Alt-country wild man Andy Golledge smartens up on second album

To the point that the Tamworth-raised singer-songwriter could be referred to as the king of Newtown's Americana scene.

Songs like Golledge's hell-raisers New Stamp and Rescue Me, from his 2022 ARIA Award-nominated debut album Strength Of A Queen, were born and perfected in front of boozy audiences at the Marrickville Bowling Club and The Landsdowne.

Usually you'd find his good friends and backing band, Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys, in tow.

But a strange thing happened. Leaving the big smoke early last year for the coastal charms of the rural outskirts of northern Wollongong, refreshed Golledge. To the point that the 39-year-old is feeling healthier physically, and most importantly, mentally.

"I've been wanting to get out of the city for a long time, but the opportunity hadn't really presented itself in the right way," Golledge says.

"My partner and I moved down into her father's granny flat. We're not paying rent and saving money for a $1 million or more mortgage.

"It's good to be out of there. My lifestyle and habits weren't changing and it wasn't something I had to think about for too long. I'm definitely a lot healthier and happier since I moved."

Last week Golledge released his second album Young, Dumb & Wild, which again features his modern take on '70s-style Americana and country-soul.

Songs like Lovin' Myself - featuring Melbourne Americana act Sweet Talk - are obvious examples of how Golledge has matured into self-acceptance.

"I'm definitely more comfortable in myself," he says. "It's like anything, it's an ongoing journey. I'm always looking for self-love and positivity.

"I'm definitely a little less chaotic and I think these songs reflect that."

While other songs like Siren, I See A Rose and Chained To The Night showcase a more thoughtful and reflective side of Golledge's songwriting, but the old country wild man hasn't completely disappeared.

Country Band and the title track are both bourbon-drenched rebel-rousers and then there's the show-stopping Life Jacket, where Golledge exposes his vulnerability across a powerful four minutes.

Golledge said it was written during the darkest days of the COVID pandemic. After a 15-year battle to have his songs heard, his debut EP Namoi was released a month before the world locked down.

"I had a few friends commit suicide during COVID, which was super hard to deal with, and it kind of took me back to when I wasn't in a better place," he says.

"It was kind of a message to my partner and immediate friends and family to ask for help when I was in that situation.

"It was coupled with the fact that I couldn't leave the house. We couldn't finish our usual goals and aspirations, so it was a bit of that."

Golledge cites Melbourne folk-rock artist Liz Stringer's First Time Really Feeling (2020) as a major influence on how he structured Young, Dumb & Wild.

"Liz's emotive sensibility on her records and her attention to story-telling, I think that really affected my articulation and intent in the songs and my emotion and where to put it in and where not to put it in," he says. "Her last record, from start to finish, is a great story and a great journey."

Another inspiration was US indie-folk star Phoebe Bridgers' 2020 hit Punisher.

"Every time you put your headphones on you can listen and hear something else," he says.

Golledge and the Pony Boys are heading out on the road next month, but the days of stripping down to his underwear and cowboy hat and diving into the crowd during booze-fuelled performances may be a thing of the past. Or maybe not entirely.

"If the audience wants to get wild, you get wild," Golledge says. "I'm generally getting better at reading the audience and what can happen, or whether to be more reserved.

"You don't want it to go crazy all the time or you'll get old hat. You wanna always keep people guessing what's going to happen, whether it's what they want to happen or the other way around.

"Performance is about being at the top of your game and getting better and better in each performance."