GAVIN MAC SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘SIDESWIPED’
A swaggering alt country ode to misadventures, the brand new single Sideswiped out today from Sydney-based country sensation Gavin Mac is a slick follow up from Mac’s 2023 trio of singles, Bushfire, Live Your Life and Getaway. Also marking a further glimpse into Mac’s impending debut album, Make You Feel set for release in September, Sideswiped is a crisp outing as well as a meaningful full circle moment for the talented artist.
Produced by multi CMAA and ARIA Award winner Matt Fell, Sideswiped welds Mac’s effortless combination of nostalgic country licks, with rock, folk and soul hues linked alongside nods to Chris Stapleton, Eric Clapton, Midland, and John Mayer. Summed up by Mac himself as being “like mechanical bull riding”, Sideswiped evolved from a demo that first drew Mac to the attention of Sony Music Australia as a teenager, as Mac explains, “I first penned, then demoed Sideswiped when I was just 16 years old. The demo helped me capture the attention of Sony Music Australia, who ultimately signed me. By the time the deal was done, I had grown a bit older, and moved to a different place musically, so the song (and I) got shelved. It wasn’t until years later that I dug it out, rewrote it and recorded it properly for the first time, with Matt Fell, and incredible guitarist, Ben Butler.”
Teaming up with Grammy Award winner William Bowden on mastering duties, Sideswiped also features Mac’s effortless vocals and earworm choruses along with guitarist extraordinaire Ben Butler (Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Suzanne Vega) on lead guitar, culminating in a track built both for sun-soaked highway road trips and hazy whiskey bars; or, as Mac reveals, to also soundtrack those days where things go from bad to worse. “I love classic cars, so I’m pretty sure there was a subconscious desire to write a song that featured one,” shares Mac. “The story itself though, is one of misadventure mixed with a dollop of bad karma. A bit like something out of a Quentin Tarantino flick, the (fictional character, loosely based on yours truly) has the proverbial day from hell, that starts off a mess and just gets worse, and with every turn. We all have those kinds of days…right?
Discovered at the age of 16 by Sony Music’s Denis Handlin and John Watson, Gavin Mac quickly gained the title of being Sony Music Australia’s youngest-ever Australian recording artist at the time. Evolving his music industry skills and knowledge in the years to follow, Mac worked alongside both international and iconic Australian artists, including previous work with Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age, Linda & Vika Bull, and Alex Lloyd. And from managing A&R duties for Roadrunner Records to stepping back from the industry to raise his family, Mac still kept his creative fires alive, co-founding the award-winning brand experience agency Urban, conceiving and delivering marketing campaigns for Electronic Arts, Airbnb, and Netflix.
With years away from music, a fortuitous 2019 road trip to the Tamworth Country Music festival provided the very kindling that would ultimately turn Mac’s gaze firmly back to his passions, songwriting and storytelling, with the Melbourne-hailing singer-songwriter emerging from his musical hiatus with gusto in 2023 balancing renewed purpose, perspective and the powerful drive that comes with unfinished business. In 2023, Mac released his debut solo singles Getaway, Live Your Life and Bushfire, amassing over 300K streams and counting, with 2024 also garnering Mac his first industry nod, taking home the Tamworth Music Association’s 2024 New Songwriter of the Year. Now poised to release his long-awaited debut album, Make You Feel on September 5, Mac’s latest single Sideswiped is the perfect appetiser, providing a full-bodied taste of the dynamic sound and depth of songwriting lying in wait later this year; and there will also be plenty of good vibes in the mix when Mac takes the stage with his new material in Northcote and Waverley in June, as Mac concludes: “I love fans and people who discover me at my shows to feel like they’ve just been invited into a party with their close mates. No egos, lots of chatter and songs you can stomp along to.”
Sideswiped is out today.
Make You Feel is set for release on Thursday September 5.
