Tour Announcements – Page 166

Posted on 29/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

British India Jet Off for UK Tour

British India have left our shores for a while as they pursue their dreams of global domination.

They’re spending the week in Europe, playing nine shows to support their first UK EP Vanilla. This short play album features four tracks from the monster disc Avalanche. Not sure why the Brits are only getting a snippet; I’d feel a bit ripped off I were them!

Hopefully the Poms will develop a taste for our garage rock band though, because they’ll be back across the pond for another tour in May. That’s set to be a busy month for them, as they’re also booked in to play MUSEXPO in Los Angeles.

Don’t think British India will forget about their fans back home though. They’re planning to release a new single in the New Year, and they’ll play capital cities and regional centers to support it.

It sounds to me like those British India boys won’t be getting a full night’s sleep any time soon! If you want to catch British India, here are all the shows confirmed thus far!

29 October 2010 – Taylor Johns House, Coventry
3 November 2010 – The Croft, Bristol
4 November 2010 – The Crawdaddy, Dublin
5 November 2010 – The Borderline, London
6 November 2010 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
10 November 2010 – The Well, Leeds
11 November 2010 – Night & Day, Manchester
12 November 2010 – Stereo, Glasgow
13 November 2010 – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
20 November 2010 – Narrogin Rev Heads, Narrogin
4 December 2010 – Rising Sun, Auckland
10 December 2010 – Festival of the Sun, Port Macquarie

Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment

Posted on 28/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Mos Def Announces First Headline Tour of Oz

After watching him in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Be Kind Rewind, and The Italian Job I’d almost forgotten that Mos Def was a musician. Thankfully he’s coming to Australia to remind us all of his rapping talents next year.

This will be Mos Def’s first headlining tour Down Under, but the wait should be worth it. He’s out here to support his new album The Ecstatic, which has been nominated for a Grammy Award and named one of the best albums of the last year by Rolling Stone.

Mos Def will appear at Hobart’s Soundscape festival before travelling around the country to play the following solo dates. Tickets for those shows went on sale today.

8 January 2011 – Soundscape Festival, Hobart
9 January 2011 – The Enmore Theatre, Sydney
13 January 2011 – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane
14 January 2011 – The Palace Theatre, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on 26/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Lan Party Launch New “Personal Low” Album

If you ask my husband what LAN party is he’d wax lyrical about the good old days of computer gaming, where he’d gather with his pals, play video games, and drink too much Mountain Dew to make it through the night. You’d probably be bored hearing about it; I’m sure you’d much rather know about the Melbourne four-piece also called Lan Party.

“Lan Party is a state of mind, something we’ve built on over the years with various members and eclectic collaborative efforts,” the band explained. “Lan Party is a musical mutt, the amalgam of a lot of different colours, moods and styles. The band has a raw accessible rock side with sporadic outbursts of rhythmic flair and technicality. It’s anti-derivative music with a dynamic and energetic air to it.”

Lan Party have just released their sophomore album Personal Low, which ironically enough marks a bit of a personal high for the band! It features the new single “French Investors,” which is all about partying your way out of a tricky situation. That’s a method I have to try sometime!

Lan Party will take the album on the road next month with launch shows in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. And according to lead vocalist and guitarist Trent Menassa, we should expect the unexpected.

“Anything can happen at a Lan Party show,” said Trent. “The energy is a high pressure cooker, the banter is ridiculous, the costumes are raw but lavish, and I think by the time the band leaves the stage you’ll feel like you’ve listened to a lot of good music.”

You can join in the fun at the following shows.

7 November 2010 – Excelsior Hotel, Surry Hills
20 November 2010 – Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
27 November 2010 – Jetty Bar, Glenelg

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on 25/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Neil Diamond Brings “Dreams” to Oz

Living legend Neil Diamond will visit our shores next March for his first Aussie tour in six years.

Neil is heading our way to promote Dreams, an album which features covers of songs made famous by The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, The Eagles, and other acts. He might be paying tribute to some of his own musical heroes, but I’m sure we’ll also hear a whole lot of Neil’s own big hits. And goodness knows there are a lot of them!

With the dollar reaching parity, hopefully this is just the start of a steady stream of big international names making their way to Oz. Fingers crossed!

In the mean time, you can get your tickets for the following Neil Diamond’s shows on November 9.

