Mother Nature’s gift to Human Nature fans

November 6, 2014 11:31 am 15 comments Views: 25

Human Nature took to the stage at Qantas Club in Melbourne this afternoon for a surprise pop-up performance, much to the delight of some passengers who were delayed due to Sydney storms. Picture: James Morgan
Source: Supplied

ANY fears that Vegas might have taken Human Nature for good were allayed when the band recently announced a national tour next year to celebrate their latest album, Jukebox.

Fans of the band, who will celebrate a massive 25 years in the biz later this month were delighted to see Australia’s most successful male vocal group return home for a slew of local performances this week.

But it was Mother Nature who intervened during the band’s pop-up gig at Melbourne’s Qantas Club lounge last night with the vocal group playing to a much larger than expected crowd after flights were to Sydney were delayed due to intense thunderstorms.

Describing the gig as “awesome”, Toby Allen told news.com.au it was gigs like that that reminded the band how much they love playing to audiences at home.

Human Nature sung songs from their new Jukebox album inside the Qantas Club in Melbourne.
Source: Supplied

Despite being based in Las Vegas since 2008 – playing over 1000 shows during their residency at the Imperial before moving to The Venetian in February 2013 – Allen says Australia remains at their forefront of their minds.

“We never wanted to just go over there and never think about anywhere else,” he told news.com.au after the band’s gig in the Qantas lounge. “Australia is too important to us and just to get back here once or twice a year is reason enough for us to work Australia into our year. We have such an amazing country, even though we have heaps of Aussies coming to our show, it’s never the same as playing in front of the people who are excited to hear us and see us again.

“We’re friends of Qantas and whenever we step on that plane to come home, it’s the most amazing feeling, just to be reminded about everything you love about the country and everything you miss about home.”

Andrew Tierny, Michael Tierny, Phil Burton and Toby Allen make up Human Nature.
Source: News Corp Australia

And they’re acutely aware that their local fan base who have loved them since the days of Telling Everybody in the 90s right through to their recent Motown hits don’t want to be forgotten.

“We’ve managed to weather the changes (in the music industry) through the years and we spent a lot of time really wanting to get around to the fans and making sure they knew we wanted to stick around. We wanted to stick around as long as they’d have us, I think that’s been something we’ve done our whole career. The new album and tour have sold really well and I think that’s the result of the time we’ve put in to wanting to make Australia our greatest market and we have a great fanbase here, it’s awesome.”

So how much longer do they plan to make Vegas home?

Colour – Melbourne Cup Day Confidential Socials. Human Nature. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis
Source: News Corp Australia

“We’ve extended for another year at The Venetian, we may even stay longer, but we’re not ones to plan too far in advance, but it’s going great. As long as we can still balance being able to plan in other gigs elsewhere and our tour in Australia next year then we could be there for a while.”

Having resided in the “City of Sin” for six years now, you’d think the boys would have their fair share of crazy Vegas experiences, but Allen names a run-in with Hello Kitty as among the most memorable.

“I don’t know about crazy, but this is more shocking and disturbing,” he laughed. “There’s all these characters dressed up on the strip as cartoon characters or superheroes and I was walking down the strip one day and I saw this Hello Kitty sort of sitting down taking a little breather and as I walked past I looked down at Hello Kitty’s outfit and her costume was completely open at the back and there was this big hairy back! I was horrified and sickened because I always imagined that Hello Kitty might have been female and might have been a little more graceful than having a massive hairy back. That’s a little bit of the underbelly of Vegas slipping through. Hello Kitty needs a wax.”

Human Nature’s Jukebox tour will hit the country in April and May 2015.