Allday (02/07/2014)
Releasing his debut album Startup Cult this Friday, and touring with Lily Allen, we chat with Melbourne based rapper Allday!
So you’re in Brisbane at the moment, what’s the name of the festival you’re there for?
It’s called live it up; we’re playing tomorrow. We’re playing at the bowler tonight, but that’s already sold out.
How’s the tour been going so far?
It’s been really cool man; it’s been a big step up. It’s been the first time we’ve really sold out anything ever. The shows all went down really well, the fans were all really cool and fun so yeah, it’s been a crazy month.
Were you really surprised when every date sold out? Was that your intention when you chose to do smaller venues?
It would seem like they were smaller venues but for us, we’ve never sold out venues of that size before. It kind of was the intention, that’s what my agent
thought, but I thought “well we’ve never sold anything this size” these are 350-500 sizes and we’ve never done that so I was still very surprised and excited
when it happened.
Was it surprising to see fans all around the country lining up to see you? Is that a new feeling for you?
Yeah it is very weird and crazy and fun. There were a lot of weird moments like the car getting stormed and people grabbing onto me, which was definitely new and interesting.
You’ve got fans pretty much going crazy; do you feel like you’re going need security now?
Nah I’m my own security, I don’t need security, but maybe one day I might. You just hope that people care enough scream and line up and shit, that’s a good thing. I don’t want to protect myself; it was just an interesting and funny thing to happen.
Have you had the chance to meet a lot of your fans on the tour, after the shows?
Yeah for sure, we always go out as soon as we finish and go to the merch table, go outside and walk around and say hey to people and get photos and what not. It usually takes like 2 hours a show on this tour, but that’s cool, I’m happy to do it. People come out and it’s an extra bit of experience I can give people so like, it’s good to me.
We’ll talk about Startup Cult, that’s out on the 4th of July. Is Cult the official second single from the album after Right Now?
Cult isn’t really a single, they asked me what song I want to give people instantly from iTunes, so people can buy it separately but its not really a single on its own. We haven’t sent it to radio or anything like that.
Have you got anything else coming out from the album before its release?
Yeah we’ll put out a song called you always know the DJ, it might be next week, I think on the 27th, I’ve been saying that to people but I’m not exactly sure.
Is that going to be done with a video?
Yeah that’ll have a video. I’m directing that video actually; so on Monday we’re shooting that.
You’re the director; will you be in the video as well?
Yeah I’ll be in the video a little bit and I’ll be directing it, so it’ll be more pressure, but more control, so I’m happy.
Is that something that you’ve been trying to get a grip on? I know that you took control of the designs in your merch store too.
I just want to be in control of everything, the label are really cool about it, they send me everything they ever to write and I have to read it or I have to write everything and design everything. Hopefully I’ll end up directing everything and working on every single aspect of everything we put out. That’s just where I want to go with moving forward.
On your Facebook and Tumblr you’re really interacting with your fans and answering questions. Is that hard to keep on top of?
When I’m bored, I’ll just sit and go through Tumblr or go through Facebook. It’s a bit out of control these days, I’m thousands and thousands of messages and months and months behind. I’ll never catch up now. I get to as many as I can and I’ve accepted that I can’t reply to everyone but I just do my best.
Back to the album, why wasn’t Claude Monet put in as the first single from startup cult?
I don’t know man, I just didn’t feel like the album sounded like Claude Monet, even though I like the song and it’s gone quite well, it just didn’t really suit the album. I felt like it would just sound like a single that was just tacked on to the album and I didn’t want to do that.
Would you say that the album as a whole has a specific sound that’s different from a lot of what we’re hearing today?
I hope so, that’s what I went for. I don’t know if I’ve got it or not, but I definitely like the album and that was a big intention of mine, It’s something that I would listen to. Whether or not people see it as a different sound or whatever, I guess we’ll find out.
Compared to the other stuff that you’ve put out, is it radically different?
Compared to my own music, yeah, its a little bit more RnB tinged, a little bit darker, a little bit more grown up, kind of sad in parts.
That’s definitely something different for you, is that something that you think your fans want, or are you just doing it for you?
I don’t necessarily think that they want that but, I look up to people who make good music and can speak to fans in different ways, if I kept doing the optimistic, cheeky young dude talking about high school forever, that isn’t really me, I’m a long way out of high school. That was a period of writing I went through and now I’m in a different period. I think my fans will like it, and I do definitely consider that I like it so the fans would. It’s also my art and I have to write what I want to write.
What’s your plan for the bus tour in Sydney and Melbourne?
We’re just going to listen to the album and I’m going to have one of those tour guide headphones on, I’ll just run people through it or whatever and just hang out, I guess. We’ll drive around, probably go over the harbour bridge in Sydney, go over the West Gate in Melbourne and just hang out for a bit.
After the album comes out, are you going to be doing any tours in 2014?
Yeah, in October we’re planning a bit of a tour, we haven’t announced it yet, but I’ll announce that after the album drops.
