As the Sunshine Coast warms up for its 36th instalment of Woodford Folk Festival, headliner Ben Lee remembers the time he opened for Sonic Youth at age 14. Ben spoke to YELO music editor Penny Brand, reflecting on why Australian audiences have reclaimed him.

Sometime in the mid-2000s I sat down to prepare for one of my biggest interviews as a fledgling journalist at the Sunshine Coast Daily.

Ben Lee had just released Awake is the New Sleep, with smash hits “Gamble Everything for Love”, “Catch My Disease” and “We’re All in This Together”, with the latter making a resurgence as the unofficial anthem for the global Covid pandemic.

Ben will perform all those juicy-gaga songs that skyrocketed him to mainstream US success, as well as a selection of festival-centric singalongs from his 13 studio albums when he headlines this year’s Woodford Folk Festival.

He joins a spectacular line-up including; Resin Dogs, Regurgitator, Custard, Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke and Yirrmal.

My initial chat with Ben Lee all those years ago, became my first-ever interview with a celebrity.

A few nerves deep, I recall falling into a creative conversation, discussing the album which would go down in history as his most successful record.

It was such a pleasure to reconnect with Ben almost 20 years on, and it seems audiences are just in love with him now as they were then.

Thrown into the Covid-lockdown spotlight

Ben says people began “rediscovering his work” during the Covid-19 lockdown, at a time when he was living with his LA-based family in Australia in 2021.

“They also seemed to rediscover coming to my shows,” he says.

“I have a sort of renewed vigour for my touring in Australia.”

The 45-year-old says this realisation pushed him to want to share more celebratory performances with fans and in 2022 he brought his show to the Caloundra Music Festival (main picture).

“I just felt incredibly grateful that there’s this audience of people that… they’re for me and they’re supportive. We’ve been on a really long journey.”

A couple of years ago everything just “clicked” and he wanted to do bigger shows and festivals, he says.

“I’ve really built this festival show where there’s like visuals and you know, jokes, and a full band, and there’s props, and silliness. I wanted to create this chaotic, hectic, fun, singalong, celebration.”

Ben says his favourite all-time song to perform live is, “Love Me Like the World’s Ending”.

“It’s become one of those ones that over the years has gained a certain kind of like meaning, I guess, to my audience. And I meet a lot of people who say that’s their favourite song of mine.

“I dunno, it’s so epic and romantic. I love it.”

He is also performing as DJ DadBod (pictured), Ben’s side-show act born out of a creative burst in recent years, after going viral on TikTok.

Ben says his parents were more boozy than druggy

Ben Lee released his 13th studio album, “I’m Fun”, last year with hits such as, “My Parents Get High”.

When asked if his parents ever got high, Ben says his parents were “more drinkers than smokers”.

“I think I’ve always been interested in this idea how drugs and alcohol are sort of this shadow experience that most adults are involved in in some way, but they kinda don’t talk to their kids at all about,” he says.

“And I just sort of wanted to write a transparent song about that.”

Lee kicked off his musical career on a high opening for Sonic Youth as a teen with his band Noise Addict, saying the experience was something he continues to try to emulate on stage.

“It was amazing. I mean in some ways being 14, coming out on stage and looking at this audience just looking at me like ‘what the fuck’ – that is the emotional experience I’ve tried to recreate over and over, over a three decade long career.”

Some rapid-fire questions for Ben

What happens at a DJ DadBod show?

“I spin my mash ups! It all started kind of as a joke but people kinda like it. It’s that celebration vibe. It’s very very fun.”

Fave place to get inspiration?

“I think just from my wife. Like, Ione, she’s kind of been a bit of a compass for me. By communicating I always feel more creatively aligned. So I get inspiration from her.”

Fave venue in the world to play music?

“I always love playing Lago at The Coronet in LA. Yeah, it’s just a great venue. It’s kind of like our home base or club house.”

What book are you reading?

“Thurston Moore’s memoir, Sonic Life.”

What album are you currently digging?

“In my Arms, Many Flowers by Daniel Schmidt.”

What’s your favourite quote?

“I like this quote from Bob Marley: ‘Laws create crime.'”

Favourite memory of the Sunshine Coast?

“Just that the coffee has gotten so much better in the last 30 years”.

Catch Ben Lee at Woodford Folk Festival on Wednesday, December 27 and his DJ DadBod show, Thursday, December 28.

More information and tickets: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com.