Leo’s chilling out

It’s not often the Australian prime minister finds himself upstaged, but that’s exactly what happened at a citizenship ceremony in Canberra this Australia Day.

Kevin Rudd was on hand to congrat-ulate the country’s newest citizens, but many of the assembled throng were far more interested in shaking hands with one of the new Aussies -” Leo Sayer.

-œThere was a lot of attention on the day, but for me it was a big moment, so I welcomed the attention and the fuss. It was a bit like a wedding -” now I’m married to Australia, the curly-haired crooner told Southern Star.

-œOf course I’ve been coming here for years, and it’s always been one of my favourite places to visit, but about five years ago, I just thought, -˜No, that’s it -” I’m coming down to live’. It’s the quality of life that drew me here.

Sayer said he had no qualms about officially becoming an Aussie.

-œIt was a way for me to give something back to Australia. This place has always been so great to me, so I’m very happy to fly the flag. I’m just amazed they still want me!

Want him they do -” Sayer’s career has spanned some 35 years, and while the halcyon days of transatlantic chart-toppers like You Make Me Feel Like Dancing are far behind him, he’s experienced something of a surge in popularity in the last few years.

-œI’m having a nice rebirth in my career, really,  he said. -œIt’s always nice when you get a second chance at things.

Sayer will perform at next weekend’s Daylesford ChillOut festival, his appearance in keeping with this year’s -˜Disco Stampede’ theme. Having lived through the disco era, he’s in a good position to divulge -” was it all as glamorously debauched as it seemed?

-œIt was pretty full-on, he laughed.

-œIn the old days I’d go to Studio 54 in New York and used to love the flamboyance of the whole scene. The ironic thing with me is that I was around at that time, but disco was only part of what I was doing.

-œWhen You Make Me Feel Like Dancing came together in 1976, I suddenly became a disco act. I love dance music, and I kind of got led into the disco sound.

Over three decades later, Sayer insists he hasn’t grown weary of singing the songs that made him famous.

-œNot at all, I love them. There have been songs right across my career that have never died, and the fact that they’ve never died has kept them alive for me, he said.

-œA good song can always be reinvented too. That keeps me fired up -“ there’s always new variations that can be done.

One reinvention that proved immensely popular was Meck’s 2006 remix of Sayer’s 1977 hit Thunder In My Heart. Originally peaking at number 22 in the UK, the 21st century rework shot straight to the top of the charts.

-œTo have that song come back again as a bigger hit was great. I always thought it was one of my best records-” very passionate and emotional, he said.

While this year marks Sayer’s ChillOut debut, he said he’s an old hand at playing gay venues.

-œI’ve done quite a few in London, including G.A.Y. I’m really proud of the fact that they called me a gay icon in the UK -” that’s really cool. Especially for a straight guy who just loves most of the gay acts, you know? I love that music and party scene so much, it’s so flamboyant and so wonderful, he enthused.

-œAnd it’s fantastic that we live in a world where all expression is allowed. I think festivals like ChillOut are a wonderful thing -” as soon as I was asked to perform, I said -˜Yes’ before the question even finished. I mean,

If I’ve written a few bona fide party songs, I’ve got to be there doing them, haven’t I?

info: Leo Sayer performs at the ChillOut Festival, March 6-9. Details: www.chilloutfestival.com.au

Getting to ChillOut

The ChillOut festival takes over the Daylesford and Hepburn Springs area from March 6-9.
You’ll need to know the basics to get the most out of your long weekend.
Getting there
Daylesford is a leisurely 70-minute drive east of Melbourne on either the Western or Calder Freeways.

Alternatively, V-Line trains and coaches will take you all the way to Daylesford, with an average travel time of around two hours.

If you just want to come up on Sunday for Carnival Day, the JOY 94.9 Gay For A Day coach service is the way to go. It leaves Melbourne at 8am, returning at 9pm.

Where to stay
Booking agents like Daylesford Getaways (www.dayget.com.au) and Escapes Daylesford Getaways (www.escapesdaylesford.com.au) can help you to hunt for the best accommodation deal.

What to do
The celebrations start with a bang on Friday night and end more sedately on Monday.
Friday night’s opening party at the Palais will feature New Zealand’s brilliant Topp Twins. The following morning is a great time to get active, with bushwalks, horseriding and mountain biking. On Saturday afternoon, the Novotel Forest Resort plays host to a special one-off performance of The Vagina Monologues.

On Saturday night, choose between the ChillOut Bush Dance, the all-girl musical line-up at Cream, or a rocking show by The Blow Waves.

Sunday is a huge day, starting with the ChillOut Street Parade at 10:30am (with a $500 cash prize for the best entry) before the Carnival begins in Victoria Park, with performances from Leo Sayer, BABBA and Yana Alana amongst others. Punters are encouraged to pre-purchase their Carnival Day tickets from the ChillOut website, to save time, money and avoid queues. That night, DJs at the ChillOut dance party will keep punters grooving till the early hours of the morning. Dolly Diamond will host the Drag Show Gala at the Palais from 7pm.

Monday is the perfect time to relax as -” a slow buffet lunch at Peppers Springs Retreat followed by a -˜Cool Down’ concert at Hepburn Reserve.

info: www.chilloutfestival.com.au