GAVIN MAC – UPCOMING SHOWS:
SAT 15 JUNE | THE WESLEY ANNE, NORTHCOTE, VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au
SAT 22 JUNE | ROBIN HOOD HOTEL, WAVERLEY, NSW | 18+
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au
SAT 20 JULY | POST OFFICE HOTEL, TAMWORTH, NSW
Free Event, onstage at 4:30pm
GRINSPOON RELEASE NEW SINGLE, ‘UNKNOWN PRETENDERS’, ANNOUNCE FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 12 YEARS ‘whatever, whatever’ ALONGSIDE 45 DATE ‘whatever, whenever, wherever’ NATIONAL TOUR – ON SALE 27 MAY
Legendary rockers Grinspoon are back with Unknown Pretenders!
Unknown Pretenders marks the first new music from the band in 12 years. The track’s unbridled power is quintessentially Grinspoon – heavy riffs, pounding drums, and charismatic vocals from one of Australia’s most highly-regarded front men, Phil Jamieson.
This single ushers in a new era for Grinspoon: their 8th studio album titled whatever, whatever will arrive on August 9. It’s an album of ferocity; an injection of adrenaline that marks a period of rejuvenation and a new peak for the band, who’ve spent recent years touring nationwide celebrating their untouchable seven album-strong discography and legacy to date.
The band have also today announced they’re heading out on an extensive 45 date ‘whatever, whenever, wherever’ tour across the country, kicking off in September, with a fan presale live from 10:00am (local time) Thursday 23 May and general public tickets on sale from 9am (local time) Monday 27 May. Tickets available from grinspoon.com.au/. The mega run of dates will see Press Club jump in as main support for all shows, and fans can check out the tour dates here.
Unknown Pretenders kicks off this new chapter in Grinspoon’s enduring story. With 13 ARIA nominations and 2 wins, countless Platinum accolades and a live reputation that is untouchable, contemporary Australian rock bands regard the band as a blueprint of enduring success. It’s clear with Unknown Pretenders that the band were ready to unleash some pent-up creative energy.
“It’s with a curious trepidation but ultimately a feeling of unfulfilled wonderment that we reach into the caverns of our beings for a new journey of recorded endeavours, one which we are proud but tentatively a little scared of releasing”, Phil said when asked about releasing a new single and record.
On the new single, Phil said that “Unknown Pretenders was written in the dawning of the pandemic in a small studio in Adelaide February 2020, with a number of other tunes as well. It’s a magical riffy song about the end of the world and who will actually survive”.
For Unknown Pretenders and whatever, whatever, the band enlisted Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers) as producer, working with him over the last couple of years to shape the sound of this record. Speaking about this, Phil said that; “Oscar is an incredibly talented creative, engineer and producer. We hadn’t worked with an Australian producer for a very long time, and it was a refreshing change. Recording with Oscar became very collaborative, he’s humble and understands the different dynamics within the band”.
Grinspoon’s influence on the Australian scene has extended beyond the success of their early material; the band contributing to the blueprint of Australian rock music that has celebrated the embrace of different sounds and influences.
Excited to hit the road, Phil said, “This thing ain’t for the faint hearted, we’re really trying to get to as many places as possible, it kind of harks back to the olden days of touring; 4 guys in a van with some guitars. With the release of new music we wanted to give everyone the opportunity to see Grinners, and we’re going back to some venues we haven’t played in 20 years!”
Phil continues, “To say we’re excited is a massive understatement! Over the last 6 years we have played arenas and stadiums and theaters and what not, and it’s all been tremendous and we have loved every minute of it, but there is nothing like the 3 hour drive after a show, the 9am checkout from the hotel, and the first stop to get a chicko roll and strawberry milk – black coffee for me, I am now an adult. These gigs will be madness – sweaty Tuesdays, taking the day off work on a Wednesday, remembering the reason you go to pubs. Our venues are suffering out there in the regions so we are bringing the show to them. We can’t wait to see you all!”
Unknown Pretenders by Grinspoon is out today. Stream Now.
whatever, whatever releases August 9, 2024. Pre-Order Here.
Tickets to the whatever, whenever, wherever tour go on sale at 9am (local time) Monday May 27 from grinspoon.com.au/.
