Tim’s joined the stellar line-up of artists for MUSIC FROM THE HOME FRONT this Saturday 25th April, 2020.
The programme will air in Australia and New Zealand only but footage of Tim’s performance will be available here after the event – we’ll let you know via social media.
Australia: 7.30PM LOCAL – NINE (and 9NOW 7.30pm AEST)
Australian Hip Hop pioneer, writer and actor BRIGGS has teamed up with Tim to record ‘HOUSEFYRE’ and to film the video from the splendid isolation of their own homes.
Sales and streams of this song are being donated to the #FNC19Appeal here.
Briggs: “Cabin fever manifests in strange ways and while I’ve been stuck at home working on new music and practising good social distancing, the idea came to me to hit up my friend Tim Minchin to work on a fun idea. Black and red together hasn’t looked this good since the ’93 grand final.”
Tim: “I’ve been wanting to do something with Briggs for years but couldn’t work out what idea to go to him with. Then a few days ago, he sent a track over and asked if I’d wanna write a chorus for it. I think my exact words were “fuck yeah”. So much fun to make, and such a buzz to work with the Senator.”
Starring: Briggs and Tim Minchin
Director / Editor: Christiaan Van Vuuren
Graphics and VFX: Alex Gabbott
Music and Lyrics: Briggs, Tim Minchin & Trials
-Lyrics-
Da-dup da-dup oh
Come, little baby, shelter from the storm
We’re goin’ viral & the fire is warm
Keepin’ calm, carryin’ on, Scotty’s latest presser is depressin’
So we’re tuning in to this approved message from the Senator:
Bet you are still tryna find me
Out of office message: Mahalo from Hawaii!
Leadership’s not really something that I’m feelin’, kid
Ya maybe shoulda voted for the other guy behind me
What’s the matter, little Aussie battler, ya tired?
No! Everything I own is on fire!
Well, your Aussie spirit’s liftin’ & ya still kickin’ on
Everything is burning, better turn the fuckin’ cricket on
We deserve someone who’s a little bit better then
And ain’t no one been this nice since settlement
You ain’t fit to push the whip ya back pedalin’
You ain’t fit to wear the kicks that I’m treadin’ in
I’m smooth, I’m real nice-like
And it’s not like I miss this nightlife
It’s all good, yeah it’s alright
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre (Get it!)
Come, little baby, shelter from the storm
We’re goin’ viral & the fire is warm
We’re good little citizens, sittin’ in the bunker, just watchin’ the boss fumble like my befuddled uncle does
We’re rockin’ the lock-in, self-interred
Watching videos of Jacinda Ardern
Shit! Even the Kiwis aren’t allowed outside
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre
Briggs for PM! Duck Peter Dutton if ya see him
Deport this: Fuck how you’re feelin’
Pandemic’s got ‘em reelin’, people need to see ya leadin’
Ah, fuck it, footy’s on. Do it after the weekend.
If worst comes to worst, the people come first
Yeah, but I’m gonna need a purse for the mega-church
You ain’t fit, we don’t get near a penny-worth
You ain’t fit, the leadership is gettin’ plenty worse
Went to hit the store & everything had been bought
They quarantined us all so we’re sittin’ indoors
And if they gettin’ onboard, I’m pullin’ this ripcord & ditchin’ this concord & splittin’ like Jean-Claude
You’re cool, I’m real nice-like
And it’s not like I miss this nightlife
We’re all good, yeah it’s alright
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre
But you’re cool, yeah ya alright
But I’m kinda sick & tired of bein’ inside
We’re all good, yeah we’re all smiles
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre (Get it!)
Come, little baby, shelter from the storm
We’re coughin’ up lungs & the kettle’s on
We already burnt the world outside
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre
Da-dup da-dup ohh
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre
Scotty from marketing standin’ there, shufflin’ his papers,
Wonderin’ why Jesus hasn’t come to save us
Lookin’ to Peter Dutton like “what the fuck’s happenin’?”
