Newton Faulkner's theory to keep moving during time of personal change

If Newton Faulkner wasn't such a successful singer-songwriter, you suspect he could have built a career as an inventor.

There's certainly an element of madcap scientist about the Englishman.

When he returns to Australia in April for his first tour here since 2019, Faulkner will arrive with his latest invention, MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) shoes.

MIDIs allow instruments and software to sync and work together and use digital messages to tell devices what to play and how.

Think of it like a modern digital version of the old one-man band contraptions you might remember chimney sweep Bert from Mary Poppins playing.

But Faulkner's MIDI is programmable through a series of buttons on the sole of his shoes.

So expect his feet to be dancing up a storm when he brings his Octopus tour to Australia.

Faulkner has performed with backing bands and solo in the past.

But as his music became more complicated, he was increasingly frustrated by modern solo setups which forced him to remain seated at shows.

"So, although the people were up and moving, I was kind of stationary, and that kind of bugged me," Faulkner says.

"I do think it affected the perception of what I was doing because whatever I did, if I'm sitting there with an acoustic guitar, the fact that I'm sitting down and it's an acoustic guitar, people just went away being like, 'Oh, that was really nice.'

"Even if I sat there, totally distorted it and screamed, it was like, 'Oh, that was really nice.'

"So, I needed to find a way of making a huge amount of noise and utilising both feet without sitting down."

Faulkner says the MIDI shoes have basically rewired how he performs. It's essentially like learning a new instrument.

"It's really fiddly and complicated and threshold-based and is literally the bane of my life, while also being the most fun I've ever had," he says.

Octopus, Faulkner's eighth studio album, is arguably the most diverse and layered record he's made.

It pushes the 40-year-old's folk-pop sound, made famous by his 2007 top-10 hit Dream Catch Me and subsequent No.1 UK album Hand Built By Robots, towards a more modern electronic and rock-based aesthetic.

There's the intense electro-pop of Alright Alright Alright, the R'n'B exploration of Gravitational and the indie-pop highlight Hunting Season, which features the vocal talents of American artist Lissie and UK rock band Los Bitchos.

"According to other people, it's the biggest step away from anywhere I've been before by quite a kind of tangible way," he says

"I'm always very cautious of saying that I've kind of changed everything myself.

"I mean, I don't mind stating intent before I do things. But once it's done, it's not really up to me whether it's done that; it is up to other people."

I thought I'd miss it a lot, but there is not one second where I've thought, 'Oh, I wish I had really heavy ropes attached to my head all the time, for children to climb up and to shut in cab doors and to dip in drinks if I'm not concentrating.- Newton Faulkner

Octopus was released in the UK on September 19, but the record won't be available on streaming services or in physical formats in Australia until March 6, ahead of his tour.

Faulkner says he hopes it means the new material will sound fresher to Australian ears on his April tour.

"I am aware that some people were very angry, for which I do apologise," he says.

"It was just one of those things. It's like we can either just throw it out everywhere and then go out later and kind of chase our tail and try and promote it when that kind of initial spark of newness has gone.

"It's not something you can do twice."

For Faulkner, the title Octopus signifies how the album "pulls in lots of different directions, and obviously octopus tentacles are kind of independent and reach independently into different corners."

One of the most lyrically powerful moments on Octopus is the track Honest To God.

The song tackles with brutal honesty Faulkner's continuing struggle with imposter syndrome.

"I think in order to care, I think you need a small amount of it to keep you kind of pushing," he says.

"It is a world where you're constantly seeing people that think they're good.

"So, if you look at the talent shows on television, I find them quite disturbing because every time I see someone who is objectively terrible, I think everyone around them has told them that they're great their entire life.

"A bit of me is like, 'Oh, f--k, is that me? Is that what I do? Is just no one being honest?'

"I find it genuinely kind of terrifying. I think there's a degree of that. I mean, there's stuff that I know how to do, but in terms of how I do it and how I put it all together, it's really hard to not doubt the whole kind of thing on some level."

There's one major difference Australian fans will notice when Faulkner returns.

The man's trademark long ginger dreadlocks were chopped off during a live performance last December to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. These days he's sporting a bald head and Faulkner says the haircut even influenced the album.

"It made me kind of willing to take even more risks because it really felt like a kind of totally new way of existing," he says.

"I thought I'd miss it a lot, but there is not one second where I've thought, 'Oh, I wish I had really heavy ropes attached to my head all the time, for children to climb up and to shut in cab doors and to dip in drinks if I'm not concentrating.'

"I have not missed them for a single second."

Turning 40 last January is another milestone that's altered Faulkner's mindset.

"You do have to kind of accept your shortcomings and the stuff you can do and the stuff you can't do," he says.

"It kind of gives you that license to just jump in and just get on with stuff, and I think that was what the whole record was really."

Newton Faulkner plays the Hamilton Station Hotel on April 15.

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