Nick Ward and his live band’s pre-gig ritual is, these days, tried-and-tested. “[We] like to have a shot of whiskey maybe an hour before the show,” he tells Man About Town. It’s important said tipple doesn’t brush with the set’s opening time too closely – “otherwise you feel the depth charge halfway through the first song,” he continues. Such a faux pas wouldn’t be befitting of the grand stages the Australian pop ascendant has found himself on in 2024, which, latterly, has encompassed arenas across his home country supporting one of its pre-eminent pop exports Troye Sivan on the star’s Something To Give Each Other tour.

With a debut album of eclectic, slickly-penned alt pop – House With A Blue Door – released in October, the 23-year-old is well on his way to joining his tour mate and former collaborator in the ranks of Austrailia’s most internationally-embraced offspring. Written in an off-beat period following his debut EP – his first period of time off since he left school some years prior – House With A Blue Door served as a parting note to the childhood Ward was journeying beyond. His own home inspired the records title, and its sonics drew on the music he heard in his dad’s car as a child. “I wanted to make a record about childhood, family, DNA and the patterns of behaviour that get passed down to us,” he explained.

As he wrapped up the Something To Give Each Other tour and as well as a defining year in his flourishing career, Ward unpacked letting the world in with his debut LP and the music getting him through this chapter of his story…

Hey, Nick! We’re a few days into your support slot on Troye Sivan’s Something To Give Each Other Australia Tour. When you came off stage after the first night, what was the first thing you said?
“Fuck yeah!”

The tour features an Australian cultural icon in Troye, and an Australian cultural icon-in-the-making in yourself, but if you could bring another Austrailian cultural heavyweight along simply to oversee backstage vibes – who would you pick?
Nicole Kidman.
 
Your debut album House With A Blue Door is now one month old. What has been the most surprising aspect of letting the world in by releasing your first record?
It's always a surprise when people come up and say nice things about the record or a show they went to. The fact that it's a part of anyone else's life other than mine is so strange to me.
 
What’s one fan reaction to the project that has really stuck with you?
I'm always really moved by people who notice little details or references. Once someone told me that “Shooting Star” makes them feel really confident and sexy when they need it most, which was awesome. That's what the song does for me too.

You’ve got quite a bit of touring experience under your belt now following your own Australian headline tour in October. Tell us about your dressing room set-up? What’s happening before a show? Who’s there? What snacks are on the go?
We're pretty sensible guys these days. We've got the throat coat and honey, lots and lots of water and some healthy snacks. I used to get really anxious and work myself up before shows – I think that was a product of doing 100m sprints in school and always having to get my heart rate up before a race. Nowadays, I feel completely zen by the time I'm walking on, which has taken a lot of practice.
 
The album was inspired by the formative impact of hearing music playing in the back of your dad’s car. First tour experiences, one would imagine, are also particularly formative. What music do you think might stick out in your memory from this period?
I listened to a lot of The Blue Nile on this tour, who I've been a fan of for ages. A Walk Across The Rooftops is such a beautifully sparse record, which is nice for airports and planes when you don't feel like anything too hectic. Painting With by Animal Collective has been the go when I am looking for hectic. I also have been listening to the Brian Wilson autobiography audiobook.
 
 
Finally, do you find touring to be an optimal environment for the creation of new music? Do you think we’ll see any releases in the future penned from the Something To Give Each Other tour?
It's definitely an optimal environment for inspiration. Watching Troye each night was so wonderful and hearing music on those massive speakers in these massive rooms has also got me thinking.