RYA PARK ANNOUNCES DEBUT SINGLE + VIDEO ‘BILLY’ + SHOWS
Indie newcomer Rya Park has today announced her eerie debut single Billy, a seriously catchy, name-and-shame of a track (out October 6), and she’s also dropped a video to accompany Billy; simple, sultry, and dangerous, made in collaboration with director Dan Howe of Set To Suite. She will be showcasing Billy and more tunes off her highly anticipated EP in her first run of shows hitting Oxford Arts Factory Gallery on November 4 and The Evelyn on November 9.
The intriguing Billy prompts a couple of questions…who is Billy? And what exactly did he do? None of them are answered, but that only makes you want to listen again. Rya Park draws upon influences such as Florence and The Machine and PJ Harvey here, yet maintains a spellbinding charm that is uniquely hers. The mysterious narrative is delivered with a raised eyebrow and a flawless vocal; a memorable performance that sits comfortably atop a sparse arrangement of gritty guitar and textural percussion. Reflecting on the track, Rya Park explains, “The song was inspired by a relationship that ended without explanation. The lyrics intensely focus on a range of emotions that stemmed from the situation. A long time had passed when I got to writing the song, but there were still so many unanswered questions and I just wanted to get everything out onto the page and not hold back.”
The clip for Billy is concise and effective; Rya Park sits by herself, retelling the story of Billy and reflecting on what went wrong. Everything is laid out on the table; it’s impossible to look away as each line hits harder than the last. Rya Park is scorned, still in the light of day but dancing slowly in the dark. Of the collaboration with director Dan Howe, she says, “As this is the first videoclip I’ve made, it was really important to me to find someone who was on the same page as me. Dan had seen me perform a number of times and knows my songs really well, so it was really natural and easy for us to figure out what we wanted to create. In our first meeting we agreed that we would focus on generating a mood rather than depicting a storyline.”
Rya Park will be heading up the east coast to celebrate the release of Billy, and although this is her first official release, she is no stranger to the stage, fronting Melbourne’s Tempus Sun as well as performing as Rya Park since 2016. Giving fans a little taste of what to expect from the shows, she says, “My live shows are very energetic and dramatic. My full band is coming on tour with me so fans can definitely expect electrifying guitars, powerful rock beats, soulful harmonies and soaring vocals.”
Billy will be released on October 6 and tickets to the shows are on sale now.
SAT 4 NOV | OXFORD ARTS FACTORY GALLERY, SYDNEY | 18+
THUR 9 NOV | THE EVELYN, MELBOURNE | 18+
GRINSPOON’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION OF ‘GUIDE TO BETTER LIVING’ IS OUT TODAY
Iconic Aussie rockers Grinspoon have today released their highly anticipated, 20th Anniversary deluxe edition of the album that propelled their careers into the stratosphere, Guide To Better Living. Fittingly, the release lands on the day they are set to kick off their upcoming national tour which is now almost completely sold out, as fans clamour to secure their tickets. Hockey Dad are already on board as main support for the epic tour, and today Grinspoon are chuffed to announce their additional supports My Echo, Good Boy, Royal Chant and The Dead Love who will be jumping on the road for a bunch of shows each.
Having just performed in the coveted slot at the State of Origin on Wednesday, Grinners are busier than ever – and their fans cannot get enough. Tickets to their Tivoli Theatre show sold out in just thirty minutes after going on sale, and now more than half the tour is sold out, with 20 of the 31 shows already certified sell-outs and very limited tickets are still available to all other shows.
To correspond with the tour, the accompanying expanded, multi-format reissue of Guide To Better Living is available from today. The Grinspoon-curated 20th Anniversary edition of Guide To Better Living sees the original 16-track album expand to a mammoth 49 track feast of rarities, live tracks and unreleased recordings. The album also appears on vinyl for the very first time in the form of a limited edition red vinyl pressing, coupling the original album with a second disc Live At CBGB’s – an incendiary 10-track live recording of the band taken from the fabled CBGB’s venue in New York.
Thrilled with the response to the reissue of the album and the hugely popular tour, frontman Phil Jamieson has a message for the album: “Happy 20th birthday GTBL! We are so proud you have grown up to be the album we imagined you’d become… it’s such a delight to see the people of Australia wanting to see you live and listen to you on vinyl. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect you to turn out so great – but you did. You must have had some awesome parents! All our love, GSPN.”
The Guide To Better Living Tour will see the band play the album cover to cover across June-September 2017, alongside a selection of later favourites from their albums that followed.
Grinspoon is Phil Jamieson on vocals, Pat Davern on guitar, Joe Hansen on bass and Kristian Hopes on drums.
Guide To Better Living Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition is out now
The Guide To Better Living tour kicks off tonight at Kay St Entertainment Complex in Traralgon.
