AFTER nine years in the spotlight of the Australian music scene, Shannon Noll has proven he’s no flash-in-the-pan.
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The Condobolin country lad is mid-way through a massive tour traversing regional Australia and tomorrow makes a stop to entertain the south-west at Warrnambool’s Lighthouse Theatre.
Noll made his last local appearance in 2010 as part of the Red Hot Summer Tour with Jimmy Barnes and Adam Brand, but told The Standard there would be plenty more to see this weekend.
“It’s good to get out on stage in front of the full band,” he said.
“We’ve done 40-odd shows so far and have 20-odd to go, so it’s been pretty full-on.
“We’ve had really good numbers to all shows and from the reports on Twitter and that sort of thing people are really enjoying it.”
The tour lines up with this month’s release of Noll’s biography Shannon Noll: So Far, which details the singer’s life growing up in rural New South Wales and his journey since becoming a star.
“Your life can shape your music a lot of the time,” he said. “People write from personal experience and the things they’ve witnessed, so you’ve got to take from that as much as you can and grow from it.
“I think (working on the book) was quite therapeutic at some stages, to get a lot of that off my chest, in the light, and hopefully put it to bed.
“There was a lot of stuff with the passing of dad that was an underlying pain and it’s always going to be there and it’s good to recognise it now and then.
“The book came about after Dancing With The Stars when I had some down time with a back operation and also because it’s coming up on 10 years since the show.”
“The show” refers to Australian Idol, the reality TV singing contest that inspired The Voice and X Factor, while also catapulting Noll to stardom in 2003 before countless others over the years.
“It’s gone by pretty quick really,” Noll said.
“I’ve learnt so much, the hard way sometimes, but they’re still lessons I’ve learnt and experience gained.
“The main thing is always try and stay who you are, be yourself and don’t let anything change you, whether it’s good experiences or bad ones.
“I’ve sort of had a few people I know change more than me — it’s a bizarre sort of feeling,” he said.
“You see a lot of people who gain a profile and start thinking they’re too big for their boots and act up themselves, but I think no one has the right to judge until they’ve walked a mile in someone’s shoes, and no one has the right to look down on anyone.”
Fans hoping to meet the star before his show tomorrow could be surprised if they turn up to the Lighthouse Theatre a little early.
“We always have a bit of a meet-and-greet before the show,” he said.
“It’s good to get down there with my show and catch up with everyone who came out last time.
“It’s a beautiful spot and I’m looking forward to getting down there.”
Noll said his next appearance in Warrnambool could be next year as part of a new tour titled In My Youth, performing a full set of iconic Australian rock songs.
“I love playing the old songs. It’s such a great era in Australian music,” he said.
“I think there’s a massive part of the population who I’ll be taking back to their youth as well with these songs.”
j.pech@standard.fairfax.com.au