Page 52 - Tropic Magazine Issue 29

TROPIC • MUSIC

Moss’s Matchbox

ANNIVERSARY TOUR
Award-winning solo artist and
Cold Chisel guitarist Ian Moss is
set to rock Tanks Art Centre to
celebrate 30 years since his hit
debut album.

Words: Renee Cluff
It’s been a long seven years since Ian
Moss graced Cairns with his silken voice
and soulful sounds. It would have been
six, but his Matchbox album anniversary
tour had to be cancelled last year, because
of COVID-19. Ian Moss’s debut album
was certainly part of the Australian Did you know
soundtrack of the late 80s and early
90s. Released six years after Cold Chisel Ian Moss:
disbanded, it peaked at #1 on the ARIA 1
Albums Chart and remained in the top
ten for more than three months, selling “I’ve heard so much about the venue Has his pilot’s licence
200,000 copies in the first year. and I’ve been trying to get there for
Awards including Album of the Year, some time,” he told Tropic. “It’s a great 2
Best Male Artist, Breakthrough Artist – atmosphere with great acoustics, which
Album, Breakthrough Artist – Single and will work in my favour. Does pilates
Song of the Year for Tucker’s Daughter
(shared with co-songwriter Don Walker) 3
were also among his many accolades.
More than three decades on, the songs It’s a fairly dynamic show Hates humid weather
still stack up and now we get to
re-experience them live. Moss is looking – one minute I’m up
forward to both belting it out and purring smashing it out with a big it down’. Then I enlisted the help of
for the crowd when he plays at the Tanks Don Walker. The very first line I sang as
for the first time in his career. sound but then I can go an ad lib included the words ‘mother’s
from fairly full-on to daughter’. Don Walker picked up on that
pin drop and changed ‘mother’ to ‘tucker’.
Once the Cairns shows are over, Moss is
Ian Moss, looking forward to a reef trip and
Cold Chisel hanging out with his long-time,
guitarist respected mate and fellow guitarist,
Wayne McIntosh.
While there is a planned set, he said it “He is one of the world’s best guitarists as
won’t be limited to Matchbox tunes and far as I’m concerned,” Moss said. “I always
can change depending on the mood of try to sneak a few lessons in when I catch
the crowd. “Tucker’s Daughter, Telephone up with him.”
Booth, Pretty Face and Such a Beautiful Not a bad accolade coming from a
Thing are absolutely musts,” he said. man who’s been credited with being
“Writing Tucker’s Daughter was Australia’s best guitarist.
interesting. The record company was Ian Moss will play two shows at the Tanks
saying I needed something poppy. Art Centre on April 16 and 17.
“I was living in LA at the time, so I got
stuck into writing the music. I had one
line of lyric, which was ‘build it up tear MORE: tanksartscentre.com

52 • Tropic • Issue 29