Damien Leith spent the first half of 2016 doing something he’s not too used to doing: pretending to be someone else on stage, and not his usual charming, jovial self.
The singer-songwriter with the Irish lilt and a definite – some might say slightly typical – optimistic look on life has been performing as, instead, the epitome of the dark, brooding musician.
Leith’s Roy – A Tribute to Roy Orbison show sold out six venues around the country earlier this year, showcasing his ability to switch up songs, or even just activity, on stage at the drop of a hat, but also his keen sensibility when approaching music.
“It’s been a really great experience, like putting on a different skin on stage,” Leith said.
“It’s been great just to put on shows that are, in a way, different from what I usually do. I love trying out new things, I love the challenge of that, so that’s why I jumped at the Roy show. I guess I’m lucky to be in a place in my career where I can take those opportunities as they come.”
It’s been ten years since Leith appeared on the fourth season of Australian Idol. Much like his fellow Idol winners and contemporaries, Leith has managed to step out of the shadow of that pre-eminent talent competition and develop a career path of his own.
Since 2006, he hasn’t really wasted a second: seven popular studio albums, including the much-loved Songs from Ireland, a powerful Irish play in The Parting Glass, and a few novels for good measure.
He’s now heading out on the Winner’s Journey, a celebration of the path he’s taken since Idol, which will take shape in intimate acoustic sets throughout the country.
“It’s kind of crazy to look back on it all, because you sometimes forget just how much it is you’ve done,” Leith said.
“It’s kind of crazy to look back at the last ten years, if only because I can;t believe how much I’ve managed to get done,” he said.
“Like, a lot of it blurs in together, especially when you’re spending those early years in your career trying to get a foothold. But just the whole thing in general. Like, I know where I am now, and I’m proud and happy of who I am and where I am now. But you can forget what it took to reach that point, and I guess this has given me that chance.”
Following on from the short run of Roy shows in April, Leith has done nothing more than dive head-first back into the same routine.
With his show hitting MPAC on November 17, Leith will be bringing some old tracks, popular covers and maybe even some new ones.
“I’ve loved getting back into writing. It’s something I need to do: I can’t really just stop, I have to jump from one thing to the other,” he said.
“I love trying to do new things all the time, so hopefully this will have something different going on too.”
