Last month NSW singer-songwriter Dave Wells released his new album If We Had Our Time Again and here at PTW I’m very pleased to be able to premiere the video clip for the song ‘Ella‘, recorded live at the 2023 Newcastle Writers Festival, at The Conservatorium of Music, Newcastle – performed by Dave & Loretta Wells.

I’ve always been hugely impressed with Dave’s voice, whether it’s been solo sets at Dashville Skyline or in a pub venue here in Sydney. He has the range and emotion to find the sweet spot between soul and stirring folk rock. It’s all emotion, tempered by a virtuosity that reminds me of Jeff Buckley at times. You get a real sense of that from this wonderful live clip, put together by Brayden Porter.

Based on a fictional character ‘Ella’, from a short story titled Megalodon by author Nick Milligan, the song describes the emotions behind losing a loved one by tragedy or mystery. A missing person who has not been found and or presumed dead, or in this case, possibly taken by the sea. Written from the brother’s perspective, the story is set and inspired by a small beach suburb of Newcastle called Stockton. The aim for this song was to encapsulate the sibling’s chain of thoughts, including the scenes of confusion and daunting truth, that miserably dawns upon their parents. As the growing fear of not knowing where she is, becomes far worse, than her death itself. They can no longer accept the misery of mystery.

Impressively, Dave has recorded with world-renowned producer and engineer Nick DiDia (Bruce Springsteen, Rage Against the Machine, Something For Kate, Pearl Jam and Powderfinger) at his prestigious Byron Bay studio.

“Working with Nick was a great experience,” Wells says. “It felt more like a creative collaboration rather than trying to relinquish creative control. The studio felt like home and the process became a natural and creatively expressive exploration. We took a live, simplistic approach that focused purely on the uniqueness, emotive character and sonic delivery of each song.”