Nick Cave Announces October Tour

Nick Cave fans are in for a real treat this October. Australia’s Prince of Darkness will return home for a double-header tour, which fittingly kicks off in Melbourne on Friday the 13th.

Nick will perform solo and Bad Seeds hits behind a grand piano during the first half of the concerts.

In the second, he’ll introduce his homeland to his new blues rock outfit, Grinderman. The band is a star-studded affair, featuring The Dirty Three’s Warren Ellis, ex-Triffid Martyn Casey, and The Vanity Set’s Jim Sclavunos.

Grinderman has already wowed crowds in London, and are set to do the same when they hit America later in the month. Tickets to the Australian shows are on sale tomorrow.

Image source: kingArthur_aus @ Flickr.com

The Police Bring Shows To Oz

We’ve been waiting to hear for a while, but now it’s official – The Police will head Down Under this summer.

Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers will kick off the Australian leg of their world tour at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on January 22. From there they’ll visit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth.

If the reports coming out of the United States are anything to go by, fans are in for a real treat. The band apparently sound as tight as ever, and love delivering a greatest hits set.

As well as hearing some great music, the audience can also feel good about helping WaterAid. A portion of the tour’s proceeds will benefit the international organisation which looks to reduce poverty by improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

However, it’s a bit disappointing that The Police have chosen to play massive outdoor stadiums this time around. We all know punters will need to spend $250 a piece on A-class tickets to actually see the band, which makes it a pretty expensive night out.

Still, if you can swing it tickets are on sale from July 30. A six-ticket limit applies to keep scalpers at bay. Complete dates are available at The Police’s website.

Image source: Arniep/Wikimedia Commons

Kate Ceberano Hits the Road

Pop stalwart Kate Ceberano is hitting the road to celebrate the success of her latest release, Nine Lime Avenue.

The top 10 smash album has been Kate’s biggest seller in years. The homage to 80s pop includes cover versions of “Brass In Pocket,” “Raspberry Beret,” and her latest hit single, “Go Your Own Way.”

The concerts will include songs from the latest album and her greatest hits, including “Brave”, “Pash,” and “Bedroom Eyes.”

Kate will be taking a very special guest on the tour: her Dancing With the Stars partner John-Paul Collins. The pair waltzed their way to victory in the sixth series of the popular reality television program.

“This is a dream come true,” Kate announced on her website. “The opportunity to present music and dance together is a fantasy I’ve had since I was a little girl.”

Kate Ceberano’s all singing, all dancing tour kicks off in Sydney on September 14.

Image source: Kate Ceberano website

Crowded House Announces World Tour

They may have said farewell to the world in 1996 and lost drummer Paul Hester in 2005, but Crowded House are back with a vengeance.

With new drummer Matt Sherrod, Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and Mick Hart have released Time on Earth, their first studio album since 1993’s Together Alone.

To celebrate the release, they’ll kick off a world tour with a very special performance at Sydney’s Live Earth gig on July 7. Then it’s off to North America and Europe before the band returns home in November.

The Australian leg of Crowded House’s world tour kicks off in Sydney on November 5. Tickets for these shows are available tomorrow from the usual outlets.

See the Crowded House website for all their tour details.

Image source: JonnyBoyR @ Flickr.com

Silverchair and Powderfinger Rock Australia

The hottest bands in Australia, Silverchair and Powderfinger, are joining forces to present the tour of the year.

Powderfinger are riding high on the success of their latest release, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence. It hit the top spot in its first week in the charts, becoming the fastest selling album in Australia this year. Meanwhile, Silverchair’s double platinum newie Young Modern remains firmly in the top 20, 10 weeks after its release.

The Across the Great Divide tour kicks off in Silverchair’s hometown of Newcastle on August 29, followed by The Finger’s hometown of Brisbane. It will take in every Australian capital city and 14 regional centers, making this one of the biggest tours in Oz music history.

Playing small regional towns doesn’t phase the bands. They’ll take a customised tent on tour with them, allowing them to build a large venue in places too small for entertainment centres.

“Aside from our album launches, these will be our first shows for two-and-a-half years, and the first time we will return to a lot of the regional areas,” said Powderfinger frontman, Bernard Fanning. “We have been threatening to hit the rural places for ages and now we’re getting around to it we are grateful to have Silverchair with us to carry our gear!”

Silverchair drummer Ben Gillies couldn’t resist taking a jab at his co-headliners either.

“It’ll be great to get right around Australia after all this time and if the tickets don’t sell, we can always blame Powderfinger!” he joked.

Poor ticket sales are the last thing this tour has to worry about. Visa holders can obtain special presale tickets on July 2 through www.visaentertainment.com.au. The rest of us will have to wait until Monday July 9 to nab some of the hottest tickets around. Get in quick: this tour is sure to sell out. Check the tour website for ticket outlets and complete tour dates.

Image source: Across the Great Divide website