Grinspoon ‘whatever, whenever, wherever’ tour
Presented by Triple M, with Press Club as main support
TUE 17 SEP | BALLINA RSL, NORTHERN RIVERS | NSW | 18+ GA / AA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from the Club & www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
WED 18 SEP |SOPO- SOUTHPORT RSL, GOLD COAST NRTH | QLD | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from the Club & www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 20 SEP | THE TIVOLI THEATRE, BRISBANE | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | 1300 446 925 | All Ticketmaster Outlets
SAT 21 SEP | THE POWERHOUSE, TOOWOOMBA | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SUN 22 SEP | MIAMI MARKETTA LANEWAY, GOLD COAST | QLD | 18+ GA Floor O12+Guardian | 4-8pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
TUE 24 SEP | THE DAG PUB, D’AGUILAR | QLD | 18+ GA / AA+ Guardian | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
WED 25 SEP | BROTHERS SPORTS CLUB, BUNDABERG | QLD | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from the Club & www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 27 SEP | HARVEY RD TAVERN, GLADSTONE | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 28 SEP | GREAT WESTERN HOTEL, ROCKHAMPTON | QLD | 18+ GA /AA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
TUE 1 OCT | SEABREEZE HOTEL, MACKAY |QLD | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
WED 2 OCT | MAGNUMS HOTEL, AIRLIE BEACH | QLD | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 4 OCT | QUEENS BEACH HOTEL, BOWEN | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 5 OCT | DALRYMPLE HOTEL, TOWNSVILLE | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
MON 7 OCT | HINCHINBROOK SHIRE HALL, INGHAM |QLD | 18+ GA | 5:30-9 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 11 OCT |BURDEKIN MEMORIAL HALL, HOME HILL | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets from www.burdekintheatre.com.au/burdekin-memorial-hall Box Off:07 4783 9880
SAT 12 OCT |BROTHERS SPORTS CLUB, CAIRNS | QLD | 18+ GA / AA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from the Club www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
WED 16 OCT | THE STATION, BIRTINYA, SUNSHINE COAST | QLD | 18+ GA/AA/VIP | 6:30-9:30 pm
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | All Moshtix Outlets
FRI 18 OCT | RACEHORSE HOTEL, IPSWICH | QLD | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 19 OCT | THE PRINCESS THEATRE, WOOLLONGABBA | QLD | 18+ GA Floor/ AA seated balcony | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | 1300 446 925 | All Ticketmaster Outlets
SUN 20 OCT | DISTILLERY RD, BEENLEIGH | QLD | 18+ GA Floor / 12+ AA | 4:30-8pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
TUE 22 OCT | METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY | NSW | 18+ GA Floor, AA RES Balcony | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets
FRI 25 OCT | SAWTELL RSL, COFFS HARBOUR | NSW | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from Club & www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 26 OCT | WEST TAMWORTH LGS, TAMWORTH | NSW | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SUN 27 OCT | FINNIAN’S TAVERN, PORT MACQUARIE | NSW | 18+ GA 5-8:30pm
Tickets available from swww.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlet
TUE 29 OCT | UNI – BAR ON THE HILL, NEWCASTLE | NSW | 18+ GA /AA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
WED 30 OCT | DRIFTERS WHARF, GOSFORD| NSW | 18+ GA| 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 1 NOV | SYDNEY COLISEUM, ROOTY HILL| NSW | 18+ GA & RES / AA balcony|7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets
SAT 2 NOV |THE CUBE, CAMPBELLTOWN | NSW | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from https://www.thecube.net.au Box Office Ph 02 4625 0000
SUN 3 NOV | WAVES TOWRADGI BCH HTL, WOLLONGONG |NSW | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | All Moshtix Outlets
TUE 05 NOV | 170 RUSSELL ST, MELBOURNE | VIC | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au |All Moshtix Outlets
FRI 8 NOV | BRIDGEWAY HOTEL, POORAKA, ADELAIDE | SA | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 9 NOV | THE GOV , ADELAIDE | SA | 18+ GA / AA+ guardian | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SUN 10 NOV | NORTHERN SOUND SYSTEM EVENT CENTRE, ELIZABETH | SA| LIC/AA |5-8pm
Tickets available from NSS Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | All Moshtix Outlets
TUE 12 NOV | COMMERCIAL HOTEL, SOUTH MORANG |VIC | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
