, still playing shows, and really like good shows for 27 years would feel pretty blessed. But we definitely don’t take any of that for granted. Still feels pretty surreal at times to live the life that we live. We feel super blessed, that’s for sure.
Sheldon: And when can we expect an album?
Stuart: Well, yeah, it’s simple mathematics. As I’ve said before, I think we’ve done three singles in the last five years. So an album should be coming out in 2029 (chuckles). I reckon that’s about right.
Sheldon: And it will not be called The Last Time, right?
Stuart: (Chuckles). Yeah, never say never. I mean, you see how many comeback shows John Farnham put on? Who knows what the future holds. At the moment we’re really enjoying making music and playing music and touring. And we feel like we’re in a really sweet spot, actually. We’re not trying to dominate and take over the world. We’re just making music for ourselves. And people are enjoying it. And that’s a really good place to be.
The Country Tour, The Legacy of Eskimo Joe
Sheldon: Eskimo Joe are touring across Australia as we speak.
Stuart: Yeah, so we’ve just finished the first leg of the acoustic regional tour. We’ve tried sort of to bget everywhere we can. We’ve haven’t been able to land a few dates, which has led to a bit of consternation on the Facebook. If the first two shows are anything to go by, it’s going to be a pretty, pretty fun tour, with a great crowd and just very unique show as well. We put it together, the week before we went out on the road and had a lot of fun stripping the songs back and rebuilding them in different ways. And telling a few stories along the way. Yeah, it’s good.
Sheldon: What I love about Eskimo Joe is their loyalty – the band could easily perform across five, six major cities, in bigger venue to several thousand people per venue – yet the band are performing multiple shows at places that I’ve not even heard of in front of hundreds of people. So it’s all about giving back to the fans?
Stuart: Well, at this stage in our career, the loyal fans are the ones that have sustained us the whole way. And playing these sort of intimate acoustic style shows on a massive stage, I don’t think it would translate as well. You sort of get the feeling that everyone’s really happy to see you, in their town. So that’s an added bonus. Rather than people having to drive an hour and a half, two hours to a major capital city to see you in a big venue, this is very definitely a special experience. It does reward the diehard fans who really want to get a closer, more personal look at the band and the stories behind it.
Sheldon: When I spoke with Nathan Cavaleri, he was saying that performing in front of ten or fifty people is more nerve wrecking that say 10,000 people because it’s all eyes with less people and energy with anything above 10,000. Is that how you feel as well?
Stuart: Totally, I mean, there’s safety in numbers. There’s always a buzz, there’s always electricity. People bouncing off each other, the thought. Whereas if it’s just a couple of hundred people, the silence is deathly silent. Mistakes are amplified by 400%. And there is a real connection, much closer to the audience. Yeah, it’s a definitely much more…I don’t know if it’s nerve wracking. I guess it’s a bit more nerve wracking for sure, but, it’s definitely just a lot more close and intimate, that’s for sure.
Sheldon: Do you get nervous after 27 years of performing?
Stuart: No, not really. I get excited in different ways. The big stage, the Good Things, Lookout. They’re exciting. But I think at these smaller acoustic shows, especially when you’re playing songs in that format for the first time, we’ve never played these songs this way, and there’s arrangements before, so that could get a bit nerve wracking. Just like the unknown factor – how will this go down? Because we played the big set a million time, we know how the songs go, we know where the crowd’s going to cheer. Last weekend was the first time, the first gig, there’s definite nerves there. But even just after two gigs, you can kind of map where the highs and lows are in the set up to that first time around. And you know how the songs are going, and we need to put a little more energy and dynamic that make it work. So yeah, the second gig got a lot more relaxed.
Sheldon: And finally, after 27 years, what’s the most memorable moment for Eskimo Joe? I know is a hard question.
Sturt: Yeah, there are so many. I think one of my favourite moments wasn’t even directly involving us. We played at a relief benefit concert. Coldplay happened to be in town at that stage and they put their hands up to play as well, and they started playing You’re the Voice. And I ran out into the crowd as far as I could get, because they brought John Farnham out and the crowd went absolutely mental. And it’s our unofficial national anthem. So hearing about 60,000 people just belting it out at the top of their lungs – it was it was a pretty special moment to be involved in that show.
Sheldon: Stuart, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate mate, I will hope to see you soon.
Stuart: Sounds good. Sheldon, thanks for your time. I’ll see you soon.
Eskimo Joe are touring across Australia. Tickets are available from Eskimo Joe
About the Interviewer: Sheldon has interviewed over 50 artists including members of KISS, Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, INXS, Europe, Cold Chisel, Nightwish and The Animals. Established in May 2022, Sheldon Ang Media have covered over 80 major concerts including Taylor Swift (Sydney), KNOTFEST (Melbourne) and Coldplay (Perth).
