What better way to capture what Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission are about than to hop in the van with them and head out to the regions. Their new video was filmed at Ararat Live in Western Victoria, on the very first date of their touring Back in the Day Christmas 2022 run.
‘Back In The Day’, which is the title track from their new 7-song EP and also the first single from their forthcoming new album, says it all in plain language – ‘he’s got a new song and he’s gunna sing it’. Like the Western Highway itself Mick and the band – which also features fellow Weddo Squeezebox Wally, the Waifs’ Ben Franz, drummer Dave Folley and new member Brooke Taylor – just keep on going. ‘‘Cause this ole’ sun each day rises on a brand new day, full of surprises.’
The release of the new EP on Brisbane label Coolin’ By Sound coincided with a November/December national tour, which finishes next week in Melbourne after taking in WA this weekend. The band’s now traditional New Year’s Day appearance at Archies Creek will kick 2023 off in style. See all remaining dates below.
According to at least one pundit the EP is ‘The greatest Australian seven-track maxi single since Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons’ 1978 classic So Young.’
Back In The Day features a mix of new and old originals and some great covers. The EP’s title track is effectively their next album’s first single, while the EP itself expands upon that song’s premise of looking in the rearview mirror of life with a perfect batch of beautifully chosen and executed covers and reinterpretations relating to the same theme.
New versions of Mick Thomas favourites ‘Houses’ (originally from the Weddos final studio album Riveresque) and ‘A Tired Old Hat’ (from the Mick Thomas & The Sure Thing’s 2019 album The Horse’s Hat) shine fresh light on a couple of an undeservedly lost Thomas classics.
The covers, which include the The Saints‘ late ’80s classic ‘Shipwreck’ (something of a tribute to the late Chris Bailey), Neil Young & Crazy Horse‘s Ragged Glory highlight ‘Days That Used To Be’, and the unsung first album Cold Chisel gem ‘Home & Broken Hearted’, featuring a spunky lead vocal from the Roving Commission’s newest member, Brooke Taylor, reveal something of the diverse influences on Thomas’ songwriting and the band’s approach.
Brooke Taylor also takes lead on a gorgeous version of Johnny Thunders‘ heartbreaking 1978 ballad ‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory’. One of those rare songs that is vividly remembered by everyone who has heard it and an unexpected delight awaiting anyone who hasn’t (and also covered by Ronnie Spector, Willy DeVille, Celibate Rifles, Blondie, Billie Joe Armstrong and even Guns N’ Roses!), ‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory’ is perhaps going to be the EP’s dark horse, and Brooke, Mick and gang make it their own.
Together the seven songs which constitute Back In The Day combine to become one fascinating and vibrant rumination upon dealing with the passing of time, delivered with both authority and authenticity by this accomplished five-piece band.
“Even though the whole theme of the EP seems to be about looking back, it’s really great to be doing it as a means to move forward,” Thomas laughs. “The whole album that we’ve done which is coming out next year is about people being focused on what came before. I was originally going to call the album Solastalgia – which is just a term I read in a book which refers to this existential recognition of being attached to a time and place that you can never really attain, like something that’s in the past – but then I found out that Missy Higgins already had an album called that!
“But it just meant that I became really interested in songs that were about looking backwards to some degree, and I had some covers that I knew would fit around the theme, so it all came together really quickly and easily.”
The recent announcement of the Back in The Day EP coincided with the announcement of Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission’s new partnership with esteemed Brisbane indie Coolin’ By Sound.
Coolin’ By Sound, whose roster already includes Adam Gibson, Tape/Off, Dumb Things and Full Power Happy Hour (who will also be joining the Qld and NSW legs of Mick and band’s upcoming tour) is owned by esteemed music writer Steve Bell and his partner, longtime Qld music mover and shaker Michelle Padovan. The label has international distribution through US indie Redeye Worldwide.
“As a young Aussie music fan I fell in love with Weddings Parties Anything in the mid-’80s while still at school and I’ve followed Mick’s career ever since – I own pretty much everything he’s ever put out and been seeing him play live for decades – so to welcome him and The Roving Commision into the CBS family feels like an absolute privilege on so many levels. We’re so excited to work alongside someone that we hold in such high esteem, with Mick being in my humble opinion one of our country’s greatest ever singer-songwriters, and these new releases highlight that he’s still at the peak of his powers with an awesome band at his back.” – Steve Bell, co-owner Coolin’ By Sound.
Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission Touring Back in the Day – Remaining Dates
Fri 16 – River Hotel Margaret River (WA) + Carla Geneve
Sat 17 – Navy Club Freo (WA) + Carla Geneve
Sun 18 – Oxford (WA) + Carla Geneve
Fri 21 – Shotkickers Thornbury (VIC) + Skyscraper Stan
Sat 22 – Shotkickers Thornbury (VIC) + Alana Jagt and the Monotremes
Sun 2 – Shotkickers Thornbury (VIC) + Maggie Alley Band
JAN
Sun 1 – Archies Creek (VIC) + Sherry Rich and the Grievous Angels
All tickets at: mickthomas.com/shows