Keep calm and go to…London?

Once I had finished production on the Standing to Fall EP I knew it was time to leave Australia…again. I have a serious case of wanderlust and can’t stay in my home country for long. Like many Australians (and Kiwis), I suffer from separation anxiety – understandable when you’re born on an island at the edge of the world.

I ached to go back to Los Angeles but, having been through the process before, knew how hard it was to find a job that would meet the work visa requirements to stay there. My husband, Christian Stirling, was also feeling restless and needed to leave the mind-numbing job he was forcing himself to do each day. Then it dawned on us…London…how had we not considered this before? Christian was a British citizen and what better city for an up and coming artist to be based – loads of pubs and clubs plus easy access to not just the UK but the entire EU!

I had also heard the stories of many Australian bands who had struggled to find an audience in Australia but were received well after relocating to the UK. So why not? We didn’t have anything to lose. We arranged jobs, passports, visas and landed at Heathrow Airport on August 11, 2017.

If we couldn’t go back to Los Angeles than we planned to stay in London indefinitely. It’s an eclectic city – a clash of old and new architecture intertwined with history, culture and people from all places and walks of life. We moved to Clapham South (literally above the tube station) and once settled I began the audition process for band members.

It didn’t take long to find good musicians in London. I recruited a bass player (Onur Yoruk) and lead guitarist (Luis Nesi) after the first audition. A little later rhythm guitarist (Wojtek) came into the mix. We rehearsed at Pirate Studios and just as we recruited a drummer (Celal Celik)…I received a job offer for a role based in…you guessed it…Los Angeles! Some might say it was fate but I know that deep down I just wasn’t willing to give up on the dream of going back to California.

Not even a year after moving to London, I was on a plane to Los Angeles and this time I was determined to stay. My only regret was that I couldn’t bring the band with me. They were a lovely bunch of talented and hardworking musicians and I’m forever humbled by their belief in my music. I wish them all the best and hope they’re still making a hell of noise together.