At least the Ruby Princess had a fuckin’ captain
Come, little baby, shelter from the storm
Stay the fuck inside until the bugger’s gone
But we can still stir shit from the inside
If we can’t start a house party, start a house fyre!
UPDATED 09/09/20
Due to the recent announcements by the Australian Government Tim’s BACK Encore Tour of Australia has been rescheduled. Visit Live Nation for more information
Here are the new show dates in June and July 2021:
Tim Minchin – BACK Encore – Rescheduled 2021 Dates
Mon 28 Jun – Newcastle, Civic Theatre (previously Wed 27 Jan)
Tue 29 Jun – Newcastle, Civic Theatre (previously Thu 28 Jan)
Thu 1 Jul – Melbourne, Hamer Hall (previously Thu 14 Jan)
Fri 2 Jul – Melbourne, Hamer Hall (previously Fri 15 Jan)
Sat 3 Jul – Melbourne, Hamer Hall (previously Sat 16 Jan)
Tue 6 Jul – Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall (previously Tue 19 Jan)
Wed 7 Jul – Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall (previously Wed 20 Jan)
Thu 8 Jul – Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall (previously Thu 21 Jan)
Fri 9 Jul – Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall (previously Fri 22 Jan)
Sun 11 Jul – Sydney, Enmore Theatre (previously Sun 31 Jan)
Mon 12 Jul – Sydney, Enmore Theatre (previously Mon 1 Feb)
Tue 13 Jul – Sydney, Enmore Theatre (previously Tue 2 Feb)
Wed 14 Jul – Sydney, Enmore Theatre (previously Wed 3 Feb)
Thu 15 Jul – Sydney, Enmore Theatre (previously Sat 30 Jan)
All existing tickets remain valid for the rescheduled show without the need for exchange. If you’re unable to attend you can obtain a refund from point of purchase. Refund requests are to be submitted prior to 5pm, Friday 9 October.
For any questions relating to your ticket purchase, please contact your original point of purchase.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Tim’s looking forward to being BACK on stage!
This short film about how Tee Ken made the extraordinary Leaving LA music video is almost more fun than the video itself. I find it absolutely fascinating and extremely cool, and I reckon you will too. Next up: a film about the making of the “making of” film. Lol
My upcoming shows in Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne & Brisbane are being postponed. We’ve no real choice, I’m afraid.
I’m gutted for my audiences who have saved & travelled. And for my band & crew who lose work. And for the venues & promoter. And for myself, cos I HATE not delivering.
We are hustling to reschedule. The ticket agency will be emailing on Monday to confirm the postponement, & though I don’t know if we’ll have new dates by then, please know we are trying our hardest!
Lots of love. Don’t panic, wash ya hands,
And don’t take ya sniffle to your Gran’s.
I heartily suggest you watch this on a reasonable sized screen with some lovely headphones / speakers and the volume turned up to 9. My producer, Mr Daniel Denholm, has done a beautiful job with the audio, and the wondrous Tee Ken Ng has made a film unlike anything you have seen.
(UPDATE: You can now watch The Making of Leaving LAon YouTube or below).
Leaving LA – Music and Lyrics Tim Minchin. Film by Tee Ken Ng
Produced and Engineered by Daniel Denholm
Recorded at Point Blank Sound
Drums – Ben Vanderwal
Bass – James Haselwood
Guitar – Jak Housden
Piano – Tim Minchin
Backing Vocals – Sarah Belkner, Jak Housden
Strings and Brass arranged by Daniel Denholm
Recorded by Brent Clark @ Trackdown Studios
Assisted by Rose MacKenzie
Mixed by Tim Palmer @ ’62 Studios, Austin, Texas.