Are you going to be aiming for bigger venues this time?
We’re going to try bigger venues, we’re a bit ambitious. I mean we’re worried about it, but then again we were worried about this last tour and that worked
alright, so we’ll see what happens.
Was a lot of the production under your control?
A lot of it was this time around. When I did Loners are Cool, I had no money, I had no budget, I had just like $100. I’d buy a beat and the beat would come and that would be it; if the drums were shit, the drums were shit. But this time with most of the tracks, I sat there with a piano player and jammed, or I sat there in the studio and picked the hi-hats for hours. That was how I got more control of the sound.
So you really took it down to the specifics to get it exactly how you wanted it.
Yeah, and that was just a learning experience, the fact that people even did that, I had to figure it out for myself. That’s what I’m really happy about learning, was the whole recording and beat making was all just really a new thing for me.
Have you had any gigs that you remember as the highlight of your career so far?
The whole Groovin the Moo tour was such a crazy step up in every sense, that was the most fun I’ve ever had and the biggest crowds I’ve ever done. Besides that, in 2012 I played a gig in Melbourne. It was the first gig that I had any fans ever come to. I’d done a few gigs, these were just random people on Facebook, I posted it on Facebook and like 4 people came down and I was like “fuck, these people have actually come to see me”, it was amazing, that was a memorable one.
Cameron D'Antone
'STARTUP CULT' NATIONAL TOUR Presented by triple j
Special Fan Pre-Sale: 9am, Monday 21 July for 48 hours – join at startupcult2014.com
General Public On-Sale - 9am, Thursday 24 July
Friday, 3 October - The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 4 October - The Lab, Brisbane, QLD (U18)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Friday, 10 October - The Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW (LIC AA)
Tix from ticketek.com.au and all Ticketek outlets, PH 13 28 49
Saturday, 11 October - Zierholz, Canberra, ACT (U18)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 11 October - Zierholz, Canberra, ACT (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Wednesday, 15 October - HQ, Perth, WA (AA)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Thursday, 16 October - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury, WA (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Friday, 17 October - Amplifier, Perth, WA (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 18 October - Fowlers, Adelaide, SA (LIC/AA)
Tix from moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix outlets, PH 1300 438 849 & venuetix.com.au and all Venuetix outlets, PH 08 8225 8888
Friday, 24 October - Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Tix from cornerhotel.com PH 1300 724 867 & allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 25 October - Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (U18)
Tix from cornerhotel.com PH 1300 724 867 & allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
So you’re in Brisbane at the moment, what’s the name of the festival you’re there for?
It’s called live it up; we’re playing tomorrow. We’re playing at the bowler tonight, but that’s already sold out.
How’s the tour been going so far?
It’s been really cool man; it’s been a big step up. It’s been the first time we’ve really sold out anything ever. The shows all went down really well, the fans were all really cool and fun so yeah, it’s been a crazy month.
Were you really surprised when every date sold out? Was that your intention when you chose to do smaller venues?
It would seem like they were smaller venues but for us, we’ve never sold out venues of that size before. It kind of was the intention, that’s what my agent
thought, but I thought “well we’ve never sold anything this size” these are 350-500 sizes and we’ve never done that so I was still very surprised and excited
when it happened.
Was it surprising to see fans all around the country lining up to see you? Is that a new feeling for you?
Yeah it is very weird and crazy and fun. There were a lot of weird moments like the car getting stormed and people grabbing onto me, which was definitely new and interesting.
You’ve got fans pretty much going crazy; do you feel like you’re going need security now?
Nah I’m my own security, I don’t need security, but maybe one day I might. You just hope that people care enough scream and line up and shit, that’s a good thing. I don’t want to protect myself; it was just an interesting and funny thing to happen.
Have you had the chance to meet a lot of your fans on the tour, after the shows?
Yeah for sure, we always go out as soon as we finish and go to the merch table, go outside and walk around and say hey to people and get photos and what not. It usually takes like 2 hours a show on this tour, but that’s cool, I’m happy to do it. People come out and it’s an extra bit of experience I can give people so like, it’s good to me.
We’ll talk about Startup Cult, that’s out on the 4th of July. Is Cult the official second single from the album after Right Now?
Cult isn’t really a single, they asked me what song I want to give people instantly from iTunes, so people can buy it separately but its not really a single on its own. We haven’t sent it to radio or anything like that.
Have you got anything else coming out from the album before its release?
Yeah we’ll put out a song called you always know the DJ, it might be next week, I think on the 27th, I’ve been saying that to people but I’m not exactly sure.
Is that going to be done with a video?
Yeah that’ll have a video. I’m directing that video actually; so on Monday we’re shooting that.
You’re the director; will you be in the video as well?
Yeah I’ll be in the video a little bit and I’ll be directing it, so it’ll be more pressure, but more control, so I’m happy.
Is that something that you’ve been trying to get a grip on? I know that you took control of the designs in your merch store too.
