BOY & BEAR ANNOUNCE GET UP & DANCE NATIONAL THEATRE TOUR
Having recently toured the world to sold out venues across Europe, the UK, US & Canada, and currently mid-way through an extensive 29 date regional tour of Australia, in-demand Sydney five-piece, Boy & Bear have announced their final tour for 2014, their Get Up & Dance theatre tour set to take place throughout September. This will also be their final tour in support of their number 1 ARIA album, Harlequin Dream.
Boy & Bear will kick start the tour at The Palais (Melbourne) on September 5, and will move through to some of the country’s biggest and most respected theatres including Her Majesty’s Theatre (Adelaide), The Arts Centre (Gold Coast), The Tivoli (Brisbane), Sydney Opera House (Sydney), Albany Entertainment Centre (Albany, WA), Bunbury Entertainment Centre (Bunbury, WA) and finishing off at the Fremantle Arts Centre (Fremantle, WA) on September 28.
“We’ve been on the road since February and it’s been amazing getting to play for people on the other side of the world as well as doing shows in parts of Australia that we’ve never even been before,” says keys player Jon Hart. “It feels like the right time to come home and play some theatre shows in venues that we’ve only ever dreamed of playing at… We can’t wait!”
With two full-length albums under their belt, the Sydney five-piece are armed with plenty of material for a set list that will both satisfy and electrify audiences. Joining Boy & Bear on stage across the country will be Triple J darlings, Melbourne/Brisbane duo, Holy Holy.
Fan mailing list presale Wednesday May 14
Tickets on sale Friday May 16 from www.boyandbear.com
SHELLEY SEGAL ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE, MOROCCO AND NEW ALBUM, AN EASY ESCAPE
Enchanting Melbourne singer songwriter and international touring artist, Shelley Segal has announced the release of her new single, Morocco lifted from her third studio album, An Easy Escape which is set for release on June 6. The eclectic storyteller will celebrate the launch of her new releases with shows at The Northcote Social Club (Melb) on June 13 and The Vanguard (Syd) on June 26.
Lead single Morocco is an upbeat pop number that walks the listener through an experience Segal had when in Morocco. “I was inspired to write ‘Morocco’ when I visited Marrakech and Essaouira. I was completely blown away by the beauty of the country and the colourful, carefree, fun time that was available to me as a tourist,” explains Segal. “Slowly as the trip went on I began to see some of the darker sides of what it was like for many who lived there.”
The clip for Morocco, created by London production group, Motion Picture House (MPH) was an adventurous shoot. Segal flew to Morocco from London (where she was recording at the time) with two cameramen, the director and the producer. “We worked with an amazing local team and completed the clip in two days! It was a whirlwind of people, bustling markets and beautiful seaside,” Segal says.
Segal’s third studio album, An Easy Escape was recorded at Britannia Row Studios (Pink Floyd’s old studio) in London and was produced by Tom Nichols (Kylie, Celine Dion, Tina Arena). Consisting of ten wisely considered songs, the album is full of charming, unforgettable melodies and carries a strong folk pop sensibility throughout. A global gypsy for the last 5 years, Segal’s songwriting is poised and elegant, telling tales of her adventures on the road.
Having travelled the world for eight international tours across America and Europe over the last two years, Segal has also completed two successful national tours on home turf and is excited to be back home for the release of this new album.
An Easy Escape follows Segal’s strong body of genre-hopping works; folk-pop protest record, An Atheist Album (2012) and collaborative Jazz album with Adam Levy (Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman), Little March (2013). Segal also wrote and recorded award-winning track, Chemistry, with DJ Carl Cox, which spent two weeks at #1 on the dance charts in 2011.
MELBOURNE DUO, BOYEUR ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE, CUPID AND NEW EP, GOLD STREET
Melbourne indie pop duo, Boyeur have announced the release of their new single, Cupid (May 16), taken from their debut EP, Gold Street which is set for release on May 30. The band will be celebrating with shows at The Vanguard (Sydney) on June 4, The Newsagency (Sydney) on June 6, Rad (Wollongong) on June 7, Smith’s Alternative Bookshop (Canberra) on June 8 and an official EP launch at The Workers Club (Melbourne) on June 26.
Hugh Middleton and Tim Ischia are Boyeur, a unique and talented musical partnership resulting from a long-standing friendship, and the first product from their shared love of music is Cupid. Brimming with lush and detailed layers and clever use of classical strings, this charming song’s lyrics speak of ‘using your head when you should be following your heart’. “Overthinking is toxic to any human relationship,” says guitarist and Cupid lead vocalist Ischia, “and sometimes it prevents a relationship from even starting. All the emotions become magnified and you end up being too nervous to do anything.”
Filmed, directed and produced by award winning Melbourne filmmaker and cinematographer, Matthew Chuang (known for his highly viewed ads for Jacobs Creek, The Australian Open, Chrysler, Momentum Energy), the clip for Cupid was expertly filmed in one continuous shot. “The narrative is about a crush, the song depicts the entire emotional arc of a relationship occurring inside someone’s head, without the other person ever being aware of it,” explains Ischia.
The duo’s debut EP, Gold Street is an indie pop release with a dense soundscape and chocked with instant hooks. Middleton explains, “We hope that the more detailed listener will be rewarded with the discovery of many musical gems that are cosily embedded in the sound.” The rich layers of classical strings and hip-hop beats are perfectly complemented by Ischia and Middleton’s shared smooth vocals and catchy pop melodies. “It was a pleasure to work with such premium collaborators: One Above and DJ Reflux being strong forces in the Australian Hip Hop scene, just as the string players regularly appear with Australia’s premier classical groups.”
With six instruments played between the two-piece and a string quartet thrown in for good measure, it’s no wonder Boyeur are looking forward to hitting the road to play for their fans. “We’re really excited to play live with our string quartet,” enthuses Ischia, “we spent a lot of time perfecting our setup so that the two of us can play all of our instruments on stage and adding the string quartet to that creates something we’re really proud of!”