Now that we’re well and truly in the thick of festival season, Australia has seen some incredible bands from near and afar stun audiences with their tunes, and with February just around the corner, there are eight more homegrown artists that are gearing up for some epic national tours.
The next couple of months are looking pretty damn good for any live music fan in Australia, with a sonic palette of electronic, synth-pop, hiphop, indie-pop and garage all hitting cities and country towns around the nation, there’ll be a surmountable amount of fine local music emanating throughout the summer air.
Peking Duk
The year 2014 was most unquestionably The Year of the Duk. The dancefloor duo won the masses with their raucous live shows, dropping ’90s throwback tunes like ‘Darude’ to a sea of adoring fans, to the release of their transporting ‘Take Me Over’ and of course, the biggest, (well apparently second biggest to Triple J voters) track of the year, ‘High’, the Duk will kick February off with a huge regional tour of Australia. Be sure to catch these guys as soon as possible – who knows if you’ll ever be able to catch them in such a small setting ever again.
Friday, 6th February
The Argyle House, Newcastle
Tickets: Peking Duk
Saturday, 7th February
The Buffs Club, Mount Isa
Tickets: Peking Duk
Wednesday, 11th February
Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour
Tickets: Peking Duk
Thursday, 12th February
Magnum’s Hotel, Airlie Beach
Tickets: Peking Duk
Friday, 13h February
Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone
Tickets: Peking Duk
Sunday, 15th February
Castaway, Rottnest Island, Perth
Tickets: Peking Duk
Thursday, 19th February
Waves, Towradgi
Tickets: Peking Duk
Friday, 20th February
Discovery, Darwin
Tickets: Peking Duk
Client Liaison
There really isn’t anyone in Australia’s music scene at the moment that are doing it like the ultimate ’80s throwback synth-soaked dudes of Client Liaison. Releasing the award-winning video ‘Feed The Rhythm‘ not to mention one of 2014’s greatest Like A Versions, the hardworking duo are gearing up for the release of a brand-spanking new single ‘Pretty Lovers‘, and to celebrate its release, they are heading out onto the open road for a string of shows around the country. These guys move tickets pretty damn quick, so we’d advise you jump on ’em pretty bloody quickly.
Tour Dates
Thursday 5 March – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane
Friday 6 March – Secret Venue TBA, Perth
Saturday 7 March – Pirie & Co. Social Club, Adelaide
Saturday 14 March – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Friday 20 March – 170 Russell, Melbourne
Thundamentals
Thundamentals had an absolute smash of 2014, the hiphop crew releasing the epic So We Can Remember LP last year which received an insane amount of warranted love, and to kickstart 2015 in the right way, they’re embarking on a massive ‘Elephant In The Room’ national tour that promises to be one of the most revered tours for an Aussie outfit in 2015. Taking to not only capital cities, but regional towns too, Thundamentals destined to yet another year of rousing success.
Thu 5th March – Manning Bar, Sydney
Friday 6th March – Katoomba RSL, Katoomba
Fri 10th April – Waves, Wollongong
Sat 11th April – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
Fri 17th April – The Zoo, Brisbane
Thu 23rd April – The Star, Bendigo
Fri 24th April – The Corner, Melbourne
Fri 1st May – Fowlers Live, Adelaide
Sat 2nd May – Capitol Theatre, Perth
Sun 3rd May – Prince Of Wales, Bunbury
Thu 7th May – The Jack, Cairns
Fri 8th May – Base Backpackers, Magentic Island
Hayden James
As 2014 came to a close, Sydney’s Hayden James hit, conquered and destroyed the airwaves, the d-floor and probably your home sound system, kicking those summer feels into the next gear with hit single ‘Something About You‘,which if you don’t mind, has nearly clocked one million plays on YouTube. Naturally, the best way to start 2015 on a high is to celebrate a successful single launch with a full national live tour, which will see James take over the majority of the nation with the insanely infectious tune.
Tour Dates
Fri 6 Feb – Melbourne – Shebeen
Sun 8 Feb – St Kilda – St Kilda Festival
Fri 20 Feb – Sydney – Oxford Art Factory
Fri 27 Feb – Brisbane – Oh Hello
Sat 7 Mar – Perth – The Bakery
Fri 13 Mar – Adelaide – Pirie & Co. Social Club
Chook Race
Melbourne local threepiece Chook Race are super stoked to announce the release of their debut LP About Time, and to celebrate, they’re taking their breezy-guitar tunes across the great plains of Australia.
The long awaited LP for the chimey trio, presents works from as early as 2011 to as recent as 2014 , all recorded on a single summer weekend by Tom Hardisty (NUN, Woollen Kits) and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control, ECSR).
Tour Dates
Sat Jan 24 – Geelong, Barwon Club with Ausmuteants, Living Eyes, Hierophants, Constant Mongrel, Wet Blankets, ORB, Kremlings, Sewercide and more
Fri Feb 6 – Mt Gambier, South Australian Hotel with Ross De Chene Hurricanes
Sat Feb 7 – Adelaide, Ancient World with Ross De Chene Hurricanes, Men with Chips and Yabbies
Fri Feb 20 – Sydney Seymour Centre (Courtyard) Free. All ages.
Sat Feb 21 – Sydney Blackwire with Nathan Roche (farewell forever show!), Weak Boys and Jack Lee
Sun Feb 22 – Brisbane, The Haunt with The Estranged (USA), Cannon, Infinite Void, Thigh Master and Black Deity
Sat Feb 28 – Melbourne The Tote with Pink Tiles, Wet Blankets, Roman Catholics and Juicy Lolster
Cosmos Midnight
With their late-release single snaring a spot on a stack of 2014’s end-of-year charts, Sydney’s favourite twins have seen almost 200,000 plays on SoundCloud, reaching the #1 most played track status on Triple J and touted by many “an act to watch” in 2015. The ‘Snare’ clip quickly gathering well over 100k views and melds themes of exploration with an accessible and fun road trip, perfectly complementing the R’n’B laden offering from the duo.
Tour Dates
20th February // Cats @ Rocket Bar – Adelaide
28th February // TBC Club – Brisbane
6th March // Civic Underground – Sydney
7th March // Metric – Perth
14th March // Warehaus – Melbourne
21st March // The Helm – Sunshine Coast
The Ninjas
After smashing out their stellar debut EP, garage four-piece The Ninjas are on the road again delivering their rocking live show that’s seen them share the stage with everyone from Aussie faves Sticky Fingers, UK heroes The Cribs, to the epic Wolfmother.
Tour Dates
Brisbane Feb 6 – The Brightside, w Rolls Bayce
Sydney Feb 13 – The Lazybones Lounge, w The Dinlows
Melbourne Feb 14 – Yah Yah’s, w the Cherry Dolls
Red Beard
Synth-Rockers Red Beard have announced a much-anticipated run of tour dates to celebrate their new released single, ‘Closer’ which is taken from their forthcoming EP, set for release later this year. Since the release of their debut EP Enigma, the lads from the sticks have written a fairy tale of success, building an extremely loyal following with their high-octane live shows. Loaded with an arsenal of fresh material, these guys alongside their killer list of supports, are not to be missed.
Tour Dates
Thursday January 29th – The Brightside w/ Satellites & Dead Wolves, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets available at door | 18+ only
Friday February 6th – The Reverence Hotel w/ Godwolf & Brittle Bones, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets available at www.ticketek.com.au | 18+ only
Saturday February 7th – Enigma Bar w/ Cabin Cults & Young offenders, Adelaide, SA
Tickets available at door | 18+ only
Thursday February 13th – The Bald Faced Stage, Sydney, NSW
Tickets available at door | 18+ only