Mastered By Steve Smart @ Studios 301
Lyrics
Check the locks and leave the keys
Mouldy bath masked with Febreze
Something’s dead behind the refrigerator
Some poor fuck will deal with it later
I’ve spent the last ten weeks
Squeezing out the sponge of friendships plugging leaks
Talked until there’s no more to say
I’m going away. I’m leaving LA
And the tourists say
“Please give me the directions to the Hollywood sign
I always dreamt of coming here to see the Hollywood sign”
But on their way back down we’ll ask did you have a good time
They’ll say “it’s just some fucking letters on a hill”
I wander through the Bronson Caves
One more OK coffee at the Oaks Gourmet
I’ll watch the players at the UCB
Trying to improvise their way out of ennui
Walking trails in the creeping dark
Up to the observatory in Griffith Park
There’s too much light for stars anyway
I’m getting out of this place
I’m leaving LA
I’m leaving LA
And the studio executives who never made a thing
Blaming others for their failures taking credit for their wins
Wiping the blood of dumb artists from their chins singing
“Kid you oughtn’t take it personally”
On Hollywood and Vine a dime-store Spiderman
Shouting at a stoned Emma Stone dressed a la La La Land
And in the distance in both its glorious dimensions
The sign projects its shadow on the hill
Rushing by machine-gunned cops at LAX
Malfunctioning departure board says we’re boarding next
Belt off shoes off jacket off hat
Don’t need the attitude but I quite enjoy the subsequent pat down
And I’m sat down
As the A380 engine roars
Pushed backwards as this tube of monkeys rumbles forwards
Looking forward to
Another twenty hours on a plane
Nothing but shit films and my brain
I’ve been going slowly insane
I’ve seen your sport and I don’t wanna play
I’m getting out of this place
I’m getting out of this place
I’m leaving LA
And the actors at Gratitude drinking undrinkable juice
And the agents taking ten percent in their sneakers and suits
And the writers in their Teslas trying to punch up Act One
Driving home on the 101 in the relentless fucking sun
And the needy and the greedy and the homeless and horny
And the deals done on treadmills at ten to six in the morning
And the Captain’s on the PA saying look for the sign!
But I find it’s just some fucking letters on a hill
Just some really ugly letters on a pretty ugly hill
Bronson Caves: an old quarry in Griffith Park, the caves were used in the original Batman TV series.
The Oaks Gourmet: a very nice little market opposite the Scientology Celebrity Center in Franklin Village. Order filter coffee, cos Americans know how to do that. Also good for picnic hampers when you’re off to the Hollywood Bowl.
UCB: a long-running comedy / improv troupe, the Upright Citizens Brigade. They rule.
Trails: the Griffith Park trails are hiking paths that lead up to the Griffith Observatory. There’s a cafe at the bottom called “Trails” owned by Mickey Petralia who happens to be a music producer who helped with concert sound in some of my Californication episodes! (He also did a lot of the sound for Flight of the Conchords).
Observatory: The Griffith Observatory, an Art Deco Greek Revivalist observatory that is walking distance from where we lived in Los Feliz. I love it. It’s in heaps of movies, most famously James Dean’s “Rebel Without a Cause”, and Tee Ken Ng’s Leaving LA…
Hollywood and Vine: it’s a reasonably ugly corner on a reasonably ugly road. The places many tourists go in Hollywood are pretty tawdry, and crowded with people dressed in cheap Marvel costumes trying to make a few bucks having pics with tourists. I never saw anyone dressed as Emma Stone, but I couldn’t resist “a la La La”. I actually asked Emma (through a friend) whether she’d be in this music video. She – sensibly – didn’t get back to me.
LAX: is the main LA airport. It’s frickin huge and often absolutely awful (although the new terminal is very nice). We’ve had some frickin dire moments in that airport, being shouted at by tired immigration officers after queuing for 3 hours with two little kids.
A380: is a plane built by Airbus and is the biggest passenger plane in the world. I think they are beautiful. They take so long – and so much energy – to take off, you feel like you’re never going to get off the ground. And then you’re in the air and they are so quiet and smooth, you feel like you’re not moving.
