Singer/songwriter Melody Pool joins ARIA award-winning artist Troy Cassar-Daley for a live music gig in Hawthorn next week, before the pair joins the regional line-up at this year’s Port Fairy Folk Festival.
It’s the first time the Port Fairy Folk Festival and Boroondara Arts come together for a special partnership that puts artists on stages in both the Western Victorian festival and Melbourne’s inner east.
Melody Pool spoke to The Write Drop for our At The Bar series.
MY CITY
I am truthfully not a city person at all. I lived in Melbourne for three years and that was far too much time in a city for me! I love the country, the peace, the space. I live in a tiny town in the Hunter Valley and I could never move back to a city.
If I had to choose a city I really liked it would be San Francisco and I also enjoyed Paris. Both felt a little kooky. I’m still yet to find my favourite city.
FAVOURITE FOOD MEMORY
When I was 17, my cousin and I went to Singapore to visit her friend who was living there. His family took us to a restaurant on the 32nd floor of a building where we had a private room, and it was a nine-course meal. At that time I was a pretty fussy eater, but it blew my mind and that trip completely cured me of my fussiness- particularly, the Peking duck pancake was a standout. Another notable dish that never leaves my head is the best laksa I’ve ever had, which is funnily enough at Viet Hoa in Northbridge in Perth, WA.
FAVOURITE BAR
The Grand Junction Hotel in Maitland NSW. I lived off cider there for a few years (a long time ago) and I know a lot of the locals. That feels more like a community hang which I like.
DRINK THAT DESCRIBES YOU
One of my best friends Tara made a cocktail at a party – it was a shot of Chambord and a scoop of Lemon Gelato. It’s my favourite cocktail, maybe because it’s more of a dessert. Sweet and tangy. I can definitely relate to that.
BEST HANGOVER CURE
When I have had a few too many on very rare occasions, I actually crave food that’s salty but fresh – like olives, and pickles. Also, the Liquid IV sachets from Chemist Warehouse are heaps better than Hydralyte or Berocca!
BEST INTERSTATE BAR
The Brunswick Ballroom in Melbourne [formerly The Spotted Mallard] because it has the most magnificent stained-glass skylight.
OVERSEAS BAR
I played a gig at a little bar in London last year called Malt, it’s near London Bridge. It’s so cute, lovely staff, warm and cosy. I also really enjoyed Litfass in Bremen, Germany when I went over this year (mainly because you can smoke inside and it let us pretend it wasn’t 2024).
FAVOURITE WINE
A good Sofi spritz from Aldi is the go, I reckon.
FAVOURITE WINERY
I’m not much of a winery person, but I do live in the Hunter Valley and there are so many wineries here I almost feel like it should be illegal that I don’t have a favourite winery.
NEXT DESTINATION
I’m heading to Melbourne next week to support Troy Cassar-Daley.
Three new songs – tell us about them.
Fantasy Girl – a new song I released last year which is about being more enticed by the fantasy of something than doing the work to bring it about in real life.
Changing – a song I wrote after my Dad got sick about surrendering to the beautiful and horrible things life throws at us, and accepting that change is the only constant in life.
There’s another new song on my upcoming album called Will Not Let You Down which is a far more visual song than my other quite personal songs. It plays out almost like a dreamscape, and shifts throughout different movements. It was inspired by the incredibly vivid dreams I have every night.
What inspired you to start singing and performing?
I grew up in a musical family – my dad was a full-time musician my whole life and my Mum sang backing vocals in his band. It was just something I always did, since I was eight years old. Truthfully when I was younger, I wanted to be a lawyer because I thought business suits were so strange and exotic. I’ve never been around business people. Wasn’t cut out for corporate life in the end, I didn’t even want to give it a try when I got older. Music just became everything once I started writing songs.
How does where you grew up inspire the songs you write?
The environment I grew up in influences me much less than the people I grew up around. My Dad’s dedication to music and creativity fuelled everything in my day-to-day life now, and my parents have always been nothing short of encouraging and dedicated themselves to my music. That’s inspiring.
A song that changed your life?
Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs.
An album on high rotation?
Reflection by Pentangle (Basket of Light is my favourite Pentangle record but I’ve been digging Reflection lately)
What you can’t live without?
Writing songs, my silly little visions, my family and friends, my dog who counts as family.
https://portfairyfolkfestival.com
https://www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/events/troy-cassar-daley
