Nathan Cavaleri & Screaming Jets Drummer are Nat Col & The Kings

Nathan Cavaleri is all grown up and fronting a brand new band Nat Col & The Kings. The guitar prodigy’s latest outfit is introducing us to their sound with a wicked new single “Coming Home” and a national tour to support its release.

We haven’t heard a lot from Nathan in recent years. He actually gave up the guitar for a while and worked as a brickie’s labourer until Steve Morse gave him a call in 2010 and encouraged him to join Deep Purple on their Aussie tour. No one’s going to say no to that sort of invitation! The tour reignited Nathan’s love of music, and after a chance meeting with former Screaming Jets drummer Col Hatchman the brand new outfit was formed.

Nat Col & The Kings marks the start of a new chapter of both artists’ journeys. So far the band has played slots at Byron Bay’s Bluesfest, the Indy V8 Supercars, and the Caxton Street Music Festival. They released a couple of EPs, and have another in the pipeline. The new single “Coming Home” is our first taste of this forthcoming release. If you like what you hear, make sure you head to one of the following shows:

16 August 2012 – Port Macquarie Hotel, Port Macquarie (Free)
17 August 2012 – Tempo Hotel, Brisbane
18 August 2012 – Racehorse Hotel, Ipswich
19 August August 2012 – Mansfield Tavern, Mansfield
30 August 2012 – The Evelyn, Fitzroy
31 August 2012 – Ruby’s, Belgrave
1 September 2012 – Bended Elbow, Geelong
7 September 2012 – The Vanguard, Sydney
8 September 2012 – Fitzroy Hotel, Windsor (Free)
14 September 2012 – Grand Junction Hotel, Maitland (Free)
15 September 2012 – The Heritage, Bulli

Boy in a Box & Kingswood Team Up for Split Ends Shows

Boy in a Box and Kingswood will rock their way around the country next month on one big double headliner tour. The Split Ends shows will see the emerging bands facing it off in a musical battle for the ages.

Boy in a Box are real contenders, with a new EP under their belt and a lot of love for their catchy new single “On My Mind.” They’ve also honed their live act with support slots for Birds of Tokyo and Calling All Cars, as well as a slot at Falls.

But Kingswood will be just as eager to win the hearts of the punters. They’ve just played Splendour and enjoyed plenty of airplay for the singles “Yeah Go Die” and “Medusa.”

See Boy in a Box and Kingswood duke it out at the following shows.

23 August 2012 – Goodgod, Sydney
24 August 2012 – Northern Star, Newcastle
6 September 2012 – Ed Castle, Adelaide
7 September 2012 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
12 & 14 September 2012 – BIGSOUND Brisbane

Image used with permission from Show Off Services

Red Ink Tour Euphoria

Red Ink are preparing to tour their catchy new single “Euphoria,” our first taste of their forthcoming new single The Colour Age. They’ll play the major capitals in support of the song.

It’s such a great track, carefully crafted with a killer pop sensibility. It’s amazing to think it was originally conceived in Red Ink’s early days, and only dug out of the archives recently. Thank goodness it was! I also love the film clip, which is a moving look at the polarities of life.

If you dig the song make sure you head to iTunes or Spotify as it’s currently available as a free download. And of course get to the following shows!

3 August 2012 – CATS @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide
17 August 2012 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
6 September 2012 – Cobra Kai @ Oh Hello, Brisbane
8 September 2012 – Upstairs Beresford Hotel, Sydney

Chet Faker Comes Home

Chet Faker’s been quite the jetsetter over the last couple of months. He toured Europe with The Temper Trap and played big international festivals South by Southwest and The Great Escape. But these were just the warm up shows for his forthcoming Australian tour to celebrate the release of his new single “Love and Feeling.”

The track is the latest to come from Chet’s album Thinking in Textures, which has earned critical acclaim in the UK, the US, and his native Australia.

Chet will kick off his Australian tour with a slot at Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass before hitting the country’s best clubs.