I just want to be in control of everything, the label are really cool about it, they send me everything they ever to write and I have to read it or I have to write everything and design everything. Hopefully I’ll end up directing everything and working on every single aspect of everything we put out. That’s just where I want to go with moving forward.
On your Facebook and Tumblr you’re really interacting with your fans and answering questions. Is that hard to keep on top of?
When I’m bored, I’ll just sit and go through Tumblr or go through Facebook. It’s a bit out of control these days, I’m thousands and thousands of messages and months and months behind. I’ll never catch up now. I get to as many as I can and I’ve accepted that I can’t reply to everyone but I just do my best.
Back to the album, why wasn’t Claude Monet put in as the first single from startup cult?
I don’t know man, I just didn’t feel like the album sounded like Claude Monet, even though I like the song and it’s gone quite well, it just didn’t really suit the album. I felt like it would just sound like a single that was just tacked on to the album and I didn’t want to do that.
Would you say that the album as a whole has a specific sound that’s different from a lot of what we’re hearing today?
I hope so, that’s what I went for. I don’t know if I’ve got it or not, but I definitely like the album and that was a big intention of mine, It’s something that I would listen to. Whether or not people see it as a different sound or whatever, I guess we’ll find out.
Compared to the other stuff that you’ve put out, is it radically different?
Compared to my own music, yeah, its a little bit more RnB tinged, a little bit darker, a little bit more grown up, kind of sad in parts.
That’s definitely something different for you, is that something that you think your fans want, or are you just doing it for you?
I don’t necessarily think that they want that but, I look up to people who make good music and can speak to fans in different ways, if I kept doing the optimistic, cheeky young dude talking about high school forever, that isn’t really me, I’m a long way out of high school. That was a period of writing I went through and now I’m in a different period. I think my fans will like it, and I do definitely consider that I like it so the fans would. It’s also my art and I have to write what I want to write.
What’s your plan for the bus tour in Sydney and Melbourne?
We’re just going to listen to the album and I’m going to have one of those tour guide headphones on, I’ll just run people through it or whatever and just hang out, I guess. We’ll drive around, probably go over the harbour bridge in Sydney, go over the West Gate in Melbourne and just hang out for a bit.
After the album comes out, are you going to be doing any tours in 2014?
Yeah, in October we’re planning a bit of a tour, we haven’t announced it yet, but I’ll announce that after the album drops.
Are you going to be aiming for bigger venues this time?
We’re going to try bigger venues, we’re a bit ambitious. I mean we’re worried about it, but then again we were worried about this last tour and that worked
alright, so we’ll see what happens.
Was a lot of the production under your control?
A lot of it was this time around. When I did Loners are Cool, I had no money, I had no budget, I had just like $100. I’d buy a beat and the beat would come and that would be it; if the drums were shit, the drums were shit. But this time with most of the tracks, I sat there with a piano player and jammed, or I sat there in the studio and picked the hi-hats for hours. That was how I got more control of the sound.
So you really took it down to the specifics to get it exactly how you wanted it.
Yeah, and that was just a learning experience, the fact that people even did that, I had to figure it out for myself. That’s what I’m really happy about learning, was the whole recording and beat making was all just really a new thing for me.
Have you had any gigs that you remember as the highlight of your career so far?
The whole Groovin the Moo tour was such a crazy step up in every sense, that was the most fun I’ve ever had and the biggest crowds I’ve ever done. Besides that, in 2012 I played a gig in Melbourne. It was the first gig that I had any fans ever come to. I’d done a few gigs, these were just random people on Facebook, I posted it on Facebook and like 4 people came down and I was like “fuck, these people have actually come to see me”, it was amazing, that was a memorable one.
Cameron D'Antone
'STARTUP CULT' NATIONAL TOUR Presented by triple j
Special Fan Pre-Sale: 9am, Monday 21 July for 48 hours – join at startupcult2014.com
General Public On-Sale - 9am, Thursday 24 July
Friday, 3 October - The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 4 October - The Lab, Brisbane, QLD (U18)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Friday, 10 October - The Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW (LIC AA)
Tix from ticketek.com.au and all Ticketek outlets, PH 13 28 49
Saturday, 11 October - Zierholz, Canberra, ACT (U18)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 11 October - Zierholz, Canberra, ACT (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Wednesday, 15 October - HQ, Perth, WA (AA)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Thursday, 16 October - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury, WA (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Friday, 17 October - Amplifier, Perth, WA (18+)
Tix from allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 18 October - Fowlers, Adelaide, SA (LIC/AA)
Tix from moshtix.com.au and all Moshtix outlets, PH 1300 438 849 & venuetix.com.au and all Venuetix outlets, PH 08 8225 8888
Friday, 24 October - Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Tix from cornerhotel.com PH 1300 724 867 & allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545
Saturday, 25 October - Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (U18)
Tix from cornerhotel.com PH 1300 724 867 & allday.oztix.com.au and all Oztix outlets, PH 1300 762 545