Jack Ladder
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By Wal Reid
Jack Ladder is one of those people you just love to hate. A singer, songwriter & composer he has talent to boot, oodles of the stuff that makes him an enviable target for naysayers. The Sydney sider's music is characterised by his baritone voice and poignant observations on love and death, often featuring a gallows humour, today was no different as we were served up a more than generous portion.
With his band of cohorts The Dreamlanders, Ladder has recently toured supporting Florence & the Machine, a daunting but beneficial experience.
"The shows been great, so bizarre playing those rooms", he recounts. "I've never really gone to see those shows in those kind of rooms before, I don't go to see big things too much. Back on the stage you walk out you lose your breath a little because there's ten thousand people there, that's quite a lot of people".
Earlier this year Ladder and fellow compadre Kirin J Callinan toured here earlier in the year, it still amazes him when playing live adjusting to audiences whether in small or big venues, for Ladder who has cut his teeth playing the club circuit.
"It's fine, you just you play to a picture of an audience which is much easier than playing to five people on the street, that's harrowing. You play to a bunch of anonymous civilians".
Jack Ladder has performed throughout Australia and internationally, making appearances in London, Berlin, New York and Los Angeles. He has shared stages with John Cale, The Horrors, Bill Callahan and Okkervil River, the experience has been nothing short of amazing and invaluable.
"It's hard to know how much impact you actually have because fans of her (Florence) are so devout to her that we are just annoying them by playing and not allowing her to come on earlier or something. I've been doing it long enough now that I don't really care [laughs]. The music already exists for me if we can get more people to listen to it that's great.