The Frontier Touring Company have announced that some of 2013’s most anticipated shows are about to get even better with celebrated local talent Snakadaktal and City Calm Down joining alt-J (∆) as special guests on their forthcoming tour this July!

This morning alt-J (∆) added yet another win to their rapidly growing list of achievements; scoring the Album Award for their debut An Awesome Wave (out now through Liberator Music) at the UK’s prestigious Ivor Novello Awards.

The Barclaycard Mercury Music Prize winners were also nominated for no less than three BRIT awards and have proven time and time again to hold a special relationship with Australia. An Awesome Wave has been certified ARIA gold as well as making three appearances in Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown of 2012, including an impressive third place with ‘Breezeblocks’.

They were a highlight at this year’s St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival and have a history of selling out Australian venues in mere minutes. The band is continuing this tradition with Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion having already sold out and Melbourne’s Festival Hall and Perth’s Challenge Stadium on track to do the same.

Audiences in Sydney and Melbourne will be treated to the sounds of indie pop quintet Snakadaktal. Hailing from Melbourne’s leafy outer suburbs, this band of friends have been making waves since winning triple j’s Unearthed High competition and single ‘Air’ placing #22 in the triple j Hottest 100.

Their self titled EP balanced the delicate vocals of lead singers Sean and Phoebe with the exceptional musicianship of Barna, Joseph and Jarrah.

Snakadaktal recently headed into the studio to work on their highly anticipated debut album which is due for release in August this year and will show music lovers everywhere exactly what they’re capable of. On stage, the band is just as impressive;

“One word that has always applied to this indie pop group, and will continue to in the years to come, is genius – which their energetic live performance made all the more obvious.” - FasterLouder

Melbourne four-piece City Calm Down, who supported alt-J (∆) at their Sydney headline show earlier this year, clearly impressed both audiences and the band.

Their EP Movements (out now through I OH YOU) is a dark pop electronic based release with an infusion of modern day pop hooks and is the result of the band bunkering down for three years to hone their sound and perfect their skills. These killer tracks will be on display across all of alt-J (∆)’s Australian performances.

“City Calm Down are making music far beyond their years, and with the quality of music they’re producing currently, it would be worth keeping an eye on them.” 8/10 – Tonedeaf

Don’t miss your chance to witness an electrifying display of talent and what are set to become some of the most exhilarating and talked about performances of the year. With only limited tickets left for their shows in Melbourne and Perth you’d better act fast!

ALT-J (∆)
with special guests
Snakadaktal (Mel and Syd only) and City Calm Down
JULY 2013
All shows on sale now.

Sat 27 July                 Perth | Challenge Stadium               (All Ages)
Ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100

Tue 30 July                Melbourne | Festival Hall                 (All Ages)
Ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100

Wed 31 July               Sydney | Hordern Pavilion               (All Ages) SOLD OUT!
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

www.snakadaktalofficial.tumblr.com | www.facebook.com/snakadaktal | Twitter @snakadaktal

www.citycalmdown.com | www.facebook.com/citycalmdown | Twitter @CCDMUSIC

 www.altjband.com | www.facebook.com/altJ.band  | Twitter @alt_J

www.frontiertouring.com/altj | www.facebook.com/frontiertouring | Twitter @frontiertouring

 AN AWESOME WAVE ALBUM OUT NOW THROUGH LIBERATOR MUSIC

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Sebastian will play all shows on the Australian leg of The Red Tour throughout November and December 2013 with General Public tickets on sale Tuesday 21 May.

With ten headline Australian tours, six platinum plus selling studio albums, a Greatest Hits and live DVD under his belt, Guy Sebastian needs no formal introduction.

During his career Sebastian has received 17 ARIA Awards nominations, including Single of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release, winning Highest Selling Single ARIA Awards for “Angels Brought Me Here” and “Who’s That Girl”.  His now eight times platinum smash “Battle Scars” is Sebastian’s sixth number one single in Australia and went on to receive three 2012 ARIA Music Award nominations including Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release for “Battle Scars”, and Song of the Year for “Don’t Worry Be Happy”.

Guy Sebastian is the only Australian male artist to have ever achieved six number one singles and two number one albums in chart history!

