Joel Quartermain – one-third of the much-loved WA alternative rock trio – is endearingly honest when describing the difference in delivering an acoustic set.

‘Walking on for an acoustic show leaves you a bit exposed and a bit vulnerable, but it comes down to the delivery and relying on the strengths of the songs,’ Joel says.

‘An acoustic tour takes a lot of preparation – this show is completely different to how we normally play with a full rock band as part of this big machine making all this sound.’

Yet an acoustic set is familiar territory for Joel, who plays guitar, keyboards and drums, Kav Temperley as vocalist and bass guitarist, and Stuart MacLeod on lead guitar.

‘We write songs with acoustic guitars rather than in a jam room at a billion decibels,’ Joel says.

They also played with a 48-piece orchestra in 2018 at the Sydney Opera House.

‘This tour gives us a chance to rebirth the songs in a completely different guise so there’s a bit more creativity involved. It’s going to be an all-encompassing look back at our catalogue and rearranged in a different way,’ he says.

‘There’s that real value in nostalgia at the moment. People are going to those shows to celebrate songs that were big moments in their life – people tend to romanticise the past.’

That leads Joel to mention Eskimo Joe’s new song The First Time, with the music video fast becoming a fan favourite for highlights from past videos such as the band kidnapping themselves for Black Fingernails, Red Wine.

‘When you dig into the lyrical content of The First Time it talks about an old relationship, but that can be a feeling of nostalgia you can really apply to anything,’ Joel says.

The guys also recently celebrated 20 years since the release of their hit From The Sea.

‘It’s a big achievement when a song turns 20, but it really reminds us of how long we’ve been friends and that we are still in a band and people still appreciate us playing shows.’

The band plays at Logan Entertainment Centre on 31 May – visit the Eskimo Joe event page for more details.

Published in Our Logan, 21 May 2024