Here
and PNAU
The
significance of seeing a Toulouse Lautrec exhibition when you’re
but ten years old, is often not identifiable for someone so young,
but that was the catalyst behind what’s become a lifelong
appreciation for art in its many forms for Nick Littlemore.
“Art is everything to me, my parents instilled
that in us from a very early age,” he said.
“Inspiration for me is a strange thing it
can come from books and film comes from walking down the street
it doesn’t necessarily come from any specific place yet
it seems to emanate, I can just get a groove up and start singing
or write it.
This inspiration which can come from so many places
might not be so apparent today as the day I chatted with him he
was preparing to have a needle placed between two vertebrae in
his spine. Not something he was looking forward to at all, but
as one half of the accomplished electro duo Pnau and with New
Year gigs scheduled, including those for the upcoming Big Day
Out circuit, he’s determined he won’t risk missing
a live performance due to ill health.
“I’ve never missed a gig in my life
so even if they have to wheel me out on stage in a wheelchair
then so be it,” he said.
Littlemore and his partner in music making, Peter
Mayes elicited a blinding performance during their return performance
recently at Sydney’s Homebake. However, the gig left Littlemore
in absolute agony as he’d slipped two discs in his back
just days prior to that performance.
“From what I’m told it was a really
cool show, I don’t really remember any of it, as I’d
broken my back and was completely out of it on stage,” he
said.
Pnau broke through with their ingenuity in sound
in 1999 presenting a sultry ‘summer time’ feeling
release called Sambanova. This album inspired many poolside
party tracks like 'Journey Agent' and propelled the lads towards
sonic success for some time after. They followed up that debut
in 2003 with their sophomore release Again. This album
fell short of capturing the essence of what they had unleashed
in Sambanova and as a result disappointed critics and
fans alike, but not least the duo themselves.
“Again, to be honest, is the worst record
I’ve ever done,” Littlemore stated resolutely.
“We didn’t really conceptualise any
of it before we did it and it was a very strange time for us,
my other band Teenager were starting out and it was just weird,”
he said.
After Again’s lacklustre reception the pair
parted ways. Littlemore took up residence in London produced with
other artists including Robbie Williams and he and Mayes sought
some much needed time apart.
“I’d been working with Peter - we’d
been working every day together since we were 14 we needed a break
from each other and that sort of extended through Again, “Littlemore
said.
But the urge to work together again had grown and
in Littlemore’s mind –the revelation that their working
partnership really did amount to something developed.
“I’ve known peter since I was ten, he’s
like my brother, like any relationship we love each other and
hate each but we’ve sort of realised music overrides everything,”
he stated. “We really wanted to work together again, we
really looked at each other and looked at our lives and decided
that we really make the best music we do together and we just
had to recognise how to get back to that,” he said.
Together
once more, over 200 songs written, as well as a full album laid
down between Again and their latest, the self-titled Pnau,
but it wasn’t until Littlemore penned the track 'With you
forever' and a collaboration with another talented muso, frontman
of Sleepy Jackson Luke Steele occurred, that magic emerged.
“I wrote With you forever sent it to Luke
Steele and he just sung the most amazing pop line, which changed
it forever,” he said.
“With you forever is the best song we’ve
ever written,” Littlemore added.
The new self titled offering exemplifies their strength
in partnership. A return to the form of their first album Sambanova
which pulled at the heart strings of listeners due for the happiness
it created -something the guys were keen to capture this time
around.
“With this album we really wanted to do something
positive, and understand what it was that had worked about Sambanova.
Sonically the two albums are very different, but
ultimately the two both leave you feeling good and so the overall
feeling was that we really wanted to make a statement of positivity,”
Littlemore said.
The album has not gone unnoticed either. Respected
music man and celebrity Elton John publicly applauded the boys
and their latest album so much so he’s sent copies out to
his friends including the Scissor Sisters and Littlemore is hopeful
of a collaboration not too far in the future.
“This week has been pretty crazy we met Elton
John he’s a wonderful person really generous and into his
art, and he and I share that in common,” Littlemore reflected.
The prospect of working alongside the likes of Elton
John much less being held in such high esteem has Littlemore excited,
perhaps enough to momentarily forget about his impending surgical
procedure. Still he ponders what else is ahead this year for Pnau
and indeed the artistically driven Littlemore himself.
As he talks of the blinding Big Day Out tour and
their own tour later in the year which promises many surprises
including a large circus tent, fire eaters and other amazing things
the actual live shows will produce a polished outcome for Pnau.
“We’re taking it a lot more professionally,”
he said. “When we perform the new album – there are
some tracks we remix some of our older songs, probably not going
to see too many new cuts,” he continued.
But that isn’t all this inspiration fiend
will fit into 2008. Littlemore is a self confessed film connoisseur
and along with his talents for making music the coming months
will see him delve into the world of feature film production as
he will embark on an acting role for a film which focusses on
colours.
Music fans need not worry though as he’ll
also release the latest Teenager album and will continue to write
four – five new songs a week, inspiration never waning.
Pnau play the Big Day Out festival from January
20. For more information visit www.bigdayout.com.
Ruth Bailey
