Gemma Ray’s sound reverbs with legends

Friends in high places haven’t hurt Gemma Ray.

Fans might remember the Berlin-based Londoner’s previous Australian tour supporting Grinderman, her only Perth performance to date.

Then there’s collaborations with a host of legendary art-rock artists, including Suicide’s Alan Vega, Thomas Wydler of Bad Seeds fame and 70s synth-pop duo Sparks.

She even counts the great Jimmy Page as a fan.

“I definitely follow my nose and I’m a fan of some of these people so I approached them,” Ray says from home in Berlin.

“Alan Vega I approached with a girl group song that I’d completed as a homage to the production style of Suicide ... Although, we’ve got mutual friends in New York that did the recording for me, so I’m sure that was more appealing.

“But yes, sometimes in circles of touring you meet people and stuff happens that way too.”

Opening her first Australian headline tour in Perth next month, she’ll be on the road in support of her seventh album, last year’s goth-noir affair The Exodus Suite.

While her latest release moves on from the 60s girl group melodies of her earlier work, Ray maintains her love of reverb-drenched atmospheres a la Phil Spector.

“I guess the girl group thing really is born from a natural instinct and love of harmonies, then discovering lots of 60s production and adding reverb to all that,” she says.

“I guess I’ve always been drawn to the moodier side of life and the more fantastical.”

Bringing her band, including drummer, producer and partner Andy Zammit, to the intimate 459 Bar at the Rosemount Hotel promises a close-up look at an acclaimed international act garnering comparisons to PJ Harvey.

“There’s no backing tracks and no safety net,” Ray says. “I’m hoping it’s like the kind of thing I like to go to, which is where you feel captivated and totally in the moment — the feeling that anything could go wrong at any minute.”

The Exodus Suite is out now. Gemma Ray plays 459 Bar, North Perth on April 21. Tickets from Oztix.