Singer-songwriter Mark Howard is celebrating the release of a new live EP with a run of shows across Gippsland and Phillip Island, bringing the songs back to the kind of rooms that helped shape them.
The EP features live versions of Howard’s previously recorded material, capturing the way the songs have evolved outside the studio. Speaking with Australian Music Scene, Howard said he wanted to “bridge the gap between the live show and the studio records,” explaining that many of the songs naturally shift when performed solo or in a stripped-back band setting.
The release embraces a looser, more exposed sound. Howard described the live versions as having “more space and risk,” with performances that feel more vulnerable than the studio recordings. The EP also features John Kendall on fiddle, known for his work with The Pogues and Weddings Parties Anything, adding a new energy to the arrangements.
Howard’s regional shows include appearances at Westernport Hotel in San Remo and Rhyll Tavern, forming part of a broader Gippsland run supporting the live EP. For local audiences, the tour is a chance to hear the songs in the environment Howard says matters most: a room where artist and audience share the same moment.
After the Gippsland dates, Howard has international shows ahead, with performances planned in the UK, Germany and Denmark in June and July, followed by further Australian east-coast dates and more new music expected before the end of the year.