In Conversation with kit: Angie McMahon

Melbourne-born like kit:, Angie returns to her local roots for the festival, presenting her latest album ‘Light, Dark, Light Again’, an emotional reflection of the perils of modern days. Before the soiree, we caught up with Angie to chat Melbourne music scene, must-have skincare staples, and the meditative journey of songwriting.

“I love how it’s a nest for creativity and songwriting. I think we’re on really beautiful land and something about the energy of the city breathes life into art and music. I have seen so many cool shows here, met so many creative people, and learned so much about the intersections between culture and activism and art and stories. I used to love this tiny venue called Some Velvet Morning, it’s not around anymore, but that’s where I was lucky to meet a lot of community and learn about the scene.

“It’s helpful to have less on tour, because it all just becomes mess! I bring one of those velcro hair rollers that I put in after a shower to keep my fringe off my face and pretend I’m a granny. I rely heavily on dry shampoo, sunscreen, face oil, a travel bottle of cleanser, and then a few makeup things. On a flight, I always have moisturiser because my skin gets so dry. My method is trying to get enough sleep, drinking a lot of water and talking myself out of bright blue eyeliner which I always want to put on and then immediately regret.”

“I went through a full-on life crisis in between records, hit the lowest bottom I’ve ever hit, and totally lost my confidence. I think the record eventually became the collection of words and music that I needed to hear to rebuild myself out of that, so it’s a home for a lot of healing and lessons, and understanding what I was moving through. I’m just hoping that it becomes that for someone else, too. Musically it’s more produced and more layered because I was building my confidence and building bigger worlds than I’d felt comfortable doing before - it was scary and liberating!”

“It’s really lovely. We’re so lucky to have the culture and support here that we have, and sometimes it’s hard — it has been really hard the last few years to play gigs and feel like the industry is sustaining itself - but in moments like this, I’m so happy to be here. The world is a hard and confusing place, and this kind of celebration brings a lot of hope and joy I think.”

''They’re quite simple — wash my face before bed, moisturise, rub the bottom of my feet to help the rest of my body relax. I don’t have the energy for high-maintenance routines, but I am really into calming rituals, like breathing and stretching and writing, and those things help me feel beautiful. And lately I have been loving using hand cream before I leave the house, it kind of feels like putting a magic potion on myself before going out into the world.''

 

ALWAYS LIVE is a statewide celebration of contemporary live music supported by the Victorian Government through Visit Victoria. On from 24 November – 10 December across Melbourne and Victoria, discover the program here.