Guy couldn’t be more pumped about the tour “I’m thrilled to be announced for the Australian leg of Taylor’s The Red Tour and I am looking forward to being part of a tour that has had fans so excited across the world.  Taylor’s such an incredible performer and I can’t wait to hit the road with her this December.”

Currently in the middle of his ‘Get Along’ national tour of Australia which included nine sold out metro city shows earlier this year, Guy is ready to show off his Battle Scars as he prepares to wow the nation with an electrifying set of his hit singles and crowd favourites.

Don’t miss Taylor Swift live on The Red Tour of Australia and New Zealand with very special guest Guy Sebastian (Australian shows only).  Stay tuned for the opening act announcement soon.

TAYLOR SWIFT
THE RED TOUR
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013|
With special guest Guy Sebastian (Aus only)
General Public On-sale Tuesday 21 May

Friday 29 November             Auckland Vector Arena
Saturday 30 November        Auckland Vector Arena
Ticketmaster 0800 111 999 www.ticketmaster.co.nz
Tickets on sale Tuesday 21 May 9am NZ local

Wednesday 4 December      Sydney Allianz Stadium
Ticketek 132 849 www.ticketek.com.au
Tickets on sale Tuesday 21 May 9am NSW local

Saturday 7 December           Brisbane Suncorp Stadium
Ticketek 132 849 www.ticketek.com.au
Tickets on sale Tuesday 21 May 10am QLD local

Wednesday 11 December    Perth nib Stadium
Ticketmaster 136 100 www.ticketmaster.com.au
Tickets on sale Tuesday 21 May 9am WA local

Saturday 14 December         Melbourne Etihad Stadium
Ticketmaster 136 100 www.ticketmaster.com.au
Tickets on sale Tuesday 21 May 9am VIC local

www.taylorswift.com | www.frontiertouring.com/taylorswift

 Taylor Swift new single ‘Everything Has Changed’ featuring Ed Sheeran at radio now (Universal Music Australia).

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Lead singer Jared Leto revealed the bands intention to return to Australian shores whilst here earlier last month to promote hugely anticipated fourth offering, Love Lust Faith + Dreams (out May 17 through Universal).

Produced by Leto himself along with previous collaborator Steve Lillywhite (U2, The Rolling Stones, The Smiths), the new album promises to be their most exhilarating to date. Leto told BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe that it’s a “complete transformation for us… stronger, better and more evolved”.

No strangers to innovation, in partnership with NASA the band literally launched first single ‘Up In The Air’ into space for an ‘out of this world’ premiere 230 miles above the earth carried aboard the SpaceX rocket and received its first ever play on the International Space Station.

It’s undeniable; their epic and atmospheric sounds combined with meditative almost spiritual lyrics have fashioned songs that were born to be performed in the arena.

Having already blown Australian audiences away with sold out theatre tours in 2007 and again wowing audiences across the country in 2010, the guys are primed to conquer our arenas for the very first time this August.

‘…definitely a celebration, in just about every conceivable way.’ – MTV

Thirty Seconds To Mars was initially signed in 1998 as a family project between brothers and multi instrumentalists Shannon and Jared, later being joined by guitarist Tomo Miličević.

After impressing with their self-titled debut, it was sophomore album A Beautiful Lie that cemented their position as pioneers of epic and anthemic music.
Their follow up third studio album This Is War was arguably their finest work to date, going multi-platinum throughout Europe, #2 on the U.S. Alternative Albums and Digital Albums charts and triumphant single ‘Kings and Queens’ becoming 2009’s most celebrated anthem.

On stage the band is a force of nature, Leto’s captivating showmanship and the band’s skillful execution leaving little doubt why their fans – named ‘The Echelon’ – are so devout. On their last tour, the band even broke a Guinness World Record for longest ever concert tour after performing an astonishing 311 shows over two years in almost 60 countries in 6 continents.

Having sold over five million albums, amassing more than 300 million views on YouTube and with a new album on the horizon, it’s a safe bet that the Thirty Seconds To Mars Australian arena tour will be one of the most electrifying events of the year.