GUIDE TO BETTER LIVING NATIONAL TOUR DATES
Presented by TEG LIVE and Triple M
FRI 23 JUN | KAY ST ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX, TRARALGON VIC | 18+ *SELLING FAST* #
FRI 30 JUN | MARGARET COURT ARENA, MELBOURNE, VIC | LIC AA *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 1 JUL | VILLAGE GREEN HOTEL, MULGRAVE, VIC | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
THURS 6 JUL | ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY, NSW | LIC AA *SELLING FAST* ^
FRI 7 JUL | ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY, NSW | LIC AA *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 8 JUL | THE TIVOLI THEATRE, BRISBANE, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SUN 9 JUL | THE TIVOLI THEATRE, BRISBANE, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 29 JUL | ONE TROPICAL DAY @ DARWIN SKI CLUB, DARWIN, NT | LIC AA ***
THU 3 AUG | THE WOOL EXCHANGE, GEELONG, VIC | 18+ *SOLD OUT* #
FRI 4 AUG | PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON, VIC | 18+ *SOLD OUT* #
SAT 5 AUG | GRANADA TAVERN, HOBART, TAS | 18+ *SOLD OUT* #
SUN 6 AUG | GRANADA TAVERN, HOBART, TAS | 18+ *SELLING FAST* #
THU 10 AUG | THE JACK, CAIRNS, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
FRI 11 AUG | DALRYMPLE HOTEL, TOWNSVILLE, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 12 AUG | MAGNUMS, AIRLIE BEACH, QLD | 18+ *SELLING FAST* ^
THU 17 AUG | VILLA NOOSA, NOOSAVILLE, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
FRI 18 AUG | REDLAND BAY HOTEL, REDLAND BAY, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 19 AUG | SHAKA FEST – MIAMI TAVERN, GOLD COAST, QLD | 18+ *SELLING FAST* ***
THU 24 AUG | DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN, DUNSBOROUGH, WA | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
FRI 25 AUG | METRO CITY, PERTH, WA | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 26 AUG | ADELAIDE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, ADELAIDE, SA | AA *SOLD OUT* ^
THU 31 AUG | THE CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE, NSW | 18+ *SOLD OUT* +
FRI 1 SEP | LISMORE CITY HALL , LISMORE, NSW | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 2 SEP | RACEHORSE HOTEL, IPSWICH, QLD | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
THU 14 SEP | THE ENTRANCE LEAGUES CLUB, BATEAU BAY, NSW | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
FRI 15 SEP | WAVES, WOLLONGONG, NSW | 18+ *SOLD OUT* ^
SAT 16 SEP | UC REFECTORY, CANBERRA, ACT | 18+ *SELLING FAST* ^
WED 20 SEP | CSU, WAGGA WAGGA, NSW | 18+ <
THU 21 SEP | BAROOGA SPORTS CLUB, BAROOGA, NSW | 18+ <
FRI 22 SEP | BEER DELUXE, ALBURY, NSW | 18+ <
SAT 23 SEP | NEX NEWCASTLE, NEWCASTLE, NSW | 18+ *SELLING FAST* <
***Hockey Dad not appearing
#My Echo opening support
^Good Boy opening support
+Royal Chant opening support
NUSSY ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE + VIDEO HARD AS DIAMONDS AND SYDNEY + MELBOURNE SHOWS
The vibrant and unstoppable NUSSY has today announced her new single Hard As Diamonds, an exploration of the human reaction to hurt and turmoil, out Jan 30. The thrilling synth-pop artist has also announced a lustrous clip to accompany the track, produced in collaboration with Dan Smith of Head On Media (Gorman, Jo Mercer) and she’ll be performing a string of shows in Melbourne and Sydney throughout February and March 2017, kicking off at Gaytimes Festival at Lake Mountain Alpine Resort on February 18, then moving through to Howler in Melbourne, Marley Bar in Sydney and finishing the run at Oxford Art Factory of March 17.
A song that would fit perfectly on the Stranger Things (Netflix) soundtrack, Hard As Diamonds opens with a solo, glitchy synthesiser, easing the listener into the secure sinewave wonderland of the track like a slow dive to the bottom of a cool, still pool. The track builds and reaches an intriguing climax as a distorted guitar solo sits eccentrically atop the electronic atmosphere, all the while, as unphased and disarming as ever, NUSSY sings intimately, wooing the listener with unique sincerity. NUSSY reflects on the track, “Hard As Diamonds is about a person who has become jaded and built up walls to protect themselves from being hurt. It’s about trying to unlock the beauty that is still evident within their soul.”
Modern and on-trend, the clip for Hard As Diamonds is a testament to NUSSY and her ever-present finger on the pulse. Drawing upon strong, feminine themes explored in previous videos such as that of My Heroin, the Hard As Diamonds clip represents NUSSY as thrilling, genuine yet mysterious as her songs would have audiences expect. Speaking on the conception of the video, NUSSY says, “Coming up with the concept for the video clip was a collaborative effort between myself, my management and Dan Smith who directed the clip. The story centres around a tough chick who drives around the city to embark on a mysterious mission. We drew a lot of influence from the film Drive and TV series Stranger Things.”
An effervescent performer such as NUSSY cannot be kept from the stage for long, and audiences would be foolish to miss these upcoming performances from the outstanding pop vocalist. Thrilled to be getting back on the road and into venues, NUSSY looks back on the last 12 months and ahead to the upcoming year, “I had a really great year in 2016, putting out three singles and can’t wait to continue to release more music in 2017. I have been writing new tunes so I’m definitely keen to get it all out into the world!”
NUSSY ‘HARD AS DIAMONDS’ SHOWS
SAT 18 FEB | GAYTIMES FESTIVAL, LAKE MOUNTAIN ALPINE RESORT VIC | 18+
Tickets available from www.eventbrite.com.au
SAT 25 FEB | HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC | 18+ | FT. TIGERTOWN DJ SET, LANKS DJ SET, OWEN RABBIT, NATIVE SPIRIT, JEBU
Tickets available from www.moshtix.com.au
THUR 16 MARCH | MARLEY BAR, SYDNEY NSW | 18+
Free Entry
FRI 17 MARCH | OXFARD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW | 18+
Free Entry