By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
FROM Funkytown to G-town, Pseudo Echo will bring its pioneering ’80s electro-pop to Geelong this weekend.
Ever since Brian Canham and his fellow new romantics burst onto the scene in the early ’80s, the distinctive electro sound and beat has become the stuff of Aussie music legend.
Not only did the first two Pseudo Echo albums top the charts, a remake of the Lipps song Funkytown brought the group international success.
“I can certainly hear the influence from the ’80s coming out in new bands over last decade or so,” Canham told the Independent.
“You can hear different parts of the ’80s get a run now and again, perhaps with a contemporary take and with slightly darker sound, a little edgier.”
Those ’80s influences were also revisited by Pseudo Echo earlier this year with the release of its first album in 15 years, Ultraviolet.
“As we were developing the record I had to think about what we sound like these days,” Canham laughed.
He found the answer by delving back into the band’s history to rediscover its heritage for reproduction in a contemporary setting.
“There are always ideas and riffs that get shelved and sometimes whole tracks get left behind, so some of the ideas for Ultraviolet have been hanging around for years.”
The band used a successful Pledge Music crowd funding campaign to release the album and has extended the campaign to help Pseudo Echo with its next project.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to have had massive support from our fans through the Pledge crowd funding,” Canham said.
The band plans to record a live album while playing the famous Viper Room on Sunset Strip in Los Angles in February.
“I’ve wanted to tour outside Australia again, so this trip will be a bit of fun and nostalgia as well as doing some serious recording,” Canham said.
He was excited about reuninting with the band’s core of fans remaining in Geelong.
“Geelong fans don’t usually trek to Melbourne to see us, so it’s kind of nice when we do it. Playing Geelong is like playing a little capital city.”
Pseudo Echo plays Corio’s Gateway Hotel tomorrow night.