MARS IS COMING….. www.marsiscoming.com …..
THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS
AUGUST 2013

Frontier Members pre-sale via www.frontiertouring.com/thirtysecondstomars
2pm AEST Tue 21 May to 2pm AEST Wed 22 May
General public on sale from 9am local time, Mon 27 May 2013

Sat 10 Aug                 Melbourne | Rod Laver Arena                     (All Ages)
www.ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Sun 11 Aug                Sydney | Entertainment Centre                   (All Ages)
www.ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100 

Tue 13 Aug                Brisbane | Entertainment Centre                (All Ages)
www.ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Fri 16 Aug                  Perth | Challenge Stadium                          (All Ages)
www.ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100

www.thirtysecondstomars.com  | www.facebook.com/thirtysecondstomars | Twitter @30SECONDSTOMARS

 www.frontiertouring.com/thirtysecondstomars | www.facebook.com/frontiertouring | Twitter @frontiertouring

VIP Ticketing available at www.adventuresinwonderland.com

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While the drum kicks hint at a ‘90s influence, Bliss takes the opportunity to reflect on his younger years during that era and the relationships that lead to the formation of Bliss n Eso. From there, Eso fast-forwards to life in 2013 with his fiancé (whom he famously proposed to on-stage at Big Day Out) and Facebook-famous dogs. Both verses exhibit the maxim that Bliss n Eso have always lived by – family and friends over everything.

The diversity already displayed by the first two tastes of ‘Circus in the Sky’ signifies that the trio are far from done pushing the hip-hop envelope. Expect the unexpected.

www.blissneso.com | www.facebook.com/blissneso

‘HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS’ AVAILABLE ONLINE FRIDAY 10TH MAY

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Solidifying their reputation as artists that love to pack as much value as possible into each release, they’ve delivered another 17-track epic with a running time of an hour. As rumoured, it features a guest appearance from New York hip-hop icon Nas on ‘I Am Somebody’ – arguably their biggest feature to date. Further down the tracklisting are appearances from nomadic Melbourne soul export Daniel Merriweather on ‘Can’t Get Rid of This Feeling’ and rising American singer-songwriter Ceekay Jones, whom the boys befriended on their most recent US headline tour. Possibly the most interesting inclusion on the tracklist comes via posse cut ‘Reservoir Dogs’, which features a who’s who of contemporary Australian hip-hop – seeing them joined by 360, Pez, Seth Sentry and Drapht.

The mysterious winged character that has inhabited the band’s two previous album covers has made its third appearance on the newly revealed ‘Circus in the Sky’ artwork, albeit in an unexpected form. Following from Steve Cross’ illustrated covers on ‘Flying Colours’ and ‘Running on Air’, the band have teamed up with world-renowned digital artist Justin Maller to create a spectacularly vivid piece which sees the character looking towards Earth from afar. Justin is a Melburnian living in New York who has worked with the likes of Nike, Coca-Cola and the Grammys.

‘Circus in the Sky’ is now available for pre-order from www.blissneso.com/preorder. There are a half a dozen pre-order options which include a digital version (including instant ‘Home is Where the Heart is’ single download); signed CDs accompanied by t-shirts, iPhone covers and stubby holders alongside bundled packs including the album and House of Dreams Tour tickets.

‘CIRCUS IN THE SKY’ tracklist:
01. Unite (2:40)
02. Pale Blue Dot (3:32)
03. I Am Somebody (feat. Nas) (5:24)
04. Home is Where the Heart is (3:25)
05. Animal Kingdom (2:42)
06. Can’t Get Rid of This Feeling (feat. Daniel Merriweather) (4:24)
07. Act Your Age (2:39)
08. Life’s Midnight (4:02)
09. Reservoir Dogs (feat. 360, Pez, Seth Sentry & Drapht) (4:12)
10. Next Frontier (3:02)
11. My Life (feat. Ceekay Jones) (3:37)
12. Jungle (3:02)
13. Cialis Cuts (1:22)
14. Bomb Like Banksy (3:24)
15. Sunshine (3:28)
16. I Feel Free (3:45)
17. House of Dreams (4:26)

BLISS N ESO
with special guests Yelawolf (USA) + Pez
JULY 2013
Bliss N Eso Members pre-sale via www.blissneso.com
Frontier Members pre-sale via www.frontiertouring.com/blissneso
10am AEST Tue 21 May to 10am AEST Wed 22 May
General public on sale from 9am local time, Friday 24 May

