Keepin’ it real with the Faker frontman

Keepin’ it real with the Faker frontman

While Faker frontman Nathan Hudson has a wiry, athletic stage presence, constantly contorting himself into Peter Garret-like dance moves, off stage he’s a surprisingly quietly spoken and thoughtful interviewee.
Hudson is undeniably excited about Faker’s support slot on Pink’s mammoth Funhouse Australian tour. When he spoke to the Star, he was just days away from beginning the tour, something he’d been looking forward to since Pink’s brief Australian visit last year.
Last year we played the ARIA Awards, which Pink was at, and she requested a copy of our record. It was exciting to know she had an interest in what we were doing. That led to her asking us to be the support act.
So it wasn’t some record company powerbroking manoeuvre?
No, nothing like that. She seems to be quite involved in all the decisions going on around her. I feel like you can see that in what she does.
And for the band, who already have a loyal following across Australia, it’s an opportunity to play to a wider audience -” with Pink’s eight-city jaunt now stretching to an unfathomable 52 arena dates, it’s practically an opportunity to play to every man, woman and child in the country.
More or less, laughed Hudson.
We’ve played all kinds of shows around Australia, and we’ve developed a relationship with Australian audiences. This’ll be in a different context, as a support act, but we’re going to have fun with it. It’s really exciting, although we have more of a responsibility to win the audience over, because they’re not just there to see us. But I think I’ll enjoy that challenge.
The band have toured solidly in the 18 months since the release of sophomore album Be The Twilight, home to the surprise hit single This Heart Attack. They’re currently heading into the studio to work on a follow-up. Hudson says there’s been no pressure on the band from their money men to replicate the success of Attack.
If anything, the pressure comes from us in the band, wanting to make this record better than the last one, he said.

Hudson made headlines early last year when he and Faker guitarist Nic Munnings came out during a magazine interview. As the band formed over a decade ago, it made for something of a shock revelation for fans. Was it a nerve-racking thing to do?
Not as nerve-racking as doing a bunch of quick interviews where I’m asked to explain, in depth, the meaning behind my songs, while a plane flies overhead and the phone cuts out, he said dryly.
To be honest, most of the interviews I’d done to that point were always very short, usually just five-minute chats. Addressing issues of sexuality is tricky in a five-minute chat. So that was just the first time I had the time to talk about it properly.
Plus I was there to talk about a record that was all about my experiences of relationships, so it seemed logical to be truthful about that. You want people to know your music isn’t just about your sexuality, but then again, your sexuality is inherent, so it’s always in there.
Hudson paused when asked if the public knowledge of his sexuality would inform his songwriting on the next record.
Songwriting is something that grows and evolves anyway, but I guess I don’t feel the pressure of wondering how I’m going to talk about my songs afterwards without giving too much away now.
I guess now I feel more free.

info: Faker support Pink on her Funhouse tour until July 4. Details: faker.com.au

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