Category: Tours

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Feist, Gotye and More Play Laneways

An eclectic collection of international and local acts will play the 2008 Laneway Festival.

Feist, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, Kevin Drew, Okkervil River, and Dan Deacon and The Brunettes will visit our shores for the travelling festival. They’ll join local stars Gotye, The Panics, The Devastations, Little Red, Via Tania, The Holidays and Bridezilla. More acts will be announced in the coming months.

The festival will kick off in Adelaide on February 23. This is the first time the event has played the South Australian capital. It’ll then travel to Melbourne and Brisbane, before concluding in Sydney on March 2.

Tickets for the Laneway Festival go on sale tomorrow at www.lanewayfestival.com.au.

Image source: Laneway Festival website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Ice Man Commeth. Vanilla Ice, That Is

Well here’s some unexpected touring news! Vanilla Ice only had one hit in Australia, and that was 17 years ago, but he’s not going to let that stop him visiting our fair shores.

He’ll play “Ice Ice Baby” of course, but don’t think that’s all you’ll hear. Word is that the Ice Man does mean cover versions of “Satisfaction” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” A little AC/DC should go down a treat with his Aussie fans (they do exist, right?).

As you can imagine, he’s not exactly packing out entertainment centres these days. You can catch Vanilla Ice kicking off his Aussie tour at the King Street Hotel in Newcastle. From there he’ll visit Coffs Harbour, Wollongong, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Airlie Beach, and Cairns. Am I the only person who thinks this tour may be a good excuse for a surfing holiday?

Kid Kenobi, MC ShureShock, and The Stafford Brothers will add some much-needed cred to the gigs.

Image source: Apavlo @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Drones Head Stateside

Aussie blues band The Drones are stepping up their efforts at world domination with a trip to North America at the end of the month.

They’ve just returned home after a lengthy stint in Europe, but already they’re itching to head abroad. They’ll tour North America with Seattle indie trio Band of Horses. The massive tour kicks off in Charlottesville, Virginia on October 30 and takes in much of the United States, Quebec, and Ontario.

The Drones are looking to promote their new four-track 7-inch record, the first in ATP Recordings Custom Made series. These recordings feature something old (in this case their rerecording of “Cockeyed Lowlife of the Highlands”), something new (a track called “I Don’t Ever Want to Change”), something borrowed (a cover of Charles Aznavour’s “I Drink”) and something blue (the very appropriate “Shark Fin Blues”).

Aussies can see off this beloved blues outfit at their remaining local gigs in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and country Victoria. Check The Drones website for all the local and U.S. dates!

Image source: R Serrano @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lior Tours Endless Road

Lior’s debut album Autumn Flow did big things in 2005, scoring a handful of ARIA nominations and achieving gold status. Now he’s set to replicate this success with album number two, Corner of an Endless Road.

“These new songs are intensely personal and candid,” says Lior. “Corner of an Endless Road is a true representation of my musical landscape; think Led Zeppelin jamming with Nick Drake at a teahouse somewhere in the Middle East.”

That’s some description! Sadly we’ll have to wait until February 9 to hear the new disc, although the first single “Heal Me” is out in November.

But fans will have a sneak peek of the album when Lior takes the new songs on the road in November. He’ll play some very special intimate shows, starting at the Governor Hindmarsh in Adelaide on the 16th. From there he’ll visit Melbourne, Sydney, Fremantle, Brisbane, Port Douglas, Cairns, and Byron Bay. Full details of the shows are available at Lior’s website.

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

New Acts for Sold Out Homebake Show

A whole lot of new acts have just been added to the already stellar Homebake lineup. But if you haven’t already grabbed your tickets, you’re too late. This year’s show sold out in record time. We did warn you!

If you got in early, you can now look forward to seeing Scribe, Architecture in Helsinki, Blue King Brown, Kisschasy, Old Man River and heaps more.

They’ll join original headliners including the Divinyls, Miss Higgins, Gotye, Sarah Blasko, and Paul Kelly. It all happens in The Domain in Sydney on December 8.

Image source: Michael Spencer @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Ben Lee Heads East

Ben Lee swore the cancellation of the Up! Festival wouldn’t stop him touring his new album Ripe. He’s made good on his promise with the announcement of a handful of dates along the East Coast.

The tour will kick off at Melbourne’s Prince of Wales Hotel on October 18. Then Ben’s off to Ballarat, Moorooduc, Brisbane, Sydney, and Woolongong. The shows are at some intimate little venues, so fans are in for a real treat. The Ballarat and Sydney gigs are also all ages so Ben’s youngest admirers need not miss out.

