Henry Wagons & The Only Children (ft. Skylar Wilson)

Creativity acts just like any of the muscles in our bodies, in that the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes, but if that exercise becomes too repetitive you begin to see diminishing returns from your efforts. Thankfully for frontman Henry Wagons, he has been able to avoid this exact situation by constantly challenging himself in new and exciting ways, the latest of which being a trip to Nashville to record his first solo album and then assembling an entirely new band to tour the record.

“It was great to work different muscles, it was difficult but in a very satisfying way. It’s like you’ve been working out doing pilates and then all of a sudden you go on a sprint for 15 minutes, that’s going to test. So I was a sort of sweaty embryonic mess but in a different way than I usually am [when] recording,” reflected Henry.

The recording process for new album After What I Did Last Night… was so different this time around because Henry took up an opportunity (that he described as a “one off the bucket list”) to travel to Nashville and record with a number of other musicians there. The biggest change in the process was simply the speed with which the record was completed.

“The whole thing was done from go to woe in about a month, which is a lot shorter [than usual],” said Wagons. “Recording in Melbourne is more of a social, organic activity where we get in the same room, have a few beers and the songs slowly form. Whereas working with the Nashville guys, it’s more like being on an episode of Grand Designs, it’s a bunch of geniuses huddling around a table plotting how to make a grand artwork.”

In order to capture some of that magic from the recording process and bring it to the live show, Henry is flying out producer Skylar Wilson to act as musical director of the tour. “I’m expecting a slice of that Tennessee late night barroom haze to be transplanted to Australia,” he remarked.

The tour provides an opportunity for Henry to finally explore the other side of his “bipolar” life as he moves away from the “incredibly isolating internal creative mode” into the “travelling exterior motivated troubadour” side.

“I can’t wait to hit the road [and] play these songs live, I’ve made them [and] now it’s time to see how my little babies take to the rest of the world from the blood, sweat and tears of the stage.” (JA)

May 13. Newtown Social Club, 387 King St, Newtown. $25+b.f. Tickets & Info: newtownsocialclub.com