WED 13 NOV | VILLAGE GREEN, MULGRAVE | VIC | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 15 NOV | PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON | VIC | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
SAT 16 NOV | ALL SEASONS, BENDIGO | VIC | 18+ GA | 7:30-10.30 pm
Tickets from www.moshtix.com.au | www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | & All Outlets
SUN 17 NOV | BARWON HEADS HOTEL, SURF COAST | VIC | 18+ GA / AA TBC | 6:30-9:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
THU 21 NOV | DISCOVERY, DARWIN | NT | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
FRI 22 NOV | NOONAMAH TAVERN BEER GARDEN AMPHITHEATRE | NT | 18+ GA | 7:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
TUE 26 NOV | ASTOR THEATRE, PERTH | WA | 18+ GA Floor, AA Balcony | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849 | All Ticketek Outlets
FRI 29 NOV | MUNDARING WEIR HTL AMPHITHEATRE, MUNDARING | WA | 18+ GA | 6:30-10:30 pm
Tickets available from www.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545 | All Oztix Outlets
TUE 3 DEC |COUNTRY CLUB TASMANIA, LAUNCESTON | TAS | 18+ GA & RES/ AA Balcony | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | 1300 446 925 | All Ticketmaster Outlets
WED 4 DEC | FRANKIE J’s, DEVONPORT | TAS | 18+ GA | 7-10 pm
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | All Moshtix Outlets
FRI 06 DEC | ODEON THEATRE, HOBART | TAS | 18+ GA Floor, RES Balcony AA | 7:30-10.30pm
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au | All Moshtix Outlets
AUSTRALIAN ROAD CREW ASSOCIATION (ARCA) ANNOUNCE TOUR OF DUTY LIVE AT NATIONAL STADIUM SET FOR APRIL 25 RELEASE
CHRISTMAS CONCERT FOR THE TROOPS, EAST TIMOR DEC 21, 1999
FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES FROM JOHN FARNHAM, KYLIE MINOGUE, DOC NEESON, GINA JEFFREYS, JAMES BLUNDELL AND THE LIVING END
Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA) has today announced Tour of Duty, the star-studded live album of 1999’s Christmas benefit concert for the troops, featuring performances from John Farnham, Doc Neeson, Kylie Minogue, The Living End, James Blundell, Gina Jeffreys and more.
Set for release on April 25, Tour Of Duty marks the 40th release of ARCA’s Desk Tape Series, a series created by ARCA to raise much-needed finances for Support Act’s Roadies Fund to provide financial, health, counselling and wellbeing services for roadies and crew in crisis.
Televised by the Seven and Nine networks at the time, the concert at National Stadium in Dili, East Timor on December 21, 1999, was staged as a thank you to the Australian troops serving with the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET), whose duties kept them away from their families in Australia during Christmas celebrations. The show, to 4,000 troops and local civilians, featured John Farnham, Doc Neeson, Kylie Minogue, Gina Jeffreys and her record producer husband Rod McCormack, James Blundell, The Living End, Dili Allstars and the RMC Band, and was hosted by Roy Slaven and H. G. Nelson (John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver).
John Farnham said shortly after arriving in Dili: “I’ll never be able to explain to my family and friends how I felt being transported in a green truck accompanied by a soldier brandishing arms, and looking at children and women on the streets in what’s been a horrendous situation.”
Added Kylie Minogue: “Even if it takes people’s minds off this situation, even for an hour, I’m fully honoured to be part of it.”
Working closely with the Defence Forces for the desk tape release of Tour of Duty, the two organisations share a synergy with a number of ARCA crew members serving in Vietnam or national service, and both associations working tirelessly with members on mental wellbeing and suicide prevention programs. ARCA co-founder Ian ‘Piggy’ Peel recalls how he was contacted by Colin Taggart, a board member of Pro Patria, an innovative multidisciplinary facility in Wagga Wagga which works with veterans and their families. “Colin asked, ‘How do you stop suicides?’ Piggy told them, ‘We put people back together and in touch with each other. They understood that they could talk with their mates about things that happened during their time away, that they could not talk to their families about. Being able to do that takes a great weight off your shoulders. It helps to heal the heart and helps the family bond grow stronger’. It made sense for everybody concerned, and it worked. This is a huge honour for ARCA to be able to release this live show to say thanx to all the troops who keep us safe.”
