No joke: You Am I to play the Tatts on April 1

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Their first album was released four years before I was born, with their hit single ‘Purple Sneakers’ playing on the radio just as I was learning to roll over.

So, it came as no surprise that I didn’t know much about You Am I before researching this story.

After reading up on them, it had become a common occurrence to see other writers commenting on bassist Andy Kent and his blunt, yet humorous honesty during interviews.

Smelling my youth, Kent lived up to his reputation as we chatted about life over the past 27 years.

“Every year is different, new destinations, new songs, new inspiration, new love, new losses, it kind of mirrors life,” Kent told me.

“The band is a business, a marriage, a passion, all of those things wrapped into one.

“We’ve tried to get rid of it many times throughout our lives, but it keeps following us.”
Known to be the first Australian band to have released three consecutive number one albums, Kent said they knew early on that this wasn’t just a pipe dream.

“We knew exactly that we’d become a classic Australian rock band,” he joked.

“The first song of the first rehearsal, we looked at each other and we went ‘oh there we go, it’s going to be a classic band’, so we just went to the pub after that and let it all happen.

“It was pretty easy really.”

At the height of their fame, Kent along with singer Tim Rogers, drummer Russell Hopkinson and guitarist Davey Lane, headlined for some of the greatest bands in history.

Having played with Soundgarden, Nirvana and even the Rolling Stones, Kent mused that one of his favourite memories was opening for Oasis.

“Oasis were funny because they aren’t the greatest rock band in the world, but they’ve got more attitude than anybody, so they were great to watch,” he said.

And while Kent said the band had aged “terribly” over the years, their songs still continued to reach a younger audience.

“They all stayed young, it was really weird,” he laughed.

“We all got older and they stayed 23 the whole time.”

Catch You Am I live at the Tattersalls Hotel on Sunday, April 1 from 6.30pm. Tickets are $55.60 each. Visit www.tickets.oztix.com.au or call 9732 6373.


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