Longtime friends hit the road

Longtime friends hit the road

The careers of Australian singer-songwriters Diana Anaid and Monique Brumby have followed a strangely synchronistic trajectory since they released their debut albums in 1997.

Both released their fourth albums earlier this year, and it seems to make sense that the longtime friends would embark on a tour together.

Speaking to the pair from the community enclave Anaid lives in outside Nimbin, it was clear they had the comfortable rapport of old friends.

“We have solar power and a composting toilet, but I didn’t actually tell Monique before she got here she was about to have such a ‘rustic’ experience,” Anaid said.

“She’s coping fantastically, but she did have a giant huntsman near her bed when she woke up this morning, which freaked her out a bit.”

“I gave the drop toilet a go this morning, which was … interesting,” Brumby said.

The pair have christened their jaunt the Love Is A Weapon tour; it’s also the title of an especially-recorded duet they will perform and sell at shows.

“[Writing the song] really cemented the feeling of sisterhood I feel with Monique. She invited me into her home for a few nights to write the song, and she and her girlfriend made me feel so completely at home. I felt like I was hanging out with sisters,” Anaid said.

“Love Is A Weapon is the first song we’ve written together, but I think there’ll probably be more,” Brumby promised.

Might they form their own supergroup?

“Anaid and Brumby! In that order — the star’s got to go first,” she teased.

Speaking of running orders, for a double-billed show like this, the curly question is: who goes first?
“We’ll be on stage together for pretty much the whole show. There’ll be songs, stories and funny anecdotes, and we’ll help out on each other’s songs,” Anaid said.

“I can’t wait to sit down with Di and rehearse her songs. She has such wonderful melodic songs that are going to be really wonderful to play,” Brumby enthused.

Having both recently completed full-band tours of their most recent albums, the pair will be performing more intimately this time around. It means the format can be looser, with each show dictated by audience response.

Both know their queer fans will likely be cheering the loudest.

“Diana and I are both the sort of songwriters who appeal to gay and lesbian audiences, we definitely recognise that and respect it,” Brumby said.

“People who’ve had adversity in their own lives, or who’ve had to buck the system, can connect to that in our songs.”

info: Diana and Monique play the Brass Monkey in Cronulla on August 25, and Notes in Newtown on August 27. Visit http://noteslive.net.au

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