Aussie Triple Threat Leigh Thomas on Making Waves in Melodic Pop/Rock
Coming straight out of the Aussie music scene, Leigh Thomas is the triple threat: singer, songwriter, and guitar wizard. He’s been rocking the stage for ages, scribbling lyrics, laying down tracks, and belting out tunes that hit you right in the feels. Leigh’s distinctive sound is underpinned by his renowned vocal ability, and could best be described as guitar based, melodic pop/rock, ranging from heavy and beat driven, to softer and sometimes poignant ballads.
In this chat, we’re peeling back the curtain on Leigh Thomas’s musical mojo. Get ready for the lowdown on his live performances, songwriting magic, the stories behind those killer melodies, and the fan feedback from playing online gigs. Join us as we take a dive into the heart and soul of Leigh’s music and see what he’s up to in the future.
We know you play a lot of live shows on your own without a band. How do you Manage that, because your songs have more instruments than just a guitar?
I have a couple of approaches to playing my songs live, but generally like to present them as they are intended on the recordings. That being a full band sound. To do this I get a separate mix done, removing the main guitar parts, guitar solos and lead vocals. I then download this backing track to a looper unit and save each song as a single loop. So I can scroll through the looper memory and pick any song I wish to play. Then basically add back in the vocal and guitar as a live performance. Some songs though I may simply just play as solo acoustic versions. As we speak though, I am about to start rehearsals with a band, which will really bring the songs to their full potential in a live situation.
What’s the most unusual or memorable venue you’ve performed in?
I’ve played many unusual situations from huge stages to trucks and even boats! The most memorable I think was this dude who hired my band just for himself and a small group of friends out in the middle of nowhere. He paid us to play from dusk til dawn, and as loud as we could….
Sometime in the middle of the night he got up and encircled the perimeter of about 100 meters in some type of napalm, and then lit it. It was a massive fireball and was quite spectacular!
You also play live on Facebook and other social media platforms. How important is fan feedback to your creative process?
Yes, my live streams are very important to me and have a real sense of community. My audience there are very dedicated, and are definitely my trusted inner circle of fans. They know me and my music well and I very much value their feedback and companionship. I think these days it is essential for artists to foster this type of connection with listeners. And, they are much more than listeners, as my live streams are very interactive their participation is all part of the show.
Can you give us a glimpse into what you’re currently working on?
Yes ,as I mentioned, I am putting a band together and hope to be gigging with it next year. I will still perform my livestreams solo though. I also have two singles in production. The first titled ‘What It Takes’ out on December 18, is an acoustic song that examines feelings of depression and how it is our perspectives that can lead us down this path, but the reality is that we have the power to choose our perspectives. This song is an example of the feedback process from my live stream fans, as it was they who persuaded me to release the song, and to do it acoustically. The other single is back to a more full band, funk/pop/rock style titled ‘The One’, which I am looking forward to releasing early next year.
Are there any emerging trends or genres in the industry that intrigue you and does that effect your own songs?
I think there is an emerging school of thought within the industry that the days of the mega-stars and world domination are over. Getting caught up with numbers such as followers and stream counts is not the way to go. Instead, indie artists should be focusing on developing a core group of dedicated fans, and to be highly interactive and accessible to them. If you can build this to even a few thousand, then you can definitely sustain a rewarding career. This resonates with me, although I am a fairly private and rather introverted person, and can find it difficult to do this. We would all prefer it to be just about the music, but being accessible on a personal level seems to be the way things are going. I am already fostering this on my livestreams and so far it is going well. I need to work harder on this however. It doesn’t really affect the music I create, and I try to ignore any outside influences when writing or creating, and just go with what flows.
Keep up with Melbourne based Leigh via his socials and be sure to catch a livestream ASAP:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighthomasmusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighthomasmusic/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/LeighThomasAU