20 hours: about how long it takes to get to Perth (via Sydney) from LA.
Sport: the sport is commerce, if you’re wondering, not filmmaking.
Gratitude: a Vegan restaurant in Larchmont. It’s actually really nice, but it is as free of irony as it is of animal products. The dishes have been given hilarious names like “Glowing”, “Brave”, “Worthy” and “Radiant”. You literally have to say, “I’ll have a Thriving, please”. For this reason, I can’t go there.
Punch-up Act One: film scripts are invariably divided into three acts. It’s sometimes annoying, but it’s the language of the form. Scripts often get handed to other writers for a “punch-up pass”, to try and make them more funny. There are writers in Hollywood who earn hundreds of thousands of dollars but never have their own scripts made. They just get paid to do passes on other people’s scripts. It’s why so many movies are tonally uneven.
101: is a freeway. Or a highway. Depends where you’re from.
UPDATE (20/03)20: The Making of Leaving LA
Directed and Edited by Jess Black
Shot by Cam Campbell
Colour Grade by Paul Komadina
Tim’s releasing his long-awaited debut album later this year, through BMG.
He’s signed an exclusive global label deal with BMG and ‘Leaving LA’, the first single from the album, will be released on March 13th.
Tim said: “I’ve been writing songs for 35 years, and have never released a studio album. Too many distractions. Signing with BMG has given me focus, and the confidence to aim for a record that isn’t defined by anyone else’s expectations. I’m loving the freedom, loving the process, and loving the team at BMG. They’re cool and nice”.
Heath Johns, BMG Australia Managing Director, said of the signing: “Tim Minchin is the rarest of talents – an incredible pianist, composer, playwright, actor and lyricist, amongst many other things. To have Tim sign his first ever record deal with BMG is a genuine honour for our entire team and a further indication that BMG is the destination for artists with international ambition and a demand to maintain creative control and ownership of their recordings. I know the world will fall in love with this absolute gem of a pop record and we can’t wait to help Tim share these songs”.
Photo L to R: (Standing) Shannon O’Keeffe (BMG), Craig Redfearn (BMG), Michael Lynch (Tim’s Manager), Sarah Woolcott (BMG), Bridie McGuire (BMG), Jodie Feld (BMG); (Seated) Heath Johns (BMG), Tim, Allegra Caldwell (BMG)
As many of you know, in 2019 our BACK tour generated over three quarters of a million dollars for charities in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. The beneficiaries included family & adoption services, mental health support, domestic violence shelters, music programs for underprivileged kids, and refugee support organisations.
For the 2020 encore tour, I’ve decided to donate exclusively to independent theatres. Yay. Ongoing cuts to the arts sector by our incumbent conservative federal government have hit small-to-medium arts organisations hard. I feel strongly that independent theatre is vital to the cultural health of our country. Not only because these groups produce fantastic work in their own right, but because independent theatre is the breeding ground of future mainstream artists. The huge cultural and economic impact of a big commercial show like Matilda the Musical (to choose just one close-to-home example) would not exist without the independent theatres that let Dennis Kelly and I get our hands dirty in the early days.
Below is a list of the fantastic companies we are supporting.
All of this is possible because of my generous audience members who buy the highly inflated “VIP charity seats” we sell for each show. We are also supported in our mission by Live Nation, Ticketek, APRA and the venues we play in, who all have agreed again to waive their fees on the charity tickets.
For the rest of you reading this: go see a play at an independent theatre near you! There’s so much great stuff out there, and it’s often really affordable!
Love.
T
Hobart
Tasmania Performs
Tasmania Performs maximises opportunities for artists, ensuring their diverse voices and stories are shared across the world. With a recent focus on supporting the careers of the island’s palalwa artists.
Donations from the Hobart concerts have helped leverage a significant investment from both the State and Federal governments for a new First Nations children’s work that will tour Australia in 2021.
