-By Kim Parnell-
The What’s On Fraser Coast Magazine is excited to be a media partner for the Sounds of Rock Music Festival slated for Hervey Bay on Saturday, November 2. We love our music and supporting local events. In the months ahead, we’ll bring you exclusive interviews with the bands and artists so that you can get to know them a little better too.
The festival boasts an impressive lineup of music and features none other than Australian rock legend Daryl Braithwaite.
When I was asked to interview the musician himself via phone, memories came rushing back to me from the early 90s when, in my twenties, I caught Daryl live at the Captain Cook Tavern in Redcliffe. At the time, I had bleached blonde hair, smoked cigarettes, and loved to dance. The tavern was my local hangout and I remember that the dance floor was often slippery due to spilt drinks, leading to slips and many scuffles. It was great to see Daryl in the flesh on stage singing his tunes to a packed room. He had walked in with security guards surrounding him to ward off any trouble from the crowd. What a night!
At seventy-five years old, Daryl Braithwaite shows no signs of slowing down. During his childhood, Daryl and his twin brother, Glenn, were students at Christ Church Grammar in South Yarra, where they both participated in the school choir. Interestingly, a few years later, Daryl shared a classroom with none other than Olivia Newton-John but had no idea she could sing.
In 1969, after completing an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner, Daryl decided to pursue a music career instead. As a teenager, he had played in a couple of bands for fun. Then in 1970, Daryl was invited to join ‘Sherbet’ and become a ‘professional’ musician touring with the band. He was the lead vocalist from 1970 to 1984. Some of ‘Sherbet’s’ most popular singles were “Howzat” and “Summer Love” which both reached number one in Australia.
Daryl Braithwaite has also had a huge solo career.
In 1988 Daryl recorded his album Edge which included hits like “One Summer” and “As the Days Go By”. It went on to become the best-selling album ever released by Sony Music Australia at that time.
In the early 1990s, “The Horses” was released and reached number 1 in Australia. The song appears on the album Rise.
The song was originally sung by Rickie Lee Jones who wrote the song with Walter Becker for an album of hers called Flying Cowboys. Daryl listened to the song and wanted his producer Simon Hussey to hear it. After some alterations to the original, they recorded it, never thinking for one minute that it would become the anthem it has become.
In 2017, at the ARIA Music Awards, Jimmy Barnes inducted Braithwaite into the ARIA Hall of Fame and Sony Music Australia released a new compilation, “Days Go By”, which debuted at No. 5 to coincide with the induction.
In June 2020, Braithwaite’s single “Love Songs” was released, marking his first top-50 single in 27 years.
When asked how he feels about the enduring popularity of his music, Daryl says, “I am filled with immense gratitude and humility to those who feel a special connection with my music. All the classics continue to resonate with audiences across generations. The sense of fulfilment it brings me to see my music still touching lives after all these years is very humbling”.
Overall, Daryl remains deeply appreciative of the support and affection shown by his fans throughout his career. He sees the enduring popularity of his songs as a source of inspiration and motivation to continue creating music that resonates with people on a profound level.
Over the decades Daryl has been influenced by many bands and artists. Over the last few years, one such band is ‘The 1975’, an English band.
“I would like to get my show to that level, which would probably cost me a million dollars”, Daryl said with a laugh, “When you get inspired by a band or an artist you get enthused. I look at their lighting, and their production and see how other artists envisage a show. It helps to re-energise you. It’s great fun”.
Just last year Daryl Braithwaite was thrilled to join British pop singer Harry Styles for a duet on stage at the Accor Stadium in Sydney to sing “The Horses” in front of about 70,000 Harry Styles fans. “It was an extraordinary and surreal experience, and he is a lovely man. How it all came about is a whole other story”.
With the Sounds of Rock Music Festival coming up later in the year, Daryl is looking forward to performing at Seafront Oval and can’t wait to be on stage with his band in front of the crowd.
He says, “I looked up Seafront Oval and saw it was beside the sea, so it looks like a nice spot. Hopefully, we will have great weather. I haven’t seen Leo Sayer for a few years, so I am looking forward to catching up. It’s a great lineup so it should be a great afternoon and evening of fantastic music”.
On a final note, Daryl says his rider list is quite tame. He will request soda water, maybe some coke and a cheese platter. These days he is a lot more conscious of the cost for event organisers but admits that back in the Sherbet days the requests may have been, at times, a little more extravagant.
Sounds of Rock Music Festival
Saturday, November 2
1pm – 10pm
Seafront Oval, Hervey Bay
Tickets from www.oztix.com.au.