Thu 4 July                  Sydney | Enmore Theatre                                        All Ages
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Sat 6 July                   Melbourne | Festival Hall                                         All Ages
Ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100

Wed 10 July               Perth | Metro City                                                     18+
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Oztix.com.au  | Ph: 1300 762 545

Fri 12 July                  Brisbane | Eatons Hill Hotel                                    All Ages
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Oztix.com.au  | Ph: 1300 762 545

Sat 13 July                 Adelaide | Entertainment Centre Theatre              All Ages
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849 

Sun 14 July                Darwin | Discovery                                                   18+
Oztix.com.au  | Ph: 1300 762 545

www.blissneso.com | www.facebook.com/blissneso | www.illusive.com.au | Twitter @blissneso

‘CIRCUS IN THE SKY’ OUT 28 JUNE THROUGH ILLUSIVE

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The lead track from the band’s new album, Plastic Souvenirs is resplendent with sharp lyrics, jagged guitars and infectious hooks, all of which build to an epic, roaring crescendo.  This is a song that will grab your attention and hold it.

Debuting on the ARIA Albums Chart at an impressive #10, the release of Controller has put British India firmly back into the spotlight and sees the rejuvenated band back at the top of their game.

Earlier singles I Can Make You Love Me and current radio favourite Summer Forgive Me have taken over the airwaves nationwide, with strong support from triple J and community radio – the former coming in at #41 on triple J’s Hottest 100 for 2012.

Already a favourite of many fans and critics, Plastic Souvenirs should continue the trend.  As Blunt Magazine say, “Plastic Souvenirs just begs to be back announced with ‘… a little bit of British India to take us up to the weather.’”

CONTROLLER TOUR DATES

May 17 Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC

May 18 The Wool Exchange, Geelong VIC

May 24 Pelly Bar, Frankston VIC

May 25 Ferntree Gully Hotel VIC

May 30 Lismore University NSW

May 31 Spotted Cow, Toowoomba QLD

June 1 Noosa Surf Club, Noosa QLD

June 7 The Entrance Leagues Club, Central Coast NSW

June 8 Mona Vale Hotel, Sydney NSW

June 14 Republic Bar, Hobart TAS

June 15 Republic Bar, Hobart TAS

June 21 Springwood Hotel, Springwood QLD

June 28 The Old Bar, Old Bar NSW

June 29 Sawtell RSL, Sawtell NSW

July 13 Dubbo RSL, Dubbo NSW

July 15 Bathurst Uni NSW

‘PLASTIC SOUVENIRS’ IS TAKEN FROM THE ALBUM CONTROLLER, OUT NOW

britishindia.com.au | facebook.com/britishindiaofficial | liberation.com.au

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On June 1^st the band will embark on a US nation-wide tour with Crystal Fighters, in support of the Votiv US release of A is for Alpine, out 21^st May.

It has been a busy 12 months for Alpine. Their album debuted at no.1 on Australian iTunes and was subsequently awarded iTunes Alternative Album of The Year as well as Age EG Album of The Year.  Since then Alpine have toured relentlessly both in Australia and overseas to an ever-increasing fan base. Surprisingly, the Hi-Fi show represents Alpine’s first Melbourne headline show since they sold out 2 x Corner Hotel shows in September last year.

“The last year has been fun-filled and action packed!  It’ll be great to be back in Melbourne and playing in front of our home audience again.  This is long over-due and enough is enough!  We have some fancy new jumpsuits, the guys are looking fly so we’re pumped and raring to go!  We can’t wait! ” - vocalist, Lou James

US critics are already abuzz from the band’s most recent USA tour in March, which included shows in LA and New York and a stop at SXSW 2013. Alpine’s shows at SXSW were so well received with Nicky Berger, manager of indie band Grouplove, gushing to Billboard that “[seeing them] were equally as cool moments as it is being at a Prince show’.  Pitchfork also described the band’s first US release “Gasoline” as “an unforgettably charismatic gem” and Nylon likened it to “walking on sunshine”.

Things are heating up further with a new US version of the “Gasoline” video which was premiered on NPR.org’s “First Watch”.  In additional the New York Times listed a live stream of the album to 15 million subscribers in the week leading up to its US debut!