7 March 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide
11 & 13 March 2011 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
19 March 2011 – Hope Estate Winery, Hunter Valley
21 & 23 March 2011 – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane
26 March 2011 – Football Stadium, Sydney
29 March 2011 – NIB Stadium, Perth

Posted on 23/10/201022/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Jinja Safari’s Ugly Dancing for “Forest Eyes”

Jinja Safari have released this fun new video for their new single “Forest Eyes.”

The clip documents the band’s adventures in the Central Coast and Byron Bay. While travelling around the coast the band developed the concept of ugly dancing, they saw the sun rise, they lit bonfires, they donned animal costumes, and generally they celebrated life. It’s a beautiful thing, and a great pairing with this gentle but addictive track.

If you love the song make sure you see what else the band can do when they play the following shows to support “Forest Eyes” around the country.

4 November 2010 – The Zoo, Brisbane
5th November 2010 – Town Hall, Fremantle
6 November 2010 – Jive Bar, Adelaide
11 November 2010 – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney
12 November 2010 – Northern Star Hotel, Newcastle
18 November 2010 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
19 November 2010 – East Brunswick Club, Melbourne

Posted on 21/10/201021/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Georgia Fair Tour Times Fly

Georgia Fair wowed us all last year with their cruisy tune “Picture Frames.” Now Jordan Wilson and Ben Riley are set to do it all over again with their new EP Times Fly.

“When we did that first EP we were pretty green to the whole industry,” explained Jordan. “We just wanted to get it out there. For this we focused on the value of the song and the shape of our sound. It’s a bit more up, I guess you could say, and it’s a sample of what’s to come from the album.”

The lads spent time in North Carolina recording the EP under the guidance of Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses before returning home to complete it with old friends Boy & Bear. Reynolds’ expertise helped the Sydney boys step up their game and really showcase their acoustic folk strengths.

You can hear all that acoustic goodness in the flesh when Georgia Fair plays the following shows to support the release of Times Fly.

30 & 31 October 2010 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (with Basics)
5 November 2010 – Clubhouse, Brisbane (with Basics)
6 November 2010 – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney (with Basics)
10-12 November 2010 – The Quarry, Perth (with Lisa Mitchell)
20 November 2010 – Hope Estate, Hunter Valley (with Crowded House)
14 & 15 December 2010 – The Vanguard, Sydney (with Gossling)
16 December 2010 – East Brunswick, Melbourne (with Gossling)
29 December 2010 – Peats Ridge Festival, Peats Ridge

Image source: The Harbour Agency

Posted on 20/10/201003/11/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Enter the Theatrical Mind of Emma Dean

Emma Dean is one of those special artists that brings a sense of theatre to her music. She calls to mind such strong female performers as Kate Bush and Amanda Palmer with her sophomore album Dr Dream and The Imaginary Pop-Cabaret.

“Essentially, I think of my original music as being piano- based cabaret-tinged pop which is presented with a theatrical flair. In short, I call it pop-cabaret”, she explained in a statement.

“This particular body of work explores themes such as imagination, insanity, fear, obsession and dreams. Dr Dream is one of the characters from my Imaginary Friends tour and this album is all about me sitting in his office, on his big black chair and rambling on about the inner-most workings of my mind. It’s about letting go of all the things I’m normally too afraid and ashamed to speak of and unashamedly airing them in song. It’s been scary but therapeutic.”

This video for “Sincerely Fearful” gives you some idea of what you’re in for when you take a journey through Emma Dean’s mind. She brings this same sense of theatricality to her live performances, which also feature her corseted, dancing “Imaginary Friends.” If this sounds like something you want to experience, make sure you get to one of the upcoming album launch shows.

20 November 2010 – The Raval @ The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney (18+)
26 November 2010 – The Old Museum @ Studio One, Brisbane (All Ages)
27 November 2010 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne (18+)

Image used with permission from Stephen Green Consulting

Posted on 19/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Lonnie Lee Rocks with The Class of ’59 Tour

Australian music legend Lonnie Lee is bringing classic rock to the masses with his upcoming The Class of ‘59 tour.

These shows will transport you back to a time where rock and roll had the power to shock without relying on wild costumes or bad language. Lonnie will play his own big hits of course, alongside The Class of ‘59 band. They’ll stand in for some of rock’s pioneers including Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Bill Haley.