27-29 July 2012 – Splendour in the Grass Festival, Byron Bay
3 August 2012 – The Bakery, Perth
4 August 2012 – Mojos, Fremantle
16 August 2012 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
17 August 2012 – Trinity Bar, Canberra
24 August 2012 – Cats @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide
7 September 2012 – Revolt, Melbourne
14 September 2012 – Up Late @ GOMA, Brisbane

First Australia, Then the World for The Smith Street Band

Indie punk act The Smith Street Band are celebrating the upcoming release of their second album Sunshine and Technology with a national tour.

The album showcases the way The Smith Street Band have matured since the release of their debut No One Gets Lost Anymore last year. It’s incredible to see the strides they’ve made both lyrically and musically in such a short time.

By the time the disc drops on August 24, the band will already be on the road with American support act Restorations. This tour will act as a bit of a warm up for The Smith Street Band, as they’ll head to China and the United States once it wraps for their first international dates.

Catch The Smith Street Band before they mount their global assault at the following shows:

The Smith Street Band17 August 2012 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
25 August 2012 – The Tote, Melbourne
30 August 2012 – Enigma Bar, Adelaide
31 August 2012 – Rosemount, Perth
6 September 2012 – X & Y Bar, Brisbane
7 September 2012 – Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle
8 September 2012 Annandale Hotel, Sydney
9 September 2012 –Phoenix Lounge, Canberra

Image used with permission from Deathproof PR

The Living End Ready Retrospective Tour

The Living End are taking us on a trip down memory lane with their Retrospective Tour. The run of dates will see the band playing each of their albums in their entirety over seven nights in the major capitals.

This tour actually marks the first time each of the band’s six albums will be played from start to finish. Six albums and seven shows? I know. It seems The Living End enjoy their self-titled album so much they’ll play it twice in each location.

This tour’s the sort of thing bound to inspire fans to see multiple shows, but it’s not just a money making exercise. The Living End will really give back to their fans in intimate club venues.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow from Oztix. If you’re going to buy plenty I suggest indulging in The Big Red Ticket, which will allow you to see the band playing every album in your city for a heavily discounted price. Now on to the dates!

The Rosemount Hotel, Perth
1 November 2012 – State of Emergency
2 November 2012 – Modern Artillery
3 November 2012 – The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating
4 November 2012 – Roll On
5 November 2012 – The Living End
6 November 2012 – The Living End
7 November 2012 – White Noise

The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
11 November 2012 – Roll On
12 November 2012 – The Living End
13 November 2012 – The Living End
14 November 2012 – White Noise
15 November 2012 – State of Emergency
16 November 2012 – Modern Artillery
17 November 2012 – The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating

The Hi-Fi Bar, Sydney
21 November 2012 – White Noise
22 November 2012 – State of Emergency
23 November 2012 – Modern Artillery
24 November 2012 – The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating
25 November 2012 – Roll On
26 November 2012 – The Living End
27 November 2012 – The Living End

The Zoo, Brisbane
1 December 2012 – The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating
2 December 2012 – Roll On
3 December 2012 – The Living End
4 December 2012 – The Living End
5 December 2012 – White Noise
6 December 2012 – State of Emergency
7 December 2012 – Modern Artillery

The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
11 December 2012 – The Living End
12 December 2012 – White Noise
13 December 2012 – State of Emergency
14 December 2012 – Modern Artillery
15 December 2012 – The Ending is Just the Beginning Repeating
16 December 2012 – Roll On
17 December 2012 – The Living End

Bluejuice Tour Unis

Bluejuice will entertain the country’s scholars next month with a tour of Australian universities, and a few honorary converted clubs. Their Winter of Our Discotheque tour kicks off at Newcastle Uni’s Bar on the Hill and wraps up almost three weeks later at Lismore’s SCU campus.

It’s all about Bluejuice reinventing their own experiences of winter as a uni student. The kids might still be shivering and unable to afford any meals of substance, but they’ll be entertained. If you’re looking for extra value (and what uni student isn’t?) make sure you turn up early to see support acts Deep Sea Arcade and The Preachers.

