After the success of its March showing, the organisers of the touring mini-festival Hits & Pits have organised a second showing of the punk event for this November, bringing out Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, No Fun At All, headliners Black Flag (well, one of the two recently reunited versions of it at least), and more.
But The Ataris, one of the major acts for Hits & Pits 2.0 are refusing to fly around the country when they tour later this year, instead driving around the country old-school style, forcing the band to pull out of the Perth edition of the event and play their own sideshow to compensate, as TheMusic reports.
The news came via the pop punk band’s own frontman Kris Roe, who admitted that it was his fear of flying on the band’s Facebook page announcing the Perth date, playing Amplifier Bar on Friday 29th November. Roe reveals that it was an in-flight incident he endured the last time he was Down Under that has grounded the band for their forthcoming visit. The post reads:
A few years back, while on one of my acoustic tours in Australia, one of the planes I was on was struck by lightning upon takeoff during a monsoon. We got caught in a huge microburst of air and the plane came very close to crashing. It even made the news in your country. Luckily everyone lived through the incident but since that point we do our best to fly as little as possible.”
Unlike Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker’s famous pull-out of Soundwave 2013 due to his flying phobia however, The Ataris won’t be cancelling their travel plans, but instead minimising flight options.
The promoters for Hits & Pits festival have arranged for The Ataris to travel by car across the country “while the rest of the tour will fly from show to show,” writes the band. Of course, travelling by four wheels instead of wings to Western Australia means the band can’t possibly make the Sunday 24th leg of Hits & Pits in Perth overnight from Adelaide on the 23rd. Instead “Colllateral Manage Co. booked [us] our own headlining show on Nov 29th at Amplifier Band instead,” details The Ataris post.
They also note optimistically that driving affords the the chance to “actually get to experience each city we visit and see more of each place than just airports and the backstage of clubs.”
“There is nothing I love more than experiencing each place like a local, backpacking around on trains, buses,” writes Roe; “I have always dreamed of driving across the outback. Taking photography along the way. Well, this time around that will finally get to happen. Everyone has been very accommodating!”
“We’re excited to get back to Australia, to play with Black Flag, our friends Bad Astronaut and the many other amazing bands on the tour!” he adds.
The Hits & Pits 2.0 Festival appearance will mark the Ataris first shows in Australia with new drummer Erik Perkins, who replaced Rob Felicetti after a very public spat last October in which frontman Kris Roe flipped out at the drummer onstage at a gig in New Jersey, bemoaning “there’s a certain amount of fucking shit I can take.”
The Ataris Hits & Pits 2.0 Sideshow
Friday 29th November 2013 – Amplifier Bar, Perth, WA (18+)
383 Murray St, Perth | Doors open 7:30pm
Tickets on sale HERE
Hits & Pits 2.0 Festival Dates & Tickets
with Black Flag, Boysetsfire, Bad Astronaut, The Ataris, Snuff, No Fun At All, Good For You, Jughead’s Revenge, and Off With Their Heads
Friday 15th November – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast (18+)
Marine Parade, Coolangatta QLD | Doors open 6pm
Saturday 16th November – Hifi Bar, Brisbane (18+)
123 Boundary Street, West End QLD | Doors open 5pm
Sunday 17th November – Hifi Bar, Sydney (18+)
122 Lang Road, Moore Park NSW | Doors open 4pm
Friday 22nd November – Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
20-30 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC | Doors open 5pm
Saturday 23rd November – The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide (18+)
59 Port Road, Hindmarsh SA | Doors open 5pm
Sunday 24th November – Capitol & Amplifier, Perth (18+)
393 Murray St, Perth WA | Doors open TBC [Pending Approval]
Early Bird tickets ON SALE NOW!
For more info visit Hits & Pits on Facebook
