Hoods bring "Sweater" to Busselton

South Australian hip-hop trio the Hilltop Hoods will bring their Cosby Sweater Tour to Busselton next month to promote their ARIA-topping new album Walking Under Stars.

Barry Francis, aka DJ Debris — one-third of the trio rounded out by MCs Suffa (Matt Lambert) and Pressure (Daniel Smith) — chatted to the Times last week from Adelaide.

“Hometown gigs are always fun and nerve-wracking because you know your mum’s watching, ” Francis said in an indication of the band’s down- to-earth mentality.

“I still get nervous before shows but even more so when my parents are there.”

The Hoods’ sixth studio album, which debuted in August, is regarded as their most personal yet, with songs such as the emotion-fuelled Won’t Let You Down and Through the Dark, which describes Smith’s son Liam’s battle with leukaemia.

“It’s a sign of the times,” Francis said.

“It’s probably reflective of where we are in life. It’s nothing we planned, so to speak. Our albums form themselves. There’s no grand master plan.”

The Hoods’ two-month Australian tour, which started at the end of August, is joined by Blue Mountains trio Thundamentals and K21 from Adelaide.

Francis said the band had been on the road since July, touring New Zealand, Europe and the US in the lead-up to the Australian tour. “It’s all been pretty back to back, a non-stop journey and it’s all starting to blur, ” he said.

“But the response has been incredible. We changed up our live set a bit and have a lot of new tracks and it has been an amazing experience so far.

“A lot of shows on this tour are outdoors, which is a change-up from our previous tours.

“It’s a bit more open, not as intimate but people tend to be less inhibited. Just being in the open air brings out the party in people.”

Francis deflects credit for the Hoods being pioneers of Australian hip-hop saying rappers such as Def Wish Cast, were around before them.

“There was quite a healthy underground scene before we started getting airplay, ” Francis said.

“It’s humbling when people say that to us and it’s a nice guernsey to wear, but a lot of it for us was being in the right place at the right time. We don’t take all the credit, that’s for sure.”

Francis said the band kept themselves collaborative.

“We’ll pretty actively listen to hip-hop and hang around a lot of artists and I guess that rubs off, ” he said.

“We make music for ourselves that we’re happy with, first and foremost.”

Francis said touring, especially internationally, was often a sweet surprise.

“To come across little pockets of people in the strangest places that dig your music is always a humbling thing, ” he said.

The Hilltop Hoods will perform at Bovell Park in Busselton on December 5.

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