For Mortimer, this is a tour that has been nine years in the making and all the delays and difficulties of the past two years have only made him even more determined to succeed.

“Hopefully it is the beginning of many more, but it has been a bit of a stressful process in the current climate,” says Mortimer, who despite dealing with his fair share of postponed and cancelled shows throughout the pandemic, remains optimistic.

“That has been very hard; I've had a lot of setbacks and I've definitely built my resilience. A lot of people I know have packed it in and given up on music, because it hasn't been kind in the last two years,” he says.

“But I'm definitely a very resilient person and someone that's willing to give it my all. If anything, missing music and not having the opportunity to play   has probably made me a little more hungry to do it full time and professionally… and maybe take a few risks, so that's what this tour is. I'm really looking forward to it, fingers crossed it all goes to plan, but as I said, whatever comes my way I'd be able to roll with it.”

That determination and drive to succeed has certainly been called upon putting this tour together. 

“That has been a lot of hard work. I've called and spoken to various different places and pub owners to try and back my music and really did make myself quite vulnerable and put myself out there,” says Mortimer, who now has a month of dates confirmed along the east coast from Port Macquarie to Brisbane.

“I’ve been lucky enough to book in quite a few places up the east coast and I am really excited about it! I've done shows in different parts of Australia, but this is all to do my music.”

‘200 years too late’ is the second studio album from Mortimer and one with its roots firmly in the central west. Released in November 2021,the album was recorded in Orange at Dotted Eight Studio, everything from the album art to supporting musicians were local.

“I've got a really great following in the central west, I honestly think it is probably the reason I stayed around for so long,” he says. 

“I've had wonderful support from various pubs and clubs for the last nine years and I've built up a really good fan base of loyal followers and fans that come out to all my shows. To now be able to play my songs that I've written here in Orange, and share them with different parts of the world is pretty exciting!
“I think the world is starved for live music at the moment and I truly believe music is a ticket to happiness; I'm lucky enough to be able to share that everyday with people, so I feel very blessed.”

Robbie Mortimer’ will kick off his tour on February 4 with a gig at the Agrestic Grocer here in Orange. Visit www.robbiemortimer.com for all other tour dates.

Photo: Elise Cook Photography