Oliver Downes

Singer-songwriter Oliver Downes will tonight officially unveil his debut album Ultraviolet. Now based out of Melbourne, Downes is formerly a local Sydney boy.

Ultraviolet is not only Oliver’s debut full length album, but it is also his most ambitious project to date. As Oliver explained, pushing himself to try something totally different to his past singles and EP was of crucial importance.

“I really wanted to do something that would differentiate things a bit from that “business as usual” mindset. So to work with a violinist and double bass player and allow the left of field choices to flow opened up a lot of possibilities, and also made it all very interesting for myself again.”

Luckily for Oliver, bringing in new ideas and musicians wasn’t a hugely jarring experience – he has never had a standing band, rather he prefers to gather specific groups of musicians together depending on what the project or song calls for. “I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out both musically and as a total package, I’m thrilled about the artwork,” he beamed.

The ability to produce and release a polished package in today’s music environment can be a rather difficult and expensive process. “The internet makes it very simple to record something and put it out into the world,” said Oliver. “It’s also very easy to directly communicate with your fans and supporters, but to work within the music industry to release a complete package with physical copies and a media campaign is a totally separate thing.”

In order to combat some of these hurdles Oliver enlisted the help of crowdfunding through a Pozible campaign, which allowed him to begin recording earlier than he otherwise would have. Most importantly though, it gave him a level of reassurance that he was creating something people actually wanted.

“It was a huge confidence boost in terms of realising I actually do have the support of the musical community as well as my friends and family,” he reflected. “Everybody who does this sort of thing has moments of doubt and question whether it’s actually doable, so to hit a target like that and receive so many messages of support was brilliant.”

Tonight’s show, which Oliver describes as “virtuosic chamber pop”, will see him taking the stage alongside his sister Holly Downes on double bass, her partner Chris Stone on violin and Chris’s brother Robin Stone on drums. (JA)

Oct 20. Django Bar, cnr Railway Parade & Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. $15-$20. Tickets & info: www.camelotlounge.com/django-bar