Imogen Clark is making up for lost time with ambitious tour

Encompassing a mix of full band headline shows, solo touring, support slots, festivals, surprise pop-up shows and live streams, the tour is just hitting its halfway point.

The tour follows a difficult two COVID-wrecked years for Clark and the music industry.

Clark said that in 2018 she played 70 shows, and last year just six. She says the pandemic robbed her, not only financially, but of the purpose for her existence.

"I really felt like I didn't know who I was without music. I was really lost for that time," she said. "I love being on the road and that's kind of my lifeblood, not only my job, but just what I love the most to do," she said.

"Because of that we had this idea of, 'how cool would it be if we could just make up for lost time by doing 100 shows in 100 days'.

"Looking at my manager, I was like, 'is this crazy? Are we are we going to die? Are you trying to kill me?', but it ended up being such an obvious choice, because we really want to make the most of the fact that we can do this again."

The 27-year-old has found it thrilling to be back doing what she loves. She's also noticed a shift in the demographics of her audience.

"The more I've taken on a bit of a pop rock kind of route with my music, the more I sense there's just a younger crowd coming, as well as my existing fans," she said.

"They want to really rock out and have fun and dance around, and the shows are getting more and more wild. It's just really fun to kind of connect with people in a completely new way after all this time.

"It's great to be able to do quiet listening shows, but then it's also great to be able to get up there with a full band and just rock out."

One of the recent highlights for Clark was been joining Sydney female punk band, DOWNGIRL, in Newtown.

"That was probably my favourite show so far ... it packed out. It was really intimate and everyone was dancing and jumping around and getting sweaty," she said.

"That's a bit of a standout moment. It was really fun. But also the first show of the whole tour was at Low 302. It was so special because we released the single 'Enemy' on that day as well and it's really great to celebrate on what feels like home turf and kick the tour off there."

Along with doing different types of shows, Clark has been playing around with different songs, versions and genres.

"We've got a new single coming in the next couple of weeks, so that will be really fun because once that is released, we get to add that to the setlist.

"I'm playing more of my Joni Mitchell show ... incorporating some more strings to my bow, I guess.

"It's really fun to get to do all that. One night I'll be playing with an all female punk band just sweaty, rocking out wearing entirely PVC clothing, and then the next night, I'm playing Joni Mitchell to a completely silent crowd, playing folk music."

Clark released new music throughout COVID - EPs 'The Making of Me' and 'Bastards', two Christmas singles, a live record, and more recently her single 'Enemy'.

Taking a new direction with her music has seen Clark dive into wider genres. The writing of music is more raw and personal.

Clark said that when she looks at the person she was in 2018 and 2019, she sees someone completely different.

"I have really broad musical interests. I listen to so many kinds of music, and pop has always been something that's really been at the forefront of my life," she said. "And I've never really gone there with my own music.

"The more that I listen to music and find out what I love and what I want my music to be, the more I realise that those are the sorts of places I belong.

"I like to try new things, so as I change and evolve as a person, I like my music to reflect that. No one wants you to make the same record over and over again. You gotta try new things and who knows what the future will hold?"

Clark is excited for the upcoming release of her next single 'Nonchalant', which she wrote with friends Sam Phay and Demi Louise.

"It's one that I've been sitting on for a while and as soon as we wrote it ... we just realised it was special," she said. "It was really cathartic to write.

"It's about when you have feelings for somebody and they're just giving you nothing back. You feel like they just think that they're too cool to express their feelings for you or to go along with it."

Clark said it had been wonderful when listeners tell her that one of her songs is important to them.

"To me, that's the whole point. I am so in love with music and it will always be so important to me, songwriting particularly," said Clark. "It's a way of connecting with people that is so much deeper than surface level conversation.

"If you can listen to music and feel like you just know somebody and you know what they've been through, and you've been through it too ... that's really special.

"It's the most pride I ever feel when somebody says to me that my music, in any way, has helped them through any kind of emotional turmoil.

"That that is the reason I do what I do. It makes me so happy to know that people are connecting."