"Rockpoet Der Nacht"Louis Tillett is a pioneer and a stalwart of the Australian and International independent music scene and his influence flows far and wide...
He was lauded as a blues/rock heavy, firstly with The Wet Taxis, and, then as a maestro of the Jazz Punk scene in Sydney, with Paris Green, (a regular, live, breeding ground for emerging music stars), which held the record for the longest running residency in Sydney for a decade. Then came The Aspersion Caste, employing Australia’s foremost musicians of the time. His recordings have attracted and featured some of the most respected musicians in the world. In the past decades, Louis has developed a stunning reputation as a performer in Europe. Affectionately known as Rockpoet der Nacht, in Germany, heralded as an underground hero in France, and a celebrity in Greece. He has played over 3000 gigs, released 8 of his own albums, 3 other limited editions for the Return to Sender label, some 30-40 recordings with other celebrated Australian, and International acts, and has featured on various compilations in Europe, and in Australia. As a truly Independent Artist...he has had the very rare privilege of owning all of his own publishing, and rights to his own recordings, a fairly unique situation for an artist of his longevity and prowess. This enabled him to sign an exclusive bespoke Publishing deal with Wise Music Group in late 2022 for his entire catalogue. |
He is due for a posthumous release of an important Retrospective album - which features singles, live recordings and other material. It is a collector's dream and a representation of the entire career of Louis Tillett. The name of the Retrospective is
"To Ride A Dead Pony" www.louistillettmusic.com |
On BBC Radio, the legendary John Peel, discovered and enthused about Louis' music and played it regularly, although they never met as such.
Alan Bangs, the influential commentator (the German version of John Peel) was very much responsible for Louis' startling popularity in Germany and Europe in general.
Many influential Music magazines such Rolling Stone, NME, Muzik Express, Melody Maker, Sounds, and Bucket Full O' Brains, among others, took their cues from these deejays, and an underground, cult following steadily grew, especially on the Continent.
Alan Bangs, the influential commentator (the German version of John Peel) was very much responsible for Louis' startling popularity in Germany and Europe in general.
Many influential Music magazines such Rolling Stone, NME, Muzik Express, Melody Maker, Sounds, and Bucket Full O' Brains, among others, took their cues from these deejays, and an underground, cult following steadily grew, especially on the Continent.
The Art of Darkness
Ultimately, Louis hopes to be able to give his fans the opportunity to understand him as a man. His lyrics, his music, his melancholy, and his dark humor hint at a complex persona. What he hopes to share now, is the story of a life of adversity - overcome. He is compelled to create more music but the Audio-book (announced April 2018) will give him a new voice. Rumors will be dispelled. New and extraordinary stories, stranger than fiction, will come to light.
Condemned to Live...Vinyl single from 1989. Photo by Lisa Roet.
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Being an enigmatic creature, and more than 6 feet in stature, Louis seems to inhabit other realms, appearing here, then disappearing for years at a time, leaving (generally unfounded) rumor and intrigue in his wake. He is unashamedly Underground and Independent in his approach to everything. There is no pretense - as evident in his life and his music.
It is not uncommon for people to draw comparisons to John Cale, Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), Peter Hammill, and Jeffrey Lee Pierce (Gun Club) for the music and the stories. Other obvious comparisons regularly drawn are with Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. With an innate talent for creating music that is at times otherworldly, almost folk-ish and then sometimes just plain in-your-face tear-everything-down gutsy blues/rock, fitting Louis into a genre is near impossible. A common thread between commentators, however, is that Louis has an ability to hypnotize you with his sultry voice and hold you, with his vulnerability, tangible emotion and unmistakable passion.
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The Sounds of the 80s and 90s...
The Flaming Lips
#1 US Album 2004 EGO TRIPPING AT THE GATES OF HELL An (acknowledged) nod to Louis’ music. He has a 1987 Album of the same name…. his much celebrated First Solo Album |
Louis has often been the subject of urban music myth, and it's been said by those in the know, that his live and recorded performances with the Wet Taxis, Paris Green, The Ego Trippers from Hell, and The Aspersion Caste, in the 80s and 90s, inspired and even informed many other alternative, grunge and indie exponents of our time, including (believe it or not) such legendary artists and acts as Kurt Cobain, and The White Stripes, The Flaming Lips, and notable home-grown acts such as You Am I, and many other likely admirers of his punk/jazz/rock transmutations, especially at the height of the “Sydney/Seattle sound” exchange.