ARCA also worked closely with Luke Gosling OAM, who served in East Timor and is MP for Solomon in the Northern Territory. The Tour of Dutyaudio was supplied by Rev. Darren Hewitt, a chaplain working with returned veterans in South Australia, spiritually dealing with their depression and anxiety. Twenty years before, Rev. Hewitt planned to set up an audio-visual museum Fields of Remembrance in Queensland to commemorate Australia’s involvement in conflicts and wars. He reached out to Glenn Wheatley about getting an audio recording of Tour of Duty. “Glenn sent me a double CD of AV files.” Soon after Rev. Hewitt moved to South Australia, the museum plan was put on hold and the files were forgotten for two decades until he discovered them in a portable MP3 player. While searching for Archie Roach music on the internet he came across the ARCA website and its star-studded collection of releases. “I learned more about ARCA and was in awe of what they were doing for crews in crisis.” With approval from Gaynor Wheatley, Rev. Hewitt offered ARCA the tapes. “There was such great support for what Australian troops were doing in East Timor, and that was reflected in how the acts were choosing their songs to be directed at them. It was a different story for older vets who had served in Vietnam,” explains Rev. Hewitt. “Called “baby killers” by protesters and cold-shouldered by the nation and even the RSL, you can see why there is so much hardship and mental health problems with them.”
The actual idea of Tour of Duty started with Doc Neeson, and was put together by Glenn Wheatley through his company Talentworks. “Having done my national service in New Guinea and being an army brat myself, I knew how the troops would have felt at that time of the year,” Neeson said at that time. “They would have been homesick, felt disconnected and wanted some real entertainment.”
Although all the musicians and production crews donated their fees, Glenn Wheatley still had to find $1 million for production costs. “The entire infrastructure in Dili has collapsed,” Wheatley revealed. “There is no electricity, running water, cables, generators, roofing or staging. Everything has to be taken from Australia.” The stage and camera equipment required eight transport planes, Australian companies including Westfield Holdings, Compaq Computer, Qantas, Arnotts and Solo donated cash and in kind. Wheatley reported at the time: “The response from companies has been extraordinary. Their December budgets had been allocated but I was banging on their doors saying ‘I need an answer now’. Most responded within a day.” Compaq Computer provided computers for troops to contact their families and friends by email through the Christmas period, and a dedicated website so cricket fans could check scores, and had their staff on the ground in Dili to help troops have access to the internet. Booths were set up in Westfield’s shopping centres, where consumers could sponsor, for $25-$35, “Dili bags” of food, drinks, magazines and other items for the troops. Calls were made to the artists. Wheatley’s star client, John Farnham, agreed on the spot.
Kylie Minogue, then living in London, was going through an upswing in popularity in Australia, with the Impossible Princess/ Kylie Minogue album spending 35 weeks in the charts and her Intimate And Live tour having to be extended a number of times.
Queensland sheep farmer James Blundell was back in the charts with his sixth studio album Amsterdam Breakfast, was on TV singing the Qantas ad ‘I Still Call Australia Home’, and had just returned from time off driving around Europe in a van, earning money busking. Blundell had military roots too, as the grandson of Captain Peter Blundell of the 2/25th Battalion, who served in the Second World War. After the Dili Stadium show, he stayed on in East Timor to play unplugged shows with members of the Royal Military College Band. During breaks Blundell also assisted with serving drinks and dedicated ‘Blundell’s Bar’ to his grandfather.
At the time, country singer songwriter Gina Jeffreys was heavily touring, playing six shows a week, every six weeks, with country music loving girls taking up her “Girls Night Out” as an anthem.When she got her invitation, she cancelled some Australian shows to make the trip. “I knew what an important event it was going to be,” Jeffreys recalls. “It was exciting but I was also nervous, partly because I seldom go out of my comfort zone, and partly because we were going into a war zone.
In 1999, The Living End were the hottest new band. After breaking into the US and UK charts with their Prisoner of Society, their first album went to number one, was certified 4 x platinum, yielded six hits and won two ARIA awards. “It was definitely surreal to be asked,” remembers singer and guitarist Chris Cheney. “Eighteen months before we were still trying to get our feet in the door, suddenly a heavy hitter like Glenn Wheatley was calling our manager, asking us to go to East Timor and the show was going to be televised, and going to be on that concert were people like John Farnham and Kylie Minogue whom we didn’t know and had only seen on TV.”
