Back on road for new musical detour

Lawrence Arabia will perform new music from an album being produced by Black Seeds guitarist Mike Fabulous. Photo / Supplied

Christchurch-born singer/songwriter Lawrence Arabia, aka James Milne, stops off at The Cabana tomorrow with his talented four-piece band. He talks to Amy Shanks about Europe, a new album and why he loves Hawke’s Bay.

1. What has been keeping you busy this year?

I've just got back from three months playing festivals in Europe, and now I'm straight back into trying to get this new album of mine completed, as well as preparing material and rehearsing for this tour.

2. You will be touring NZ for the first time since 2013, how exciting is it to be back on the road?

We've been really looking forward to this tour since last time around. We'd vowed to try and make this at least an annual fixture because we had such a great time on that last tour. Probably the main thing I enjoy about touring New Zealand are the personalities you meet. So many eccentrics and enthusiasts around the place. It reminds you what an idiosyncratic country we live in, which is easy to forget when you're just going about your daily business in Auckland.

3. What can people expect to hear from the new material in your set list? Is it more of the Lawrence Arabia we know and love, or have you veered off on a different path?

The new material isn't a huge departure I don't think. The style of music is not unlike the kind of pop music on Chant Darling, it's just the craft is improving. It's very exciting to be sitting on a whole bunch of new songs though.

4. Tell us about your new album and what has influenced it?

Each album seems to be in part a reaction to the previous one. So I suppose if The Sparrow was quite a downbeat set of songs, with a very limited sound palette, then this new one seems to be happier, and with a much more diverse sound. I guess I was personally happier during the making of it, I'd just become a father as I started writing the songs, so I guess that positivity found its way into the music. It's almost finished, but I'm anticipating it being released in June, due to having to wait for a slot on my overseas labels' release schedules.

5. How did you come to work with well known producer and Black Seeds guitarist Mike Fabulous?

Paul McLaney, who runs Mushroom Music in New Zealand, kind of match-made us after I'd expressed a desire to make music I could dance to. We ended up making the Fabulous/Arabia record together during 2010 and 2011, and the experience was so satisfying that we hatched a plan to work together on this new Lawrence record.

6. How were the shows in Europe, where did you perform and what was the reaction like?

The shows all seemed to be in the most interesting locations. One was on a Roman citadel near Bordeaux, one at a vineyard/recording studio in the south of Italy, one in a modern art gallery in Aarhus, Denmark. So it was a cultural experience I guess you'd say. It's always interesting to try and communicate lyrics to people who don't speak English as their first language. I ended up performing part of a song in Catalan at one show near Barcelona which seemed to go down well!

7. Are you looking forward to getting back to Napier, what keeps you coming back?

Of course! We've got some great friends in Hawke's Bay and it's a beautiful part of the country. We're going to be staying in Te Awanga, and looking forward to waking up to a homemade flat white and maybe the first cold swim of the early summer!

• Doors open at 8pm, general admission tickets are $15, available from undertheradar.co.nz