If you’re old enough to remember the music that rocked a generation of teens, or if you’ve been introduced to it along the way, this tour is promising to be a lot of fun.

1 April 2011 – Civic Centre, Ipswich
2 April 2011 – QPAC, Brisbane
9 April 2011 – State Theatre, Sydney
29 & 30 April 2011 – Palms At Crown, Melbourne
6 May 2011 – Burswood Theatre, Perth
7 May 2011 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide

Image used with permission from AAA Entertainment

Posted on 17/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

More Magic from That 1 Guy

Have you heard of That 1 Guy? Otherwise known as Mike Silverman, That 1 Guy takes the concept of a one-man band to the next level with his incredible Magic Pipe.

It sounds like a piece of drug paraphernalia, but in reality it’s a seven-foot tall collection of swiveling pipes, metal gears, bass strings, and buttons all connected by a rainbow of coloured wires. If you’re having trouble picturing that just check out this video!

That 1 Guy’s coming at you with a brand new album Packs a Wallop, which does just what it says. It was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia with Billy Hume, who’s worked with the likes of Nelly and Ludacris. It was an interesting creative process for That 1 Guy, as for the first time he went into the studio with ideas rather than fully fledged tracks.

“I went in there with zero – nothing finished – and I lived there for a month,” he explained. “It was really hard work, really long days, and I forced myself to craft some stuff.”

The new approach worked, as Packs a Wallop is perhaps That 1 Guy’s most spontaneous and creative work.

“Human beings do our best work when we’re challenged and pushed up against the wall,” he said. “By nature, we’re hunters and gathers, spending each day looking for the next meal. It’s easy to be lazy when you don’t have to come up with something creative right away.”

That 1 Guy is bringing the new songs, and a brand new pipe, to the people at the following shows. Make sure you arrive early to catch the amazing Mr. Percival at all but the Port Macquarie and regional Victoria shows.

18 November 2010 – The Transit Bar, Canberra
19 November 2010 – AWME Festival @ The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne
20 November 2010 – Republic Bar, Hobart
21 November 2010 – Republic Bar, Hobart
24 November 2010 – Fly By Night, Fremantle
25 November 2010 – Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide
26 November 2010 – Pier Hotel, Frankston
27 November 2010 – Shine On Festival, Ballarat
28 November 2010 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
29 November 2010 – The Brewery, Byron Bay
1 December 2010 – Villa Noosa, Noosa
2 December 2010 – Miami Sharks, Gold Coast
3 December 2010 – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns
4 December 2010 – Globe Theatre, Brisbane
5 December 2010 – Cambridge Tavern, Newcastle
8 December 2010 – Gearin Hotel, Katoomba
9 December 2010 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
10 December 2010 – Factory Theatre, Sydney
11 December 2010 – Festival Of The Sun, Port Macquarie
27 December 2010 – 1 January 2011 – Woodford Folk Festival, Woodfordia

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash

Posted on 16/10/201015/10/2010 by Lauren Katulka

Get Ready for Summer with The Rooftops

Are you all getting excited about summer? It’s so close that I can feel it. I put on one of my favourite sun dresses last week, and was so thrilled to be able to step out with bare legs! If you’re not in a summery mood yet, Brisbane band The Rooftops should get you there with their new single “Something So Familiar.”

If you want to give it a listen just head to their website to download it for free from the main page. I love it when a band is so generous, particularly when they’re this good. That infectious groove and rich brassy sound are music to my ears, so to speak!

“Something So Familiar” comes from the band’s forthcoming third album, which only makes me wonder where they’ve been all my life! If you dig them, you can catch them doing their thing live at the following shows.

22 October 2010 – The Spotted Cow, Toowoomba
23 October 2010 – The Armidale Club, Armidale
29 October 2010 –The Renaissance Festival, Melbourne
30 October 2010 – The Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne
5 November 2010 – The Queens Arms, Adelaide
6 November 2010 – The Jetty Bar, Glenelg
12 November 2010 – Front Gallery, Canberra
13 November 2010 – The Mac, Sydney
14 November 2010 – The Junkyard, Maitland
19 November 2010 – The Loft, Gold Coast
20 November 2010 – The Club House, Brisbane
4 December 2010 – Bump Nights, Noosa

Image used with permission from Heapsaflash