City And Colour

Throughout his entire life, going all the way back to his roots in post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, to his solo project City And Colour, and then onto his duo collaboration You+Me with Pink, Dallas Green has always been known for penning deep, emotionally charged songs which explore the few certainties of life. His latest record If I Should Go Before You, which he will be touring Australia in support of next March and April, continues this tradition.

“Sometimes it can be [emotionally draining] depending on how heavy the subject matter may be, but it’s also a way of working through whatever I may be going through at the time,” explained Green. “No matter what I’m writing about I always find the lyric writing difficult because I’m terrified of writing the wrong thing down.”

With some of these fears in mind, and having had a chance while touring with his band for the past two years to build a relationship both personally and musically, it was a “no brainer” to include the band in the writing process for a City And Colour record for the very first time. “Having the safety net of a great band to fall back on when I was coming up with song ideas, and knowing I didn’t have to fully shape everything was a real release,” said Green.

For Green, writing with a band was nothing new given his background with Alexisonfire, who recently announced their reunion following their first tour together since breaking up in 2012. That short tour seems to have boosted Green’s energy and creativity level, as it gave him a chance to “revisit our youth a little bit,” he said. “I’m surprised that physically we were able to do it as old men now but it was a lot of fun.”

Alexisonfire fans should temper their excitement though, because for now Dallas has his entire attention focused on supporting If I Should Go Before You: “I’m proud of this record, so as of right now that’s where I’m at creatively, and I’m going to just focus on that.”

Dallas has gone on record many times professing his love for Australia and his fans here, which he explained is why he enjoys making his way down here to perform: “Australia has always been very kind to me. I sort of feel responsible in a way, if people are listening I want to come and play.”

Tickets for the tour go on-sale Monday October 26 at 10am.

Apr 4. The Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown. $75+b.f. Tickets & Info: enmoretheatre.com.au