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James Johnston
How does a tractor kid from Wingham end up a country music star?
“That’s a great question! I live in Queensland now but I was born and raised just outside Wingham, a little town on the Mid-North Coast of NSW. It gets complicated come State Of Origin time but I’m still a Blues supporter. Tractors were our life growing up. Mum and Dad ran the local dealership, and generations before them did too. I was the outlier. There were no musicians but I spent so much time travelling in the LandCruiser with Dad, listening to Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Lee Kernaghan and Troy Cassar-Daley. Country music was the soundtrack to my life.”
So, young James wasn’t singing The Wiggles?
[Laughs] “Nope! There’s a photo of me at daycare wearing a cowboy hat and boots, belting out ‘Friends in Low Places’ by Garth Brooks. Not the usual jam for a four-year-old, but it definitely set the tone.”
Was music always the end goal?
“Always the dream but not the plan. After school, I gave myself one year to go for it. My Dad told me, ‘Treat it like a job. Start at 8am, put in the work.’ I did that then and I still do now. At 25, I finally said, ‘I’m going to do this forever.’ In lockdown, I wrote over 250 songs cause I got up every day and went to work. That’s when I wrote ‘Raised Like That’, which changed everything.”
Let’s talk about love. Your wife is the inspiration behind your song Good For Me.
“She sure is. We met on a cruise ship where I was in the house band. I spotted her the minute she walked in, then she asked if I knew any Keith Urban. I was like, who is this girl?! The hard and fast rule on a ship is, ‘no fraternising with the guests’, so we spent eight hours a day talking on the deck. When I got off the ship I went to Nashville for three months and didn’t stop thinking about her. That’s what Good For Me is all about, how the life you didn’t see coming can be the best one of all. You never know where the path is going to take you.”
Do your kids know Dad’s kind of a big deal now?
“I don’t know about that but I wouldn’t change anything. We have two beautiful boys and a new Border Collie called Tilly. My wife’s a big Matildas fan.”
We hear you’ve got a soft spot for sunrises. Do you think a Manly sunset will win you over?
“Absolutely! I’m up before the sun every day but most of my drive is through farmland and I’m always pulling over to catch the sunset. It’s just the birds singing and silence over the paddocks. The team said the view from North Head in Manly is something special. I can’t wait to see it.”
Catch James Johnston at Night at thhe Barracks, at North Head on 3 October 2025.
@jamesjohnstonmusic
Cut Copy
They’ll headline Night at the Barracks on Friday 12 September, supported by multi-platinum DJ/producer KLP, who’s opening with a throwback electro/indie set. Bring your dancing shoes.
Frontman Dan Whitford says Moments marks an evolution from their much-loved In Ghost Colours era.
“In In Ghost Colours we threw everything in there; 90s dance, layered shoegaze guitar, disco, and punk,” he says. “Moments is a bit more refined and futuristic, with elements of techno and disco, but also more electronic IDM sounds. I think as time has gone on, we’ve become a bit more aware of having space in our songs so that there’s room for the big moments to hit.”
When asked to pick a favourite anthem from that era, Dan doesn’t hesitate.
“It’s hard to go past ‘Intro’ by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke. Even now, whenever I hear it I get a little endorphin rush from the muscle memory of all the club nights I went to back in the early 2000s. Thankfully, without 24 hours of post-party comedown.”
Beyond the music, Dan’s background in graphic design has shaped both the band’s visual identity and creative process.
“Music and design are both ways to express ideas and create something for people to vibe on,” he says. “Making all the artwork for an album adds a whole extra visual dimension to the music… as a musician and designer it’s a real privilege to be part of that conversation.”
@ cut_copy
Yesterday's Gone
Yesterday’s Gone is back at Night at the Barracks on 28 September, bringing their hugely popular celebration of Fleetwood Mac’s timeless music to the stage once again.
Led by Kav Temperley of Eskimo Joe, and joined by Fanny Lumsden, Charlie Collins, Karen Lee Andrews, and special guest Phoebe Over, this all-star lineup puts a soulful spin on classics like Dreams, Go Your Own Way, Rhiannon, and The Chain. Expect stunning vocals, beautiful harmonies, and a whole lot of heart.
For Kav, Fleetwood Mac was never something he had to seek out; they were simply always there.
“I didn’t need to discover them,” he says. “But reconnecting with their music later on, after building my own career, I was blown away by their amazing songwriting, that sweet ‘70s production, and most of all their ability to collaborate. Even as their personal relationships were falling apart, they managed to create some of their best work.”
Taking on Lindsey Buckingham’s songs is no small feat. “His vocal register is much higher than mine, so finding the right key is the first challenge,” Kav admits. “But once that’s sorted, the songs are so good, they do all the work.”
Sharing the stage with powerhouse female vocalists has been as inspiring as it is humbling. “It feels like a masterclass in vocal harmonies,” he says. “All the female singers on Yesterday’s Gone are world-class; I spend a lot of time just watching them in awe.”
With each artist bringing their own spark, every performance is unique – a living, breathing tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time. For Kav, it’s about more than nostalgia; it’s about finding fresh magic in music that never truly fades.
@_yesterdaysgone
BOOK ONLINE NOW AT NIGHTATTHEBARRACKS.COM.AU BEFORE TICKETS SELL OUT.