There’s no word yet on when Ben will visit the rest of Oz, but I’ll keep you posted. Until then Ben lovers, you’ll just have to be content with the new album. Ripe is released tomorrow.

Image source: Graciepoo @ Flickr

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Silverchair and Powderfinger Go Green

Silverchair and Powderfinger are the latest rockers to jump on the green bandwagon. They’ve just announced their massive Across the Great Divide tour will be carbon neutral.

The bands will buy carbon credits from Climate Friendly to offset the 800 tonnes of carbon emissions the tour is expected to generate.

“The Silverchair/Powderfinger tour has invested in renewable energy projects via Climate Friendly, such as wind power, that will prevent exactly the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions that are generated by the event,” said a spokesperson for the tour.

But the tour’s social conscience doesn’t end there. Across the Great Divide doesn’t just refer to the wide expanse of Australian land the tour will cover. It’s also a reference to the life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Aussie children. The bands hope their tour will start people talking about this important issue.

The Across the Great Divide tour kicks off next Wednesday in Newcastle.

Image source: World Wildlife Fund website

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Perth Powderfinger/Silverchair Shows in Doubt

Where will Powderfinger and Silverchair play in Perth? That’s the big question after revelations the Across the Great Divide concerts planned for Claremont Oval don’t have council approval.

The Aussie rock groups planned to play two Perth shows in September. The first sold out, and the second show isn’t too far behind. However, we won’t know whether the concert will go ahead as planned until a council meeting later this month.

“We are not against the concert per se,” Claremont mayor Peter Olson told Southern Cross Radio. “We’ve got to get it through the process.”

So what happens if the concert is rejected? Finding a venue large enough to hold the massive crowd on two consecutive nights will be a big ask. Perhaps the promoters should have thought of that before the tickets went on sale.

Perth is regularly neglected when it comes to live music. It’d be a shame for Perthites to miss this awesome show because of red tape and poor planning.

Image source: Jeaneeem @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Deborah Conway Brings Broads Together

Now in its third year, Deborah Conway’s traveling celebration of female music, Broad, is hitting the road again.

This time around rootsy Anne McCue, R&B diva Jade McRae, blues queen Abbe May, and folkster Sally Seltmann (aka New Buffalo) will join Ms Conway on stage.

The idea behind Broad is simple: put five eclectic local musos on stage together, and see what happens. The performers play their own material and a few choice cover versions, making the experience truly one to remember.

The concept may seem like a clever marketing ploy, and it is. Yet Broad’s goal is a deeper one, allowing women to play together and celebrate their craft.

“Since I stopped playing with Do-Re-Mi I’ve never really played with other women,” Deborah admitted to The Australian. “And I miss it. It’s not like there’s a glass ceiling for women in the music business any more.

“I’m not taking any pride in busting open this imaginary glass ceiling, which I’m sure no one believes exists, but the fact of the matter remains that it’s very unusual to see five women on stage together. It just doesn’t happen.”

Bringing together five very different singers is a challenging, but ultimately rewarding, experience for Conway.

“You have to think about what part of the octave range you’re going to occupy,”she said. “Hopefully when we start singing harmonies everyone will be comfortable with it. It has been a fantastic learning curve for me. I was never much of a harmony singer up until the time we started this whole process, and I’ve become a better one because of it.”

Deborah Conway is currently focusing her attention on the current Broad tour, although she can’t help but think ahead to next year’s event.

“This is a concert that’s unlike any other. It has been an absolute joy to work on. It’s always a privilege to play with all these other wonderful women, and I think I walk away having learned something every time.”

Broad 2007 begins in Brisbane this Friday. The tour will play selected concert halls around the country. See the Broad website for a complete list of dates.

Image source: Kwanie @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jet Support Stones in UK

The Rolling Stones were clearly impressed with their 2003 Melbourne support act, Jet. They’ve just asked the local boys to open for them in London.

The Melbourne rockers will support The Stones at the O2 Arena in London on August 21 and 23.

The Brits will also get a chance to see the Aussie supergroup when they perform at the V Festival at Chelmsford’s Hylands Park on August 18, and Staffordshire’s Weston Park the following day. They’ll play alongside major international stars like The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Foo Fighters, and Pink.

Image source: Jim Pietryga @ Wikimedia Commons