Bootlegging Around The Country with DIESEL

Interview by Kris Peters
Australian music icon Diesel kick-started his Bootleg Melancholy
Album Tour in December with explosive shows in Avoca Beach and
Kiama, where fans got to experience the special musical language he
has developed with his band of stalwarts, Richie Vez on bass and
Lee Moloney on drums. Presented by New World Artists, Diesel,
alongside Vez and Moloney, will resume the Bootleg Melancholy Album
Tour this March in Warragul, followed by Melbourne, Launceston,
Hobart, Perth, Batemans Bay, Newcastle, Sydney, Wyong, Adelaide
with proceedings drawing to a close on Saturday, May 3 in
Elizabeth.
The two set performance showcases Diesel’s impressive career
spanning over three decades, with boundless energy and vitality
infused into every song, old and new, the audience will be treated
to an unforgettable experience shared with music lovers nationwide.
“With so much material to draw from, I’m excited to blend new songs
with classics,” Diesel shares. “We make quite a bit of sound for a
three-piece, and each show will reflect that energy!” Fans can
expect a dynamic set list featuring perennial favourites like Tip
Of My Tongue, Soul Revival, All Come Together, Man Alive, Never
Miss Your Water and Cry In Shame, alongside “new family member”
tracks from Bootleg Melancholy.
Diesel is also excited to announce an exclusive guitar giveaway
with long-standing partner, Fender. Every ticket purchased for the
2025 Bootleg Melancholy Album Tour —including those who have
already purchased tickets—will automatically go into the draw to
WIN a signed Squire Sonic Stratocaster Electric Guitar, there’s one
guitar to be won at every show. At the conclusion of the tour,
Diesel will personally draw a major prize winner, who will receive
a one-on-one Zoom guitar lesson with the Australian legend—a truly
unique and exciting opportunity for fans and aspiring musicians
alike.
One of Australia’s greatest success stories, Diesel, has spent
three decades weaving his one-of-a-kind musical magic into his rock
and blues-fuelled sounds, both as part of the band Johnny Diesel
& The Injectors and, more recently, as a solo artist. With
multiple #1 ARIA charting albums under his belt, six ARIA award
wins and millions of streams alongside a legion of fans, Diesel’s
creative skillset also expands beyond his own projects, with the
talented artist also renowned for his work as a producer and
multi-instrumentalist.
HEAVY caught up with Diesel on the eve of the first show to find
out more. Given the amount of touring Diesel has done throughout
his career, we ask if he still gets the same enjoyment out of life
on the road.
"There are some things that I've become more aware of that I don't
like," he measured "The good thing about that is you become more
aware. You can let it bother you or become more aware of it and…
accept, maybe, or take steps to try and avoid. That's the good
thing about experience, I suppose. When you first start you just go
'why does that happen?' or 'what do you mean?' Now, I wouldn't say
that there's very few variables or surprising things. I think the
most challenging thing (laughs)… let's get down to the basics.
Watching the carousel go around and your gear doesn't come out.
That's always a good start to the day (laughs). Which has happened.
Then you think, okay, call this person. Call that person. Call
music stores. You start begging and borrowing and then you have to
calculate it's gonna come on that flight, but will it make it to
the gig in time for the crew? This is all things that have
happened, and the crowd, they're not to know. it's not their
problem. That's always the biggest challenges. You always allow
enough time, of course, but then it becomes like a sliding scale.
How much time can you allow because you've got commitments before
that and it's also the massive expense of going the day before and
things like that. So you've got everyone on hold and you have
accommodation and cars for an extra day. These are all big factors
for a touring party."
In the full interview, Diesel discusses the Bootleg Melancholy
Album Tour in more detail, what to expect, the performance time
over two sets, balancing each setlist, the other members of his
touring band, how to win a signed Squire Sonic Stratocaster
Electric Guitar at each show, future music and more including a few
music and life lessons learnt along the way.
Tickets and more information www.diesel.com

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