The legendary Spiegeltent is making its way to Melbourne this February. One of the acts performing on the bill for Spiegel ROCK 2017 will be Kit Warhurst. In this interview with Courtney Dabb, he chats about what people can expect from the festival, how his band came to be and plans for the rest of the year.

Hi Kit and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at AMNplify. Firstly congratulations on the announcement of joining the Spiegel Rock line up.

Thank you.

What do you most enjoy about a festival slot as opposed to a standalone show?

I guess there are a few things that make festival slots cool. Meeting new people is always a good thing and seeing acts perform that you may not otherwise get to see is fun. Playing to other acts audiences is a great thing. There is often a heightened sense of “show” at a festival as well as there is just more of everything.

Spiegel Rock will be special as it is a real cross collaboration of artists performing in one of the world’s most iconic performance spaces. It will look incredible and sound amazing. Trapeze artist Anna Lumb will be performing to one of our songs and I hope to God someone films it!

You have a debut album in the pipeline and is to be released later this year if I am not mistaken?

Yes it’s coming out very soon in March. Very excited about it as it has been a dream for some time. Can’t wait.

Spreading your wings in a solo capacity of Kit Warhurst Band is perhaps not so surprising considering how long you have been in the industry but jumping from up stage to down stage as front man must be a new and exciting change?

I have wanted to experience it for a long time. Frustrated drummer? No, but I always knew that at some point I needed to have some guitar playing and singing in my life, and I would have been disappointed if I didn’t.

Having blazed across the globe with Rocket Science, looking back at what you achieved in terms of Rocket Science’s sphere of influence, does the legacy still present itself in weird and wonderful ways?

I’m not sure how far reaching our influence was but I did hear I nice story recently from a guy who lived on the Gold Coast and who found comfort after seeing us play there for the first time because he wore the same kind of clothes as we did. I imagine it would have been tough being into 60’s mod, 70’s punk, new wave or being a goth there in the 2000’s.

Meeting and performing with so many amazing artists over the years, were there any particular events or words spoken to you that really resonated and altered the way you approached your music?

Supergrass opened the door to the UK for us when they invited us to tour. We were going to go anyway but that support put us in front of their big crowds and no doubt helped secure a record deal over there. In a broad sense, it’s been interesting to see how people go about the craft. I’m always interested in the process, and seeing performance up close and discussing how to go about creating is always fascinating to me.

What does the subject matter for your work with KWB largely revolve around and is it something that stems from life long experience or content that would be right at home with any generation?

I am interested in the placement and displacement and where we all fit in. I look at pace and whirlwind demands and the struggles that modern Australian life brings. Communication, relationships, love, Melbourne, art, sex and how to get to band practice on time.

In piecing together your band (Brooke Penrose & Alex Gray) was there a criteria in mind or simply pooling great artists that you have worked with over the years?

I wanted to form a group with people I hadn’t played with before.  It was a new experience for me so I wanted it to be fresh for everyone. Brooke is an incredible musician and singer (he’s the singer in Melbourne band Saint Jude), has wonderful feel on the drums and is a creative force.

Alex came to me via my friend Mickey Heartbreak, who played guitar for a time in Rocket Science.  I really dug Alex’s bass style and though we didn’t know each other very well, he was always a charmer in social situations. It’s worked out wonderfully well. They are diamond guys and I love our sound.

What is on the horizon for the rest of 2017?

The third single Oliver Never Knew Sunshine comes out in a couple of weeks to support the release of the album shortly after and I can’t wait.

To find out more about Spiegel ROCK, or for tickets, visit TryBooking.