Madeline Leman and The Desert Swells recall their humble beginnings
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12.06.2019

Madeline Leman and The Desert Swells recall their humble beginnings

Madeline Leman

A supergroup of Melbourne music talents, how did Madeline Leman and The Desert Swells come together in the first place?

I’m a very lucky gal, Leah Senior and I have been best friends for ages, we sang in a quaint folk duo together in our early 20s. Fabian and Alex, our guitarist and bassist, are Kiwis and I managed to snap them up soon after they arrived in Melbourne. Fabs plays surf guitar, hence the desert and the swell.   

Tell us about your new album, Nobody’s Fool.

Nobody’s Fool is my feminist manifesto. I wanted to write an Americana album that featured strong and nuanced female protagonists. I feel like there are too many country songs about men cheating on their wives. I wanted this album to aim right at the heart of the female experience. It’s a celebration but also a call to arms.

How would you describe your sound and how did you come to it?

Soul, jazz, funk, country, rock’n’roll, American folk – we’ve taken all these things, added in some ‘70s pop, centred it around women and called ourselves a ‘femmericana’ band.

What can we expect from your upcoming in-store performance at Rocksteady Records?

I’ll be bringing the whole band and some dance moves – I get pretty into it on stage. We’ll be performing and selling our 7” ‘Diva With The Fever of Change’, so expect a lot of strong female energy.

What’s next for the band?

I cannot wait to get my teeth stuck into some songwriting. It’s really hard to write when you have an album in the works, so it feels like a fresh start.

Catch Madeline Leman and The Desert Swells at Rocksteady Records on Friday June 14 and West Set Festival on Sunday June 23.