For the reggae/ska band Dili Allstars – formed in 1992 and made up of Australian and Timorese expatriates – it was a time for healing. It was the first time the Timorese members returned to their homeland in 25 years. For co-founder Paul Stewart, also with the Melbourne band Painters & Dockers, it was where his brother Tony was among five Australian journalists who were said to have been shot by Indonesian military forces in Balibo, East Timor, in 1975.
Chris Cheney: “It was a different world. Military escorts, jumping into green trucks, all the guys were armed. This was no holiday destination!”
Jeffreys: “Each of us was assigned a high level soldier. They were never more than a metre and a half from us at all times, even in the shower and the toilet. They took turns to protect us, even when we were sleeping. The boys slept in one tent, and Kylie and I were in another. Throughout the night, tanks were circling the tents. They never stopped protecting us, they made us feel safe in an unsafe environment.”
As to be expected, it was an emotional show, both for the performers and for the audience.
Chris Cheney: “When John hit that really high note at the end, it was spine-tingling. Twenty five years later, I am still transported back to that moment. That voice, the way he hit the note, and the whole atmosphere. You felt very lucky to be there. Seeing the look of joy on the faces of the troops, they were having the time of their lives.”
Gina Jeffreys: “I remember distinctly standing on the stage and looking at the sea of soldiers. This one lady looked up at me and she just had tears streaming down her face and she mouthed ‘Thank you’. They were so thankful that we would be there, and thinking of them at that time of the year, and with TV coverage as well. It was massive and they felt seen and appreciated. I came off the stage afterwards and spoke to her, and she made me cry because she was over there protecting someone else’s children while her children were at home during Christmas. I bawled my eyes out, that really moved me.”
Chris Cheney: “Years later I still meet people who tell me they were in the audience, and how magical it was. We were a lot more raw and aggressive than the other acts, and I think we were chosen to appeal to the younger crowd. It worked, they were singing along to all our songs and even threw in a couple of ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi! Oi!’ in for us!”
Tour of Duty Live at National Stadium is set for release on April 25 via ARCA’s Black Box Records.
Watch: I Still Call Australia Home live at Tour Of Duty benefit concert
PERFORMERS
John Farnham
Doc Neeson
Kylie Minogue
Gina Jeffreys
James Blundell
The Living End
BAND
Lisa Edwards
Stuart Fraser
Joe Creighton
Chong Lim
Lindsay Field
Angus Burchall
Steve Williams
Jack Jones
CREW
Grant Walsh (front of house)
Chris Newman (lighting director)
John Henderson (monitors)
Gary Radbourne (keys tech)
Harry Woods (guitar tech)
Frank Iskara (drum tech)
Frank Greer (World Stages)
Tom Wilkins (stage builder)
Greg Romans (audio tech chief, Jands)
Glenn Williams (lighting chief, Jands)
Michael Kent (rigger safety officer)
Ross Clunes (rigger safety officer)
TRACKLIST
You’re The Voice – Everyone
I Just Wanna Be With You – Doc Neeson
Shadow Boxer – Doc Neeson
She’s So Fine / Sorry – John Farnham and Doc Neeson
No Secrets – Doc Neeson and Living End
Mambo No.5 – R.M.C. Band
Silent Night – Rachael Starkey (RMC Band) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – Gina Jeffreys
Dancing With Elvis – Gina Jeffreys
Libertade – Dili All Stars
Way Out West – James Blundell
Chain Reaction – John Farnham
Have A Little Faith – John Farnham
Playing To Win – John Farnham
Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) – John Farnham
That’s Freedom – John Farnham
You’ll Never Walk Alone – John Farnham
Shout – John Farnham & Kylie Minogue4
Santa Baby – Kylie Minogue
All Torn Down -The Living End
West End Riot – The Living End
Jingle Bell Rock – Kylie Minogue and The Living End
It’s A Long Way To The Top – Everyone
Take A Long Line – Everyone
Will I Ever See Your Face Again – Everyone