A Quick Chat with Clay Brown & the Trouble Round Town
Clay Brown & the Trouble Round Town bare their hearts with No Place, a late-night indie rock confession. The Boorloo/Perth project, led by frontman Clay Brown, channels grief and self-reckoning with the grit of indie and alt-rock, driven by picked guitars beneath Brown’s casual, nonchalant delivery, coloured by his Australian accent. After years spent across genres and stages supporting the likes of Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Fuel and Gyroscope, Brown steps into his first solo project, placing his songwriting at the centre. We caught up with Clay to talk about the track, the story behind it, and what’s next.
Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?
I wrote this song when I was going through a difficult time after losing someone very important in my life, and at that same time I was trying to start a new situation-ship with someone. I was finding I just didn’t have myself all together yet for it mentally, and had to make a step back to focus on myself. The bridge lyrics of the song really focus on the positive that things change in time, and in time you’ll also change and have more room in your world to let someone in again.
Who are some of your influences, and why?
Since high school I’ve been influenced by Dallas Green (City & Colour)’s songwriting - raw, honest, spoken from the heart. Another more recent influence has been Noah Kahan’s bare bones songwriting - there’s nothing more exciting to me than someone telling their story through some chords and their truth - whether through a voice, instrument or both.
These two artists in particular helped me start my own songwriting journey a few years ago, and why I am where I am today releasing my first few songs out into the world.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
I keep it really simple still, everything is written with the acoustic guitar on the couch! I’ve played in so many bands in the past, and written music in so many different ways, but this is the only way that works for me to focus on the lyrics and melody at its core - before all the bells & whistles come into frame. I also like to road-test songs at solo acoustic gigs for a few months before the band hears them, to make sure I’m confident with what I’ve got and there isn’t too many more edits.
Once we spend some time as a band on the core arrangement, I book in small sessions with Thomas Purdy at his home studio (who also mixes my songs) to do scratch vocals & guitar, before we start on drums - > bass - > guitars - > organ/keys - > lead vocals - > harmonies. Then it’s over to mixing and mastering!
What do you think makes a great song?
I think being honest in your lyrics but also in your delivery - people can hear when you’re just phoning it in with what you’re talking about, or it’s just a done to death ‘he-said, she-said’ type of deal. With the upcoming AI side of things, that could only get worse with people pumping out the same old lines, or maybe that’s already what’s happening.
Catchy hooks without too much cheese? Some cheese is always good, especially with some pepperoni…now I’m just hungry!
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
I would love to write or record a song with Theo Katzman - his new 10 Good Songs project has already pumped out some amazing albums and I’ve loved his last few solo albums too. His approach to songwriting takes taste from the 60s & 70s pop hits and the recording keeping things all Live.
It would be an interesting experience for us as a band to record with someone like that and track an entire album live without edits - 10 Good Songs, no bullshit!
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
Honestly there’s not much time for anything else now when you’re both the Manager, Booking Agent & Artist, but I like to go and see other local bands as much as I can. Got a lot of great friends who like to do dinners and drinks at each other’s houses, get up to some mischief - so yeah that kinda thing!
Who are some local bands we should check out?
I’ve been loving the output from Finn Pearson & the Forever Party - amazing songwriter from Perth, with some Gang of Youths / Australiana Rock vibes.
Another new fave is Lachy John & the Red Bellies who just released a brilliant EP - we’re playing with them at El Grotto on Friday October 24th to help launch our new single!
Winter or summer and why?
I’m a bit more autumn to be honest - a good time for songwriting because you can still go for those wistful nature walks to ponder life, but also hide away from it all if you need to and don’t feel guilty for not soaking up the sun. I was going to say ‘baby in the summer time’ but in Perth it gets 40+ sometimes and you just don’t wanna live in this world anymore.
What do you have planned for the rest 2025?
Our single launch for No Place is on Friday October 24th with Lachy John & the Red Bellies & Moth Street Artists. After that we have a short break before we head down south for some shows in Albany and surrounds. Beginning recording on our next two singles this weekend, so probably will have one of those coming out early January and then that should put us in a position to get an EP ready to come around the rest of Australia in 2026 and the UK in August - exciting stuff!
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