BRITISH INDIA ANNOUNCE 2019 EAST COAST TOUR + INTRODUCE NEW GUITARIST JACK TOSI
British India are thrilled to announce that after a one year hiatus and an uncertain future, they’ll be returning to stages along the east coast of Australia during October and November this year, with headline shows and a few killer festival slots along the way. And that’s not all – the band have welcomed their new guitarist Jack Tosi; an old school friend of the group ready to rock for the upcoming run of shows. They’ll be kicking off in Albury at Beer Deluxe on October 18, then moving through Canberra, Adelaide, Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney, Narrabeen, Currumbin, Belgrave, St Kilda, Hobart, and wrapping up at the Bridge Hotel in Forth, Tasmania on November 24.
A chance meeting between old friends – drummer Matt O’Gorman and guitarist Jack Tosi – turned out to be fortuitous. Matt was on the hunt for a guitarist, and Jack was looking to play once again, it seemed a perfect opportunity. A jam session was arranged, and by the session’s end, Jack was in the band. He was the one and only guitarist British India had auditioned…it was meant to be, as vocalist and guitarist Declan Melia explains, “We’ve known Jack since high school, in fact, his band beat British India in battle of the bands back in the early days! So, I don’t think it was surprise that Matt asked him. It’s no exaggeration to say that Nic was the only guitarist we had ever played with, so that’s why we were surprised when it all gelled so easily with Jack. We were halfway through the second song when I turned to Matt and smiled like, ‘this is going to work’, that kid can play a guitar man! I’m so excited for these shows, it’s going to be a really strange and vibrant feeling. It’s going to be amazing actually. Where will it lead? Who knows, but you know us, we love this music and this band too much to stop.”
Over the course of their impressive career, British India have earned four Top 10 ARIA albums, eight entries into the Hottest 100 and their classic single I Can Make You Love Me is accredited Gold in Australia. Their latest album, Forgetting The Future, was met with widespread praise for its innovative direction and palpable energy, with singles My Love and Precious both being added to high rotation on both Triple M and triple j radio.
On the upcoming tour, British India will be armed with tracks from their entire discography, particularly boasting those from their bulging back catalogue of Australian live favourites – think Hottest 100 dominating tracks like Vanilla, I Can Make You Love Me and Suddenly; Australia’s most loved indie rockers are back on the road! New guitarist Jack Tosi is thrilled to be heading out on the tour, as he enthuses, “‘I’ve know the guys since they started and it’s been great watching their success over the years. I’m looking forward to getting on the road, playing these great songs and being part of the next chapter.”
Be sure to catch the legendary Melbourne rockers doing what they do best on a stage near you this October and November.
British India is Declan Melia (vocals and guitar), Jack Tosi (lead guitar), Will Drummond (bass) and Matt O’Gorman (drums).
Tickets to the national tour are on sale now.
BRITISH INDIA 2019 NATIONAL TOUR
Fri 18 Oct Beer Deluxe Albury Albury, NSW
Sat 19 Oct Stonefest Canberra, ACT
Fri 25 Oct Lion Arts Factory Adelaide, SA
Sat 26 Oct B.I.G. Festival Geelong, VIC
Sat 2 Nov Scene & Heard Festival Brisbane, QLD
Fri 8 Nov Crowbar Sydney Sydney, NSW
Sat 9 Nov Narrabeen RSL Narrabeen, NSW
Sat 16 Nov Soundlounge Currumbin, NSW
Thu 21 Nov Sooki Lounge Belgrave, VIC
Fri 22 Nov Espy Gershwin Room St Kilda, VIC
Sat 23 Nov Altar Bar Hobart, TAS
Sun 24 Nov Bridge Hotel Forth, TAS
DREAM DALI ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO LITTLE LIGHTS + LIBRARY GROUP RECORDS BIGSOUND PARTY SHOW @ GREASER BAR, SEPTEMBER 4
Enimagtic surrealists Dream Dali have today announced their new single Little Lights, a reverberous, tumbling trip into darkwave, set for release tomorrow. To accompany the track, the group, comprising of three mysterious musicians whose collective experience has seen them gracing hallowed stages at Coachella, Primavera, SXSW and more, have also announced a spectacular video, constructed from dada footage by the group and synced perfectly to the music as a harmonious sound and surreal visual experience. To celebrate the release, Dream Dali will be performing their first Brisbane show in the throes of BIGSOUND 2019 at the Library Group Records BIGSOUND party at Greaser Bar on September 4.
Little Lights feels simultaneously nostaligic, nodding to The Cure and The Doors, while also undeniably modern, evoking a darker version of Tame Impala and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Hypnotic, trance-like and moody, Little Lights is driving, soaked with defined vocal melodies and a dark, melancholic feel, as lead vocalist Aldous Emerson explains, “Little Lights comes from a personal experience in dealing with a challenging and dark time with a relationship. Lots of allegedly supernatural things were happening that caused a lot of issues with anxiety and trauma, but I always had hope. The Little Lights are the hope.”