8 August 2012 – Bar on the Hill @ Newcastle University, Newcastle
9 August 2012 – The Stro @University of New England, Armidale
10 August 2012 – University of Technology, Sydney
11 August 2012 – Uni Bar @ University of Wollongong, Wollongong
14 August 2012 – Anu Bar, Canberra
15 August 2012 – Uni Bar @ CSU, Albury
16 August 2012 – Uni Bar @ Monash University, Gippsland
17 & 18 August 2012 – Uni Bar @ Deakin University, Melbourne
21 August 2012 – Uni Branded Night @ Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay
22 August 2012 – Uni Branded Night @ The Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
23 August 2012 – Red Room @ University of Queensland, Brisbane
24 August 2012 – Uni Bar @ Griffith University, Gold Coast
25 August 2012 – Uni Bar @ SCU, Lismore

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Punch Brothers Announce First Australian Tour

Former Nickel Creek singer and mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile is bringing his newish band Punch Brothers to Australia next month for a quickie tour.

Nickel Creek never really broke here, but my American husband introduced me to the bluegrassy folk outfit several years ago. It turns out since that time Chris has been making music with acclaimed fiddler Gabe Witcher, banjo player Baom Pkelny, bass player Paul Kowert, and lead guitarist Chris Eldridge. The result is a genre defying outfit that T-Bone Burnett calls “one of the most incredible bands (America) has ever produced.” And we all know T-Bone knows his stuff.

Punch Brothers are out here to celebrate the release of their third album Who’s Feeling Young Now, the follow-up to 2010’s Grammy Award nominated Antifogmatic. Discover the band before the rest of the country does at the following intimate shows.

Punch Brothers6 August 2012 – Recital Centre, Melbourne
8 August 2012 – The Basement, Sydney
10 August 2012 – Festival Theatre, Adelaide

Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia

Rick Astley Rick Rolls Australia

We’ve seen some strange tour announcements this year, but the news that Rick Astley is visiting our shores may be one of the most surprising yet. Sure Rick’s enjoyed another 15 minutes of fame with the rise of the Rick Roll, but a trip all the way to Oz still seems like it’s come out of left field.

Remember though, Rick didn’t just bring us “Never Gonna Give You Up.” He was responsible for a swag of 80s hits, including “Whenever You Need Somebody,” “Together Forever,” and the very underrated “Cry for Help.”

Rick hasn’t released a new studio album since 2005’s Portrait, so this tour will be all about the nostalgia. You can take a trip down memory lane with him at the following shows:

16 November 2012 – Twin Towns, Tweed Heads
17 November 2012 – Ipswich Civic Hall, Ipswich
18 November 2012 – Tivoli Brisbane, Brisbane
21 November 2012 – Canberra Theatre, Canberra
23 November 2012 – Evan Theatre, Penrith
24 November 2012 – Waves Nightclub, Wollongong
25 November 2012 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
29 November 2012 – Kinross Woolshed, Albury
30 November 2012 – The Palace, Melbourne
1 December 2012 – Chelsea Heights Hotel, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Riot House Publicity

Katchafire Bring Reggae Grooves to Australia

Acclaimed New Zealand reggae act Katchafire will head across the ditch for some Aussie shows in August and September.

The band has barely had time to breathe since releasing their fourth studio album On the Road Again. The latest batch of songs has seen them play a 25-date string of shows in the United States and a headline tour of Brazil. They recently returned to the US to appear the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, so they should be in fine form when they reach our shores.

Katchafire will take their time playing Aussie capitals and regional centres over a month long stay, including an appearance marking the 10th anniversary of the Cairns Reggaetown Festival. Catch them at the following venues:

31 August 2012 – The Hi-Fi Bar, Brisbane
1 September 2012 – Reggaetown Festival @ Kuranda Amphitheatre, Cairns
2 September 2012 – The Venue, Townville
5 September 2012 – Mackay Entertainment Centre, Mackay
6 September 2012 – Kings Beach Tavern, Caloundra
7 September 2012 – RSL Southport, Southport
8 September 2012 – The Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour
9 September 2012 – Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
14 September 2012 – The Astor Theatre, Perth
15 September 2012 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
16 September 2012 – Prince Of Wales Hotel, Bunbury
20 September 2012 – Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully
21 September 2012 – The Forum, Melbourne
22 September 2012 – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney
23 September 2012 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle

Image used with permission from Two Fish Out of Water