The Australian Idol runner up will share the stage with a swag of rock legends including Boom Crash Opera, Icehouse, the Baby Animals, Mark Seymour and The Undertow, The Black Sorrows (with Vika and Linda) and Pseudo Echo at the showgrounds in April.

Noll said he was a big fan of Australian rock from that era, with songs like “Onion Skin”, “Great Southern Land” and “Rush” regulars on his stereo.

“I’ve worked with a lot of these guys before and they’re just really cool people,” he said.

“Everyone sort of mingles there back stage, everyone gets there pretty early and ... you get to run into everyone and talk to everyone.”

Noll has been known to celebrate after gigs by drinking beer out of a shoe – something that’s common practice in regional areas – but said he hasn’t decided if he will take the boots off on the South Coast.

“Depends what shoes I’ve got on,” he laughed. 

“Someone asked me to do one the other day and I had some new boots on and [I said] ‘I can’t wreck my boots’.

“It’s funny you know, I did the Deni Ute Muster the other day and I started a new one - a ‘hatty’ – I [drank beer] out of an Akoubra. I thought that was a better way of doing it.”

The former Condobolin farmer has been touring non-stop since January this year, heading to mainly regional events, but has managed to finally get in the studio to create a new album – his first since 2011.

So far he’s released two singles “Who I Am” and “Southern Sky”, with the album due late this year or early 2018.

“I’ve had a lot more lyrical input. It’s a lot more personal,” he said.

Noll has taken his time with this record which will include songs he’s written recently and others from when had back surgery a few years ago and subsequently battled with depression.

The Red Hot Summer Tour, Kiama Showgrounds, Saturday, April 14, 2018. It also heads to Port Macquarie and Dubbo. 

Tickets on sale October 26 via www.ticketmaster.com.au

This story first appeared on the Illawarra Mercury.