In support of their recently released second LP, Gracetown, San Cisco are ready to step out on their latest national tour. Alongside the headline dates, they’ll play on the Groovin The Moo circuit around the country, and have just joined the Splendour In The Grass lineup for 2015. For the moment, however, drummer Scarlett Stevens is “in a hotel in the middle of nowhere, in Amsterdam”.
This is certainly no holiday. The Perth youngsters are in the midst of a European tour, following on from a very successful US visit that included a performance at Mexico’s Vive Latino Festival.
“Mexico was insane,” says Stevens. “It was like a big-scale festival. We had a big crowd and that was really nice, but the thing that kind of blew our mind was the signing that we did at a record store the next day. The line was going down the street and around the block. It took like two-and-a-half hours to meet everyone. The fans there are so passionate and affectionate. They bring you letters and fan art. The level of enthusiasm from the fans was crazy.
“I haven’t seen that anywhere else. We meet fans all over the world but we’ve never had anything on that scale. Their energy! Maybe it’s the South American way [sic], they’re just so vibrant and enthusiastic – they want to kiss and hug you.”
And sing to you as well. San Cisco’s Mexican followers sung along to the songs from the new album quite joyously.
“It was pretty surreal,” Stevens says. “I don’t know how, because I don’t think the album had been released yet, but they knew the words.”
Beyond Mexico, San Cisco’s US headline shows were also a success – so much so that they’ll be returning Stateside for a bigger jaunt in June.
“We sold out both New York shows and the Troubadour in LA and they were all really fun shows. We’d been at South by Southwest just before, so we were a little bit run-down, but they were really great, fun shows.”
Despite the band’s relative youth, San Cisco are already well versed in the art of touring – so Stevens realises that ‘run-down’ may as well mean ‘keep running’.
“We’d all gotten a bit of flu at the time we went to New York, but we all had our heads in the game, I think. We were well rehearsed from SXSW, so the New York shows ended up being the best ones on the tour.”
San Cisco have been playing roughly half of the Gracetown album on their international tour dates, with the global response approaching Mexican levels of positivity.
“We’re playing ‘About You’, ‘Bitter Winter’, ‘Snow’, ‘Wash It All Away’, ‘Run’ and ‘Too Much Time Together’,” Stevens says. “That’s it for now. They’re sounding good. I think ‘Too Much Time Together’is a fun one for the crowds, seeing as it’s the single as well. ‘Snow’ goes down really well; it’s a bit more dancey, four-to-the-floor. It kicks in and has a really big sound … it works well at gigs. ‘Bitter Winter’ goes well – people sing along to that.”
The band’s bass player, Nick Gardner, has been absent from this tour, having injured his foot in a shooting accident on a farm (ironically, filling in for him is Jenny Aslett from Fremantle friends Gunns). Still, Gardner has kept in touch while all this fun’s been going on.
“Yeah, we have heard from him,” says Stevens. “He’s been organising some stuff for our next tour, the Groovin The Moo tour. Logistical things on the production front. Hopefully it’ll all be ready when we get home so we can start rehearsing.”
So he’s just about fit to return? “Yeah, apparently he’s walking and driving now,” Stevens says. “He’s just got a scabby bit on his foot – that’s really gross. I don’t think he’ll be dancing a lot, but he’ll be present. He should never have had a gun in the first place!”
San Cisco’sGracetown is out now through Island City. See them play Enmore TheatrewithCrooked Colours and Methyl Ethyl onSaturday May 30, orGroovin The Moo, Maitland Showground, Saturday May 9. They’re also at Splendour In The Grass, North Byron Parklands, happening Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26.
