Here's the article from yesterdays VUW Salient. Julia is playing with
The Shins (USA) on Monday Feb 21, 8-midnight. Tickets are $10 / $20.

Kirk


Orientation issue Feb 14 2005


Orientation '05 sees Fur Patrol frontwoman Julia Deans playing all by
her lonesome. Christopher Bishop emailed her to ask why - and some
other stuff - and here's what she had to say...

Christopher Bishop: Why the solo tour? Where's Fur Patrol?

Julia Deans: Well, it's actually only one date at the end of a few
shows with Fur Patrol, so I wouldn't call it a tour... Unless you're
referring to the shows I did in Jan with John Butler? A long time ago
in a city not so very far away at all, I'd been playing my songs solo
for some time and decided I needed some company up there on alone on
the stage, and thus Fur Patrol was formed. But now they've started to
smell bad... nah, I've been doing a few random solo gigs for a while
and I want to do more. I really enjoy then - a certain level of
honesty and vulerability as there's nothing to hide behind. It also
helps me with song writing.

CB: Will we be hearing Fur Patrol songs or Julia Deans solo material?

JD: A bit of a combo - plus some new songs that are either furry
works-in-progress or yet-to-be-furred.

CB: When can we expect another Fur Patrol album and tour of New
Zealand?

JD: We're currently working on our next album - in fact we've got a
week without gigs in Welly so we're locking ourselves away to do some
writing in our old hometown. Yay!

CB: How's it going in Australia? Have you been getting good reactions
from the press and the punters?

JD: We've been pretty quiet lately, gig-wise. Just working on new
stuff and getting used to the fit of our new three-piece-suit... We've
done about four shows like this now, and everyone seems to love it -
it's quite stripped back, a lot more raw. Which for me ties in with
the whole solo performance thing.

CB: Is the coffee better in Wellington or Melbourne?

JD: Fortunately there's a wee cafe in Fitzroy (where I live) called
Atomica that delivers the goods with a wink and a cheeky grin (just
how I like it). But nothing puts the hairs on my chest like the brew
from Fidel's!

CB: Do you like The Shins and are you excited about appearing with
tem?

JD: I have to be perfectly honest here and admit I've heard non of
their music yet. They don't let me out much. How embarrassing. But
yes, I am excited about the show, and I've heard nothing but good
things about them.

CB: It's 4am and you're ravenous in Wellington: Where do you go?

JD: If it's 4 in the morning and I'm still out and about, I doubt I'm
hungry.

CB: Do you have much contact with Kiwi musicians in Australia? Is a
tight-knit community?

JD: We all look out for each other, and there's a lot of helping-out
that goes on in lending gear, couches to sleep on etc when passing
through / moving over. I think it's just that thing that people do for
their fellow countrymen when on foreign soil.

CB: Who do you think is the most exciting band in New Zealand at the
moment?

JD: F**k, that's a tough one (given how many exciting NZ bands are NOT
at home right now!). I haven't been in NZ nearly enough lately, so I
feel a little removed... However, I got a copy of the new SIGNER album
The New Face of Smiling and... Well... Beautiful. And I've heard The
Accelerants' album is to be released soon, I'm looking forward to
hearing that too. We'll be out to catch some more new bands while
we're in NZ.

CB: What are you most looking forward to doing when you get back to
Wellington?

JD: Drinking wine with my friends.