Australian Synthpop icons Pseudo Echo are making their way to Ballarat as a part of The Ultimate Tour.
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Brian Canham, the only original member left, had been leading the group since its inception in 1982 in Melbourne's northern suburbs.
Heavily influenced by Deep Purple, Ledd Zepplin and Jimi Hendrix, the band's melodic synth based sound may be a bit of a surprise but encapsulates the 80s pop aesthetic.
![Brian Canham on stage for Pseudo Echo's The Ultimate Tour. Photo by Ken Baldwin Brian Canham on stage for Pseudo Echo's The Ultimate Tour. Photo by Ken Baldwin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/220406060/65dfd2cf-6e69-4f86-a64a-d964c1c2a37a.jpg/r0_0_4371_4773_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I wanted to blend it with my background in guitar," Canham said.
The band is also known for its unique hairstyles and avant-garde fashion choices for the time period.
"My friend was a hairstylist and wanted to try things out on me for publicity," Canham said.
The group first hit television screens in 1983 when they performed on the June 26 airing of Countdown thanks to Molly Meldrum.
Canham first met Meldrum at the age of 18 and recalled seeing him DJ at The Jump Club on Smith Street in Collingwood, still holding the venue as one of his all time favorites.
"He wasn't meant to put us on that night." Canham said.
Six months later, the band signed a record deal and the track 'Listening' hitting number two in the Australian charts.
"Things went very fast," Canham said.
If that does not ring a bell, you may know the group for their cover of Lipps Inc.'s 1979 track Funky Town, which catapulted them to the top of the charts nationally and internationally sitting at number six in the United States' Billboard Hot 100.
"Easiest song to perform and you never forget the lyrics," Canham said.
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The tour coincides with release of Ultimate, the bands newest double album and DVD which shows the bands journey that began 40 years ago.
Even now the joy of performing had not got old for Canham and the band's current lineup.
"They are hipsters," Canham said on his current bandmates.
But he said they are "faithful to how it was" when the music was first released.
![Pseudo Echo performing on tour. Photo by Dean Grande Pseudo Echo performing on tour. Photo by Dean Grande](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/220406060/db1d5d17-00ee-4a1a-8834-e26e61c3857c.jpg/r0_0_6888_3873_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Canham said he loved the audience the band has cultivated - from the small cult following they had playing gigs in Melbourne bars and clubs, to the major mainstream that followed them in the mid 80s around the world.
"Nothing's stopping (the fans), they're in their 60's but they still come along and even bring their kids to shows." Canham said.
Despite being a massive hit, Pseudo Echo had always played small towns.
The band has also been on multiple Red Hot Summer Tours as well as playing on the back of trains as a part of the Rockin' the Rails series.
"Its all good to play big city shows ... but give locals a show they don't normally get," Canham said.
You can see Pseudo Echo at the Wendouree Performing Arts Centre on Friday, August 4.
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