The clip for Little Lights pays homage to the groups’ namesake Salvador Dali, with its use of found Dadaist clips to reflect the eerie, supernatural vibe of the song. The flashing lights and spooky, strange, out-of-context footage work seamlessly with the music and complement the mood perfectly, as Aldous says, “The dada footage seemed to work well with the song’s theme and Dream Dali’s aesthetic. We like how surrealism explores subconscious thought and deep emotions that can sometimes seem dark, but when looking into them can actually cause healing, especially with the expression of art and music. We gather and create a lot of the black and white surrealist art and visuals that you can see at our shows. We have synchronized footage and lights to try to create an atmosphere and feeling.”
No strangers to the stage, Dream Dali have some impressive runs on the board as individual musicians, playing for artists such as Vera Blue, Daniel Johns, Kite String Tangle and Miami Horror, and supporting the likes of Phoenix, Washed Out and Empire of the Sun. Their upcoming show at Greaser Bar on September 4 for the Library Group Records BIGSOUND party is set to be a transcendent experience for all the senses, as Aldous describes, “For this show we will have our synchronised black and white surreal footage and lights, along with a set of dreamy, but energetic songs. We hope to take you on a journey to a cave to see your spirit animal.”
Little Lights is out August 30.
Dream Dali is Aldous Emerson (lead vocals and guitar), Rene Huxley (key bass and keys) and William Hobbes (drums).
DREAM DALI BIGSOUND 2019 SHOWCASE
WED 4 SEPT | LIBRARY GROUP RECORDS BIGSOUND PARTY @ GREASER BAR, BRIS | 18+
SPIDERBAIT ANNOUNCE EXCLUSIVE SHOW SPIDERBAIT – THE SINGLES AT FORUM MELBOURNE ON NOVEMBER 9 + SINGLES VINYL BOX SET
To celebrate their hit-laden career, legendary Aussie rockers Spiderbait have today announced a one-off show at Forum Melbourne on November 9, with tickets going on sale at 9am Thursday July 11. And another exciting announcement for long-time fans – the show will be paired with a brand new, limited edition 7” vinyl box set of singles, SPIDERBAIT – SINGLES and will be available exclusively at the show.
The story of Spiderbait is an unlikely but heartwarming one – three friends from a small Australian country town taking on the music scene, and emerging triumphantly 25 years later, friendship intact, and now one of the biggest and best rock bands on the national landscape. Taking inspiration from far-reaching influences from all sides of the musical spectrum (everything from Slayer to The Bangles), Spiderbait took their fervent thrash-pop from their tiny hometown of Finley in NSW down to Melbourne and immersed themselves in the rich, fertile creative scene. From there they quickly consolidated their status as national treasures, with their popularity spanning three decades with no signs of abating. Spiderbait have released seven acclaimed albums, which have all racked up gold, platinum or double platinum status and have combined Australian sales of over one million units. As if that wasn’t enough, they have also racked up pretty much every accolade there is to achieve on the Australian scene, having taken home numerous ARIA Awards, chalked up a number one single (their 2004 cover of Leadbelly’s Black Betty) and even topped the prestigious triple j Hottest 100 (for Buy Me A Pony, 1996).
The upcoming show at Forum Melbourne is sure to please old and new fans alike, as drummer and vocalist Kram enthuses, “For the first time we’ll be performing every one of singles in order of release, from Circle K way back in 1990 to now. It’s been great to look back at all these singles, from number 1s like Black Betty and Buy Me a Pony… to my personal faves like Calypso , Stevie and It’s Beautiful….
They are like a diary of our lives bringing back memories from all time we’ve been playing together. The same three country kids who formed a band for fun and ended up having this fucked up, brilliant, unexpected adventure…so to all our fans, come celebrate with us at the Forum in November, it will be a special night.”
Thrilled to be dropping the SPIDERBAIT – SINGLES 7” vinyl box set in conjunction with the show, complete with original mixes & artwork, Kram explains why they chose to add an unexpected song into the mix, saying, “We included Old Man Sam from 1991 – which wasn’t actually a single back then but might as well have been, as weirdly and wonderfully it became our first big hit song! I’ll never forget the first time we played the song at Big Day Out in Sydney. This was a big moment for us as we went on stage a bit nervous, it was a massive crowd of thousands at the Sydney Show Grounds and when we did Old Man Sam, the whole crowd sang it and went nuts. That day we came off stage a very different band than the one that went on 45 minutes before. It’s amazing and dare I say fucking awesome how one song can do that.”
Spiderbait are a very special Australian band with an abundance of fans across multiple generations and this exclusive show at the Forum Melbourne will be a victory lap for the group, and they’re excited to be taking all their fans along for the ride.
Tickets to Forum Melbourne will go on sale at 9am on Thursday July 11 from https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/event/130056D9ABB97BB0
SPIDERBAIT – SINGLES vinyl box set will be available to preorder as a ticket & vinyl bundle, and will be available for purchase at the show.
Spiderbait is Janet English on bass, Kram on drums and lead vocals, and Damian Whitty on guitar.
SPIDERBAIT – THE SINGLES EXCLUSIVE SHOW
Presented by Triple M Melbourne
SAT 9 NOV | THE FORUM, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.com.au | 13 61 00 | All Ticketmaster outlets
SPIDERBAIT – SINGLES VINYL BOX SET TRACKLIST
1. Old Man Sam / Circle K
2. Monty / Jesus
3. Buy Me A Pony / Calypso
4. Glokenpop / Shazam
5. Black Betty / Fucken Awesome
6. It’s Beautiful/ Straight Thru the Sun