Category: Tours

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Crowded House Headline Homebake

We might all be freezing our extremities off, but summer can’t be too far away. How do I know? Well, those summer festival announcements are filtering in.

Today the bill for Homebake was announced. That’s always particularly exciting because it’s a celebration of homegrown talents. And who needs to import bands when you can assemble a lineup like this?

We’ve got Crowded House as headliners. This is a massive deal considering they haven’t played here since those sold out shows last November. If you missed the lads then, here’s your chance.

They’ll be supported by a couple more Aussie rock heavyweights looking for comebacks: You Am I and The Vines. Add a little dance music courtesy of Sneaky Sound System, Cut Copy, and PNAU, a splash of country with Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, and a dash of pop with Gabriella Cilmi and it’s all sounding pretty impressive.

The 12th annual Homebake concert will hit The Domain on December 6. It always always sells out, so you’ll want to grab yours when they go on sale from Ticketek on August 18.

Image souce: Alterna2 @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Australian Music Heaven at Mudgee

A Day on the Green is heading back to Mudgee with a massive Aussie lineup. Fresh from their comeback tour, The Angels will join the Hoodoo Gurus as co-headliners for the October 18 show at Oatley Wines.

But the classic Aussie artists don’t stop there, with The Models and Dragon (well, they’re adopted Australians, right?) also on the bill.

The day will kick off with local Mudgee outfit McGee.

You won’t see a lineup this good in some time, so it’s definitely worth a road trip. You can grab your tickets from Ticketmaster on August 1.

Image source: The Arris @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Listen to Little Red Live

Things are definitely on the up for Melbourne’s Little Red. They were virtual unknowns when they won a slot at the V Festival through the V2 garage-band comp.

Now the retro rockers have released their debut album Listen to Little Red which recently debuted at number 29 on the ARIA Charts. It seems plenty of Aussies want to do just that, because they’re booked for shows all over the country next month.

When can you listen to Little Red live? Here are all the dates!

3 August 2008 – Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay
4 August 2008 – The Metro, Sydney
6 & 7 August 2008 – The Prince of Wales, Melbourne
14 August 2008 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
15 August 2008 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
16 August 2008 – Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc
20 August 2008 – Oxford Tavern, Wollongong
21 August 2008 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
22 August 2008 – The Annandale Hotel, Sydney
28 August 2008 – Barwon Club, Geelong
29 August 2008 – Jive Bar, Adelaide
30 August 2008 – Amplifier Bar, Perth
31 August 2008 – Swan Basement, Fremantle
4 September 2008 – Flynn’s Beach Surf Club, Port Macquarie
5 September 2008 – The Sound Lounge, Currumbin
6 September 2008 – The Globe, Brisbane
8 September 2008 – Swindler’s Bar, Mt Hotham
11 September 2008 – The Pub, Bendigo
12 September 2008 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
13 September 2008 – The Republic Bar, Hobart
4 October 2008 – The Great Escape, Sydney

Image source: JB Hi-Fi 

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Frank Black Takes Black Francis to Oz

Frank Black must have gotten a taste for Australia when he toured with The Pixies last year. He’s just announced a local tour for his other musical outlet, Black Francis.

Black Francis will showcase tracks from Bluefinger and the recently released mini-album, Svn Fngrs.

He’ll play Sydney’s Great Escape Festival, and solo shows in a handful of other cities. Check out Black Francis at the following Aussie gigs!

28 September 2008 – Metropolis, Fremantle
29 September 2008 – HQ Complex, Adelaide
1 October 2008 – Arena, Brisbane
2 October 2008 – The Forum Theatre, Melbourne
4 October 2008 – Great Escape, Sydney

Image source: Djenvert @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Stonefest Celebrate the Big 4-0

Few music festivals survive a few years, let alone decades. So Stonefest’s 40th anniversary this year is cause for celebration. The Canberra music fest is pulling out the big guns this year, with a massive bill headlined by American indie gods The Dandy Warhols.

They’ll be ably supported by some massive local talent including Grinspoon, Faker, The Grates, Regurgitator, The Drones, Blue King Brown, and stacks more.

Any festival that can last four decades clearly knows how to entertain. This one might be worth a road trip for any interstate music lovers. It all happens at the University of Canberra on 31 October and 1 November. Tickets are available now through Ticketek. But sorry kids, it’s a strictly adults-only event.

Image source: JHT Photography @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Avalon Drive and The Sundance Kids’ Double Act

Two of Australia’s hottest upcoming indie acts are teaming up for one massive residency tour! Avalon Drive and The Sundance Kids will play shows in Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide through August and September.

There’s a whole lot of hype surrounding both these bands, and with good reason. Brisbane’s Avalon Drive has just scored a record deal with SonyBMG, and they plan to release their debut EP later this year. They’ve also scored gigs alongside some of the biggest bands in the world including INXS, All American Rejects, Fall Out Boy, Hoobastank, Yellowcard, and The Veronicas. MTV called Avalon Drive a “band you want to see live,” and these residencies give you that chance.

The Sundance Kids are set to unleash their indie/pop/rock anthems on the nation with the release of their debut album in August. Time Off Magazine calls them “one of the premier rock acts in SA,” and their ardent fanbase would tend to agree.

