INTERVIEW: DEL AMITRI IN CONVERSATION WITH JUSTIN CURRIE

Interview by Cecilia Pattison-Levi

In 2027, Scottish rock band Del Amitri will celebrate their legacy with a powerful, and career spanning Australian and New Zealand tour. No Barriers talked to vocalist Justin Currie and asked what fans can expect?

“The same old rubbish, dear,” joked Justin Currie. “I hate that question! I can never answer these sorts of questions until we’ve finished rehearsing, which basically means I honestly don’t know yet. We will definitely play our 15 to 20 songs of absolute fan favourites from our whole catalogue. But the question is, do we do a cover? Or do we perform a deep cut?”

“I don’t know yet,” reflected Justin Currie. “Things like the US tour, my age and my Parkinson’s disease mean there are more and more things I just can’t do anymore, which is limiting, aggravating, frustrating and a bit sad. But we’ve been figuring out ways around those obstacles. We are managing and enjoying life a whole lot more”.

“What I can promise fans is a great gig,” stated Justin Currie. “We are loving playing live now. More now than ever…It’s laughable, crazy, absurd, but there is a real joy in performing more than back in the 1990s, with all that success, which we were grateful for, but now we play. It is fun and we are enjoying it now more”.  

Del Amitri as a band was formed by Justin Currie in 1980. They were an alternative rock band that emerged from Glasgow on the crest of the new wave and post-punk explosion. By 1983, the band carved out a more mature sound characterised by their jangly guitars and thoughtful lyricism. They also toured Australia in 1983. Then, after a 40 year break, the band returned and toured Australia in 2023. So, when next year comes, it will have been four years since their last Australian tour, and a lot has happened.

“We didn’t want to wait so long. The outcome would not have been good,” laughed Justin Currie. “Over the last few years, the future of the band has been anything but assured. We put out an album, 2021’s ‘Fatal Mistakes’. We have toured. Then, Gavin arrived”.

Gavin is the name Justin Currie has given to his affliction with Parkinson’s disease. He has written a book, ‘The Tremolo Diaries,’ published to widespread acclaim in the UK last year. Del Amitri have a sold-out tour of the United Kingdom that will finish this year. Then, there is the Scottish national religion of football…

“We have just returned from the US. We were with the Tartan Army in Boston for Scotland’s first match of the World Cup,” Justin Currie explained. And like all Scots, we lived in hope that the national team does not crash and burn in shame. “It was a blast! Our song ‘Don't Come Home Too Soon’ was a big hit with the fans again. Don’t mention Brazil! Australia did all right,” quipped Justin Currie. “You got to the quarter finals”.

With all this action, what does the future look like for Del Amitri? Well, Justin Currie and Iain Harvie are now recording a new album and returning to touring with the current line-up of the band, including Andy Alston, Kris Dollimore and Jim McDermott, to perform in Australia in March 2027.

“We have just come out of the studio,” stated Justin Currie. “That’s where we were this morning. The songs have all been written. It’s just the production now, and it’s been slow. What with being at the World Cup and other stuff, we are almost there – hopefully autumn? Hopefully, we will have something new out for the Australian tour. We’re attempting to make a double album in the classic format – five songs a side, some self-indulgence and a side three that completely divides fans. But whether we manage that or not is open to question. But we’re excited to attempt it as we’ve never considered it before”. 

“We are looking forward to coming to Australia,” said Justin Currie. “In 2027. We have a big agenda and no idea how it will all roll. We are looking forward to March and seeing Australia again. I can’t wait to get around the places we are playing. There may be a few festivals over the summer as well – Band Stand and Queens Park – it will be an exciting time. We are so lucky that we pursued our ‘pathetic little dream’: to be a working band, writing songs and making records. For those efforts, we have had such miraculous good fortune, for which we are forever grateful. We can’t wait to see our fans soon”.

Del Amitri will play live at the Fortitude Valley Music Hall on 3 March 2027. Tickets are on sale now for the other shows around Australia.