Sydney
Redline Productions at The Old Fitz
In 5 years, Red Line Productions have presented over 100 productions, including 21 sold-out seasons, 22 exclusively commissioned brand new Australian plays, five return seasons for subsidised companies, headlined Sydney Festival and won 21 Sydney Theatre and GLUGS Awards – including the Hayes Gordon Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Theatre. Every state and federal funding application has been rejected and the company has thrived thanks to generous individuals and foundations.
Griffin Theatre
Griffin is the only theatre company in the country entirely devoted to producing new Australian work. We help ambitious, bold and urgent Australian plays get from page to stage. We tell the stories that will help us know who we are as a nation, and who we want to become.
Newcastle
Tantrum Youth Arts
As the leading youth arts organisation in the Hunter Region, Tantrum has been making noise for over 40 years. Utilising performance, storytelling and so much more, we offer meaningful creative workshops, projects and opportunities for young people aged 5 to 26 that build confidence, connections and compassion.
Melbourne
La Mama
With a rich history spanning over 50 years and a national profile, La Mama is Australia’s home of independent theatre. It plays a critical role in the Australian cultural landscape, as a place for responsive, new, risk-taking work to occur. La Mama has a distinct artist focus, and provides a unique audience experience.
And a few more points that might be of interest:
In May 2018, we lost our home to fire.
We are JUST about to start rebuilding.
The new design re-creates the much-loved theatre-space but we’ve added a rehearsal hub and office space. It will now, for the first time be fully accessible and sustainable.
The funds from this event will be going towards supporting the next generation of theatre-makers and theatre-goers!
We’re a little team and know how to make a dollar go a long way.
Fortyfive Downstairs
fortyfivedownstairs is an unfunded artspace in the heart of Melbourne that’s grown from humble beginnings to great renown. Presenting exceptional exhibitions and award-winning theatre, it is not for profit and exists to make money for artists, not from them. With modest means, fortyfivedownstairs still contributes immeasurably to Melbourne’s cultural life!
Brisbane
Metro Arts
Metro Arts is developing the future of Australian contemporary arts practice now, by positioning creative innovation at the centre of all we do. Metro Arts supports and mentors artists to create new work, present their work to audiences and help build their career pathways. There are thousands of artists, producers, and arts leaders on and behind stages and in galleries, diverse communities and workplaces across the world who had their start at Metro Arts. Art Starts Here @ Metro Arts.
Adelaide
Patch Theatre
Patch Theatre has been making shows for 4–8 year old children and their families from their home in South Australia since 1972. In their nearly 48 years, Patch has made 110 much loved theatre works and performed to over 1.8 million children around the world.
Perth
The Last Great Hunt
The Last Great Hunt is a unique collective of six Perth-based theatre makers. They are creators, innovators, and above all else, explorers. Their work is imaginative & rigorous, telling stories that challenge, engage & move audiences to explore contemporary ideas. They create new works that are relevant & important to their audiences and themselves, like the upcoming show BITE THE HAND, which looks at what happens when a woman gives her dog human consciousness to try and cheer up her depressed partner…
At each of his concerts Tim shares a portion of the profits with a local not-for-profit organisation. This year he’s donating to independent theatre companies. As the Adelaide Festival’s 60th anniversary concert is a free event, Tim’s offering a special limited edition Tim Minchin/PATCH Tote Bag. You can pick one up from the merchandise tent and take it to the supermarket…help rid the world of plastic… you know how it goes.
The bags are $20 each with all proceeds going to Patch Theatre Company and their reimagined style of design rich theatrical experiences that put children and their curiosity first.
This Tote Bag will ONLY be available for sale on Saturday between 5pm (when doors open) and 10pm (the end of concert).
Patch’s latest performance – The Lighthouse –“part installation, part scientific quest, part rave.” is on at the Queen’s Theatre, Adelaide, 25th February – 7th March 2020 and is suitable for all ages.