Avalon Drive and The Sundance Kids will toss a coin for the Sydney and Melbourne shows to decide the night’s lineup, which should keep things spontaneous for the bands and the punters. See these hot new artists and some very special guests at the following shows.

24 August 2008 – Jive Bar, Adelaide (18+, with guests)
26 August 2008 – East Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne (18+, with Don’t Ask Us)
27 August 2008 – Spectrum, Sydney (18+, with Planet Of The Stereos)
31 August 2008 – Jive Bar, Adelaide (18+, with guests)
2 September 2008 – East Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne (18+, with The Scissor File)
3 September 2008 – Spectrum, Sydney (18+, with Envy Parade)
7 September 2008 – Jive Bar, Adelaide, SA (All ages 2 pm – 5 pm, with guests)
7 September 2008 – Jive Bar, Adelaide, SA (18+, with guests)
9 September 2008 – East Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne (18+, with Front Counter)
10 September 2008 – Spectrum, Sydney (18+, with Sierra Montana)

Tickets are available now from the venues.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Flo Rida Announces Aussie Tour

It seemed like “Low” had the number one spot in Australia for an eternity, so I’m sure there are plenty of folks excited about the news that Flo Rida is bringing his show Down Under.

Sadly for some urban music fans, he’ll only visit Sydney and Melbourne. He’ll hit the Queensbridge Hotel in South Melbourne on August 29 before playing Luna Park’s Big Top in Sydney the following night. Hopefully, the gigs will go well enough to encourage the soul superstar to come back and explore more of our fine country.

Ticketek will sell tickets for both shows from 9 am on Monday 21 July.

Image source: Darkroomdemons.com @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Xavier Rudd Releases "Dark" New Album

Gee that Xavier Rudd is a busy boy isn’t he? He’s been touring virtually nonstop for years, yet somehow he’s managed to release four studio albums since 2002 and a swag of live discs. And soon he’ll add album number five to the list: Dark Shades of Blue.

The album, which is scheduled for an August 19 release, promises to have more of a rock flavour than his previous discs. With Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age) behind the mixing desk, it sounds like he’s on the right track.

Somewhere in there Xavier’s also found time to pen the score for the upcoming Matthew McConaughey film Surfer Dude. Wow!

Australia will get to see the hardest working man in the industry when he showcases Dark Shades of Blue later this year. If you’ve never caught this multi-instrumental genius live before, I urge you to check out one of the following shows. You will not be disappointed!

28 October – The Hifi, Melbourne
3 November – Canberra Uni Refectory
4 November – Waves Nightclub, Wollongong
6 November – The Metro Theatre, Sydney
9 November – Civic Theatre, Newcastle
11 November – Coffs Ex-Serviceman’s Club, Coffs Harbour
12 November – Ballina RSL
14 November – The Events Centre, Caloundra
15 November – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane
18 November – The Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton
21 November – Townsville Civic Theatre
22 November – Kuranda Amphitheatre
27 November – Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth
28 November – Old Broadwater Farm, Busselton
30 November – Elder Park, Adelaide

Image source: f2g2 @ Flickr 

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Whitlams Hit the Road

If you can’t make it to The Whitlams’ Good Music Month show at the State Theatre you needn’t stress. The band has just announced a full run of dates to support their soon-to-be-released best of.

The lads will play shows in some of the major capitals and a few regional towns as well. But if you can make it to Sydney, Hobart, or Melbourne they’re really the pick of things. The Whitlams will be backed by full symphonies in these cities, so they’re sure to be something special.

The two-disc greatest hits album will draw from The Whitlams six studio releases. It’ll hit record stores all around the country on August 2. You can see The Whitlams doing their thing live at the following venues.

15 August 2008 – Wrest Point Casino, Hobart (with The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra)
22 and 23 August 2008 – The Gov, Adelaide
4 and 5 September 2008 – The Zoo, Brisbane
12 September 2008 – State Theatre, Sydney (w/ Symphonie Des Femmes)
25 and 26 September 2008 – Hamer Hall, Melbourne (w/ The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)
4 October 2008 – Belmont Sailing Club, Newcastle
11 and 12 October 2008 – Tilley’s, Canberra
17 October 2008 – Caloundra Festival, Caloundra
24 October 2008 – Tank Art Centre, Cairns
1 November 2008 – Regal Theatre, Perth

Image source: Mystikeel @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

More 80s Legends Head Down Under

Is it just me, or does it feel kind of like it’s 1985? We’ve just had the announcements that The Bangles and Def Leppard are coming and now we can add a couple more 80s icons to the list.

The lead singer of Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley, is teaming up with Paul Young for some massive shows jampacked with nostalgic tracks.

Tony Hadley was the voice of classic songs like “Gold,” “To Cut a Long Story Short,” “Only When You Leave” and my absolute favourite guilty pleasure “True.”

I also love Paul Young’s hits “Wherever I Lay My Hat,” “Everytime You Go Away,” and “Love of the Common People.”

Suffice to say, these shows are going to be awesome, and probably not all that pricy considering they’re playing some RSLs.

The dates are:

22 October 2008 – West Leagues Club, Newcastle
23 October 2008 – Palms @ Crown Casino, Melbourne
24 October 2008 – Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL
25 October 2008 – Fairfield RSL Club
29 October 2008 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide
31 October 2008 – Regal Theatre, Perth

Image source: giorgioerriquez @ Wikimedia Commons