Having spent the second half of last year touring across Canada and the USA with Oka, Bobby Alu returned to Australia at the end of October for shows at The Island Vibe Festival and The Australian World Music Expo (AWME) in Melbourne, before heading off to Samoa for some writing.
Now he’s back, and with a new single and a national tour to boot.
The new single is ‘Love You More’. Recorded again at the Tanuki Lounge in Brisbanes West End with producer and band-mate Paulie B (The Beautiful Girls, George), the track was written while doing some shows in Bali. In Bobby’s own words: ‘Love You More’ was literally written in a small hut on a beach at sunset, eating fresh fish, watching surfers and listening to the ocean. Inspired by love, it’s a song that celebrates friendships, courtships and relationships. One shady morning after a show in Brisbane, I showed the band the new song. In a day we wrote the music and a week later we recorded it.”
The Film clip was shot at Island Vibe Festival 2011 in a similar setting at the band’s 1yr anniversary show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqlEkbX72F0. ‘Love You More’ marks a wave of new songs that are flowing into the bands live set, building into the much anticipated 2nd album.
One of Australia’s finest roots percussionists, Bobby Alu is the musical alter ego of Charles Wall. Charles has spent the past 6 years touring Australia, New Zealand and Canada as a member of OKA (kit) and Kooii (percussion), as well as being a regular co-conspirator with the likes of Nicky Bomba, Mista Savona, Saritah, The Red Eyes, Watussi, Mal Webb, Georgia Potter, Golden Sound, Grassroots Street Orchestra, Cool Calm Collective, Kafka, Afro Dizzi Act, and Dubdoubt. It’s a CV that reads like a who’s-who of the Australian dub / reggae music scene.
The Bobby Alu project saw Charles stepping out from behind the kit and pick up his uke to instant notoriety in the Australian music industry. Within its first year of inception, Bobby Alu has been awarded a Q Music song award, a showcase at AWME (Australasian World Music Expo), placement in the prestigious John Butler Seed Management Workshop, performances at some of the nation’s biggest festivals, including Byron Bay Blues and Roots, Island Vibe and Woodford Folk Festival, as well as support slots with Australian music heavyweights The Beautiful Girls and Blue King Brown. A celebration of his love for music and for his Samoan heritage, Bobby’s 2010 debut self-titled album sparked an immediate following after being aired in Sarah Howell’s (Triple J Roots N All) ‘Top 10 albums of 2010’ program.
The ‘Love You More’ Tour
Pacific grooves, Afro rhythms, smooth harmony and good vibes, live Bobby Alu is a therapeutic dose of reggae rhythms and roots with a distinctive Pacific influence, world beats, ukulele, log drumming and awe-inspiring percussion solos. In the words of NewsUnlimited.com:
“Overall, Bobby Alu’s stage presence and that unique fusion of reggae, percussion, jazz and maybe even the slightest hint of pop, coupled with the obvious love from the crowd make Bobby Alu a force to be reckoned with.”
Catch Bobby & his band launching ‘Love You More’ nationally.
|