Tim wrote ‘Carry You’ for the television series UPRIGHT. Co-written and starring Tim, UPRIGHT follows two misfits thrown together by chance in the middle of the Australian desert, as they forge an unlikely bond in their quest to get a precious piano from one side of the country to the other. Tim asked Missy Higgins to record the song, in her distinctive style, for the closing credits. UPRIGHT is available in Australia on FOXTEL, on NOW TV in the UK and on Super Channel Fuse for viewers in Canada. More details and a teaser here.
Transcript:
Missy Higgins: Hi Tim.
Tim Minchin: Hi Missy Higgins. So, we’re in a beige hotel room to talk about… what’s it called? ‘Carry You’!
MH: ‘Carry You’.
TM: We put out a song together.
MH: We did! Yeah.
TM: A dream come true.
MH: How did you get the idea? What made you decide to ask me?
TM: So we have Sarah Belkner, who plays keyboards and sings in both our bands — yours for some years, right?
MH: Yes, she was mine before you stole her. (laughs)
TM: Yeah, I totally stole her. I stole all my band off various people. So Sarah Belkner, I said: “I’ve got this song — do you reckon Missy would do it?’’ or maybe Sarah’d heard it by then. Because I was in post-production for URIGHT, I had this idea, and the song — for those who haven’t seen it — exists in the world of UPRIGHT. The character Lucky plays it in the middle of the desert, in episode five, and I had this idea that we should repeat the song over the credits, but that it shouldn’t be him singing it because he’s come on a whole journey and he’s not in the same headspace and I wanted the audience to have that reflective thing. And I thought it’d be really good to be a female voice, and it’s very Australian — anyway, it seemed so obvious to me that you were the right person to sing it. And Sarah mentioned that you were in Canberra, I think, so we just got together, didn’t we. What do you think?
MH: I think it’s beautiful. I mean Sarah’s production was so minimalist and classy and I think she made it really simple from the first version, remember? We had drums and it was more organic but it was less contemporary.
TM: Yeah, that’s right
MH: She kind of made it a bit more modern.
MH: Were you nervous about bringing out or writing a song that was, I guess, much more earnest and heartfelt than most of your comedic things?
TM: Yeah, and it’s so nice to hear someone who’s a proper vocalist singing my stuff as well because my voice is a storytelling machine. It’s not a beautiful thing; it has a function. But it was amazing — my son said: “This is like a proper song!’’ (laughs.)
MH: (laughs) Like “what’s that supposed to be?”
TM: (laughs) Yeah, totally. How did you interpret it? Or is that a silly question?
MH: Yeah, I think… When I heard it, yeah, it felt like a song about longing with a tinge of regret, I guess. I didn’t really intellectualise it too much. I think I just kind of felt it in my heart and I loved the few little specific lyrics in there too about Cottesloe Beach and the fish and chips. They’re the things I really love in songs because they’re so visual.
TM: I wonder if audiences of UPRIGHT know who Lucky wrote ‘Carry You’ about, at the end.
MH: Yeah, because it could be about three different things right?
TM: Right, right
MH: So, even I, when I watched it at the end I couldn’t quite… I mean, I had in my mind who I thought it was about, but it really could have been about a few different things.
TM: Yeah, yeah
MH: How’s the response to the series been for you, in general?
TM: It’s been amazing. For the first time in my life probably since Matilda I thought “This is good”. Usually I have massive crises of confidence and I didn’t. I never had a crisis of confidence about UPRIGHT, I just went “I think this is the sort of thing I want to be involved in” and so many things we were very lucky with, in the people we found to work with on it, all the way down to being able to get you to do the final moment. Just, sometimes things fall your way and a lot of things fell our way.
TM: So thanks for doing that for us, for our show.
MH: Such a pleasure. I loved it. It’s such a nice challenge, in a way, to take on somebody else’s song and see if you can reinterpret it through your own lens and yeah, I immediately loved it when you played it to me.
