Jordie Lane is an Australian folk musician hailing from Melbourne. Following the release of his 2009 debut LP ‘Sleeping Patterns’,he has built up his reputation as one of Australia’s brightest new roots music stars and supported artists like The Moody Blues and Cat Power. Here, he answers our questions:

How did you first get into folk?

Well it’s a cliche as they come! I was about 13-years-old and I had been goin nuts on my usual diet of Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana and Chilli Peppers when I was struck by this voice playing through my friend’s mum’s old record player one day! It was Bob Dylan and my focus on words and story began immediately.

How do you find crossing continents from Australia to England? It’s your first London show - what are your thoughts on the town?

Well flying-wise I broke it up in LA where I live now, so that wasn’t as hard on me. I’ve never played anywhere in the UK before so I know nothing of a scene - do they have music here? I am staying in Camden right near the markets, so I’ve enjoyed walking around in the cold, a big change from 45 degrees in Melbourne a week ago.

Some refer to you as a troubadour – what are the highs and lows of being a travelling musician? How do you cope with a world that’s constantly different from day to day?

The thing I wonder is how do some people cope with a world that is exactly the same every day? That’s just what I don’t want so being on the road is perfect. But your priorities do become a little different, so highs and lows consist of whether or not you wind up with 3 seats to yourself or stuck between a snoring business man and a screaming baby on the plane.

The big highs are when a show goes really great or when you get to drive through beautiful lands, or meeting that inspirational nameless old guy at the bar who shares his wisdom just for you. The big lows, are a dreadful demanding sound guy, getting mugged, or no one showing up, Thankfully I’ve only experienced the first one.

How do you find inspiration for your songs and how do you go about writing them? Are there underlying techniques you use in both love songs and protest songs for instance, or do you find they require completely different approaches?

I don’t really ever focus on whether a song is love or protest, they’re often one of the same. It’s all about being over stimulated out in the world around people, moving, being challenged. And then it’s about cutting that off by being somewhere alone and eventually...hopefully... the stories and melodies start unravelling.

Have you got any New Years resolutions? As an artist, what are your hopes for the year ahead?

I got some fears to face, but maybe I’ll leave em till next year? This year I am going to spend a little less time touring, just as much time travelling though, and way more time in that alone space to write and create new stuff.

Jordie Lane plays the Camden Green Note tonight. For more information and tickets, visit www.greennote.co.uk