Category: Tour Announcements

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

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

The Cat Empire Come Home

After a whirlwind world tour, Australia’s biggest ska success story, The Cat Empire, are glad to be home. Their performance at last weekend’s Splendour in the Grass festival kicked off what’s shaping up as a busy couple of months for the Melbourne sextet.

The Cat Empire will release album number four, So Many Nights, on September 22. To promote the release, they’ll perform shows in Cairns, Noosa, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Adelaide.

Can they break their own record in Sydney? In 1996 the band sold out seven consecutive shows at The Metro. This time around they’re booked in for eight appearances. Considering how long these funksters have been away, I’m pretty sure they bouncers will be turning away fans at the door.

So make sure you don’t miss out! Check The Cat Empire’s website to see when they’re playing near you.

Image source: MuntyPix @ Flickr.com

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

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

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

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

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

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

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

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

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

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