Singer-songwriter’s solo celebration

ONE of Australia’s blues and rock icons is set to return to Ballarat with a mix of old classics and recent material.

Mark Lizotte, performing under his stage name Diesel, will take to the stage at Civic Hall next week to play a retrospective set as well as tracks from his latest album, Alone with Blues.

Lizotte debuted his upcoming show as part of a New South Wales-exclusive tour in 2021, with the Ballarat gig part of a regional Victorian leg of 11 dates.

With a stripped-back solo show, he said he’s keen to return to Ballarat.

“I’ve got some good memories of it being a real music-loving town,” he said. “It feels like an extension of Melbourne to me. People seem to really enjoy music there.

“My show right now is as intimate as it can get. It definitely challenges me in a good way, and I can get into tiny nooks and crannies of the soundscape and lyrics.

“There’s not many laurels I can rest on when I’m by myself, and I can kind of revel in the nakedness of it all with lots of stories to tell.”

Released in 2021, Alone with Blues reached number one in the ARIA Top 20 in the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay Chart.

The show will feature two sets with one devoted to tracks from the album and the other influenced by his compilation, 30: The Greatest Hits.

Lizotte said Alone with Blues is a continuation of his 1996 work, Short Cool Ones with Melbourne-based musician Chris Wilson.

“I always had the idea in my head of doing volume two but unfortunately I had to say goodbye to Chris just before the pandemic,” he said.

“It was actually my son who said I should make a blues record. It was a good project to work on at that time.

“Even though it came out two years ago, I’m still really enjoying playing the album for people. This is the first chance I’ve had to tour these songs.”

Diesel will perform at Civic Hall on Friday, 28 April from 8pm. Tickets are $79.75 and can be booked at bit.ly/41fjx32.