Self-Made Man

Carus Thompson has an interesting vantage point as a self-made singer/songwriter who came up through the Fremantle roots scene with John Butler long before online communication changed the game. Though he now takes advantage of these tools to sell records independently and reach out to his international fanbase, the old-fashioned troubadour approach continues to serve the Melbourne boy well.

Thompson has a theory that his Western Australian heritage has enabled him to attain career longevity, particularly in foreign territories, without online hype having to open doors. “We're used to driving long distances and used to getting out on the road. I just took that same ethic to Europe really – I did the same thing I did in Australia – I just played wherever I could the first time. I took my backpack and played cafés, busked on the street, churches, pubs, whatever…

“Good things come from every gig you do. It may be a crap gig to three people but if you play that gig, something leads on from that and that's the way you generate something; you just have to go, and you have to do it and you have to make the first attempt, if you like. People start to see what's happening and you get this touring circuit in Europe… I created it myself by just going there and taking every opportunity that came, and then every time you get on stage just trying to do the best show you can.”

Trudging the independent path without the backing of any industry heavyweights, Thompson is proof that careers can still be made purely on the road. “I've never really had airplay or that industry kick happen so I've just always had to do it 'street fighting', if you like. I've had to do it on the ground, and that's the one thing that doesn't matter if you don't get played on triple j or get that review in Rolling Stone, your live show is something people can never take away from you – it never gets compromised,” he says as he releases a new, live double-album, Acoustic At The Norfolk Volume II. Returning to the Fremantle venue in which his first career-defining live record was captured nine years ago, the release signifies a full circle for Thompson. “It's funny to now arrive at this place; I've done five studio records and toured Europe, and now I've got a son. It's sort of for myself really a moment of nostalgia, sort of looking back and just stopping for a moment and looking and seeing what I've done and all the new songs that I've written. To do another one at the same place with the same people in the same way it felt a little bit like, I dunno, accepting where I am in the industry and where I've got to,” he says happily.

“I'm really pleased with it – I actually prefer it more [than the first one]. Obviously the songs are better; there's another ten years of songwriting there,” Thompson admits, before summarising the live experience as he spends some time reacquainting himself with Australia's touring circuit. “I've never really been that guy that writes that single or that big one song that people go 'wow' about – it's like a folk approach to what I do, even though I'm quite energetic and stuff. It's like you look at the whole bunch of songs together and the stories and the whole experience – going to a gig and [taking in the] songs that you hear over those two hours, the stories, and the way it makes you feel, the way it makes you think…”

Carus Thompson will play the following shows:

Saturday 1 September - The Dancing Dog, Footscray VIC
Saturday 8 September - Apollo Bay Hotel, Apollo Bay VIC
Sunday 9 September - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
Thursday 13 September - Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh VIC
Sunday 23 September - The Marong Family Hotel, Marong VIC
Sunday 30 September - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Sunday 7 October - Old Hepburn Hotel, Hepburn Springs VIC
Friday 19 October - The Whalers Inn, Warrnambool VIC