He has no shortage of keen admirers and collaborators among his musical peers. And in the past, he has been invited to collaborate with such musical giants as Leonard Cohen, Brian Eno, Jah Wobble and Nick Cave, among others. He is an artist of some stature in the eyes of many. He is often called "the musician's musician". |
The European Evolution
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Over the years, he has earned himself a unique popularity with European (& some UK) fans and high acclaim from its various music press, including NME, Sounds, Melodymaker, Bucket Full o Brains, et al. In the music media, and to its readers, he has become faithfully known as “The Night Poet” and “Rockpoet der Nacht”.
Of the high regard they have for him: his last European release, Learning To Die, (only released in Europe) earned him a rarely granted 4 star rating from MusikExpress, Germany. He has continued to release all his albums in Europe. However, many of them were not released in Australia, therefore the Australian audience are largely unaware of many of his gems, except the hard core fans, who buy them as Imports. However, his intermittent Australian releases have not been without critical success, such as the duet album with Charlie Owen, “Midnight Rain”, which was awarded the Australian Rolling Stone Magazine critic's award of the Best Album of 1996. |
His unique expression continues to evolve, as he continues to make music his own way. He pursues his own musical journey, now, as he did when he left home shores 25 years ago, to explore a European audience, in relative anonymity.
After considerable interest, he relocated to Greece, for a time, returning periodically. Although he has been spending more time in Australia - where the original fans enjoy both solo and big band line-ups when he is playing at home, his European audience are always keen to see his return, and he is still invited to play at festivals such as Rockpalast and concerts here and there. The longer he is away, the more fervor his fans reveal. 
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Back from The Sea
The SocialsLouis began increasing his profile through Social Media in 2014, while engaging in a (successful) crowdfunding campaign. It was designed to bring him out of a long period of darkness, and bad luck, following his recovery from Mental Illness and Alcoholism.
The Cultural MissionThere was a further campaign to launch a comprehensive website, to assist his Mission to donate as much source material to the National Film and Sound Archives as possible, to meet with their requests to collect and curate his entire life's work, as a priority, as they had deemed him to be a "Heritage Artist" of significance to the Australian cultural landscape. In order to address some of the aims of this long term project, he launched www.louistillettmusic.com.
Although much of his source material is in storage, he is seeking to track down the many other media that have been created over his 30 plus year career. He has had various TV documentaries and TV specials made and aired in Greece, Germany, Australia, and NZ, which include Recovery, The Big Breakfast, Studio 22, and Alchemy, and Channel V. And on radio: dozens of interviews, and performances. It will be an enormous task alone to recover this material, and yet another task to have it restored, and presented. To this end, Louis has created a "Mission" page, and a fund - to allow Patrons to assist this important undertaking. |
The DocumentaryThere has been a repeat airing of “A Night At Sea” – a previous ABC doco, by Mark Mordue and Lisa Nichols. And now, another release of this significant documentary as Video on Demand. Each time it has been shown again, audiences start to seek him out again, which is reflected in the visits to his website and Social Media.
The Short FilmHis appearance in the short film "HERO" - which debuted at MIFF in 2007, also introduced him to new audiences, and film buffs, who have long held the opinion that his Music was always cinematic, although it is one area of artistic contribution that has still eluded him, despite so many connections in the Film and TV industries.
Crossing The Digital DivideHaving crossed over to the "other side" and re-releasing his catalog Digitally on such vast platforms as Spotify, iTunes, Youtube and the like...his "underground" image has done him no harm.
People who have found it hard to source his albums in the past can now recommend his music to their friends, knowing they can instantly access his music, and "get him" - if that's what they are inclined to do. And finding an authentic artist, in this Digital age, and one with a backstory - is like finding hidden treasure. Subsequently, Louis' music is enjoying the attention of a quickly growing and an even more diverse audience. |
Louis Tillett The Man
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