Guy Blackman Band (with members of The Green Child, Snowy Band, Way Dynamic) plays Franks Wild Years with support from Merryn Jeann and Blue Divers.
Guy is a songwriter’s songwriter. His deftly constructed songs deal frankly with issues of love, sexuality and commitment. If Serge Gainsbourg, Tim Hardin or Kevin Ayers wrote songs set in gay go-go bars or on adult camming websites, you might get close to an idea of Guy’s approach.
As a solo artist, Guy has shared stages with Joanna Newsom, Bill Callahan, Vashti Bunyan, Stereolab, John Grant, Beach Fossils, Owen Pallett, Jens Lekman and others. As a member of bands Sleepy Township, Montero and Minimum Chips, he has played with Elliot Smith, Cat Power, Pavement, War On Drugs, Kurt Vile and more. Guy has toured the US, UK, Europe and Japan, playing with Mt Eerie, Tenniscoats, Dear Nora, Julien Gasc and others.
Out Of Sight is Chapter founder Guy Blackman’s first solo album in nearly 20 years, a belated follow-up to his well-loved 2008 album Adult Baby.
I got a bit scarred singing my little open-hearted queer songs in the late 2000s, it was a different time back then,” Guy says. “So I clammed up for a while, and threw myself into releasing other people’s music instead. Then a few years ago I poked my head out and realised things were changing. I got emboldened to start putting my music into the world again. Of course now things are getting much worse, but this time I’m like ‘f**k ‘em!’
The album was recorded in three sessions across 2022-2024, first in Melbourne with Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair from Good Morning, then in London with Liam, and back in Melbourne with Liam Halliwell. The record hides barbs of humour and hurt beneath its intricate arrangements and breezy soft rock. It features a languorous duet with French performer Julien Gasc (of Stereolab and Aquaserge), and string arrangements by Grand Salvo’s Paddy Mann, played by a quartet led by Chloe Sanger.