Both as a solo artist and as a band leader, Melbourne’s Madeline Leman has been tearing through her city’s Americana scene for a number of years.
Though now, alongside her band The Desert Swells (Leah Senior, Fabian Hunter and Alexander Bleakley), Leman has unveiled her debut 7″ single Diva With The Fever Of Change.
“Strength and vulnerability are not mutually exclusive“: Madeline Leman & The Desert Swells showcase their incredible versatility on new 7” single Diva With The Fever Of Change.
On the single’s A-side, Leman has traded in her folky style for a sprawling concoction of funk, psych, and spoken-word to deliver an epic five-minute manifesto exploring feminism in our modern world.
With some incredible flute work being layed down by Alice Brew, the song evokes imagery of a 1970’s street march – drawing you right into the energy that drives the movement.
On the single’s B-side Baby Blue, Leman returns to her Americana roots for a dreamy and hallucinatory slice of indie-folk that’ll draw you in with lush vocals and sparse instrumentation.
“Through the stark difference in tone I wanted to show the light and shade in what it means to be a 21st century woman and feminist,” Leman says of the single.
“I want these two tracks to show that strength and vulnerability are not mutually exclusive.”
To launch the new 7″, the band will be holding their own mini festival at Melbourne’s The Tote.
Named Femmo Fest, the new festival will celebrate Melbourne’s female, transgender and non-binary musicians, while also raising money for Girls Rock! Melbourne.
Grab tickets and info here, and check out the full lineup below:
Ella Hooper
Madeline Leman and The Desert Swells
Leah Senior
Baby Blue
Spiral Perm
Zoë Fox and the Rocket Clocks
Ruby Gill
Kelly Day
Erin Will Be Mad
Edith Lane