Alpine will perform Thursday 30^th May, The Hi-Fi Bar in Melbourne. Tickets on sale now HERE.

www.ivyleague.com.au  | www.alpineband.com

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Clubfeet began their 2013 takeover with the release of their critically acclaimed sophomore album ‘Heirs & Graces’ in January. The album spawned the hit singles ‘Heartbreak (feat. Chela)’ and ‘Everything You Wanted’ – alongside new single ‘Cape Town’, which not only saw their cult profile explode in their Australian homeland but continued to strengthen their international fanbase which started through their first ever release via iconic New York indie dance label Plant Music.

The huge success of the singles online (‘Everything You Wanted’ has 600,000 plays across YouTube and Vimeo) and critical success of the album has led to the band recently picking up album deals in Japan (P-Vine / Holiday Revolution) and South Africa (Just Music).

The album’s new single ‘Cape Town’ is homage to their stunning quasi-homeland and an ode to desperate nights out on the rebound. Accompanied by a surreal video clip filmed in the city itself, ‘Cape Town’ is part emotional breakdown, part shimmering late night sweat-out. The track premiered overnight via influential US indie blog ‘Pigeons & Planes’ and is now up on Clubfeet’s SoundCloud.

The ‘Cape Town Tour’ will see the band in their biggest venues to date following February’s sold out album tour. The band’s ever-expanding cult following and reputation as an incredible live act will ensure that this is another sold-out affair. Don’t miss out.

“A sparkling dancefloor-filler with a dreamlike feel.” – Harpers Bazaar

“the band’s contagiously catchy music is sure to make big waves in 2013.” - Interview Magazine

“instantly charming” (**** 4 stars) – The West Australian

“Heirs & Graces is an outstanding example of impeccably executed synth-pop.”  - (**** 4 stars) – Brag

“Despite being just 10 tracks long, the group have packed so much into it, you would be crazy to lose interest.” (**** 4 stars) – The Examiner

“a very good example of what pop music should be.” (8/10) – Tone Deaf

“will mark the beginning of Clubfeet’s rise to prominence” (8/10)  - Scope Magazine

“they have become a band that music lovers bow down to and music critics kiss the butts of.” – Forte Magazine

CLUBFEET
with special guests Panama
JUNE / JULY 2013
Tickets on sale from 9am local time, Mon 20 May

Fri 28 June     Zierholz @ UC, Canberra, ACT
$12 from www.oztix.com.au  or 1300 762 545

Sat 29 June    Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW
$15 from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX

Thu 4 July      Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
$15 from www.cornerhotel.com or (03) 9427 9198

Fri 5 July        Karova, Ballarat, VIC
$12 from www.oztix.com.au  or 1300 762 545

Sat 6 July       Eureka Hotel, Geelong, VIC*
$10 from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX 

Wed 10 July   Akuna Club, Perth, WA*
$10 on the door

Thu 11 July    Mojos, Fremantle, WA*
$10 from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX 

Fri 12 July      Rhino Room, Adelaide, SA*
$12 from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX

Thu 18 July    Oh Hello, Brisbane, QLD
$12 from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX

Fri 19 July      Flinders Social, Townsville, QLD*
Tickets available through the venue

* Panama not appearing 

www.helloclubfeet.com | www.facebook.com/helloclubfeet | www.illusive.com.au

‘HEIRS & GRACES’ OUT NOW

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DeLong exploded into the cultural stratosphere last year with  game changing debut album Just Movement (out now through Liberator Music), an ingenious fusion of hypnotic hooks, bursting beats and reflective lyrics that pushes not only boundaries but the listeners imagination.

Even the name of the album itself is indicative of DeLong’s unique and thought provoking song writing; our lives are constant buzzing energy…. molecules just moving together, vibrating and dancing their way into existence.  The stomping single ‘Global Concepts’ has set Australian airwaves ablaze, earning ARIA Gold certification (almost Platinum), hitting #1 on the Australian iTunes Electronic Chart and becoming 2013’s most danceable anthem.

The album has also become a firm favourite with critics garnering worldwide acclaim;

‘Did I make you f**king dance?!’ When it comes to his debut LP, Just Movement, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’” – ELEKTRO

“Let me join the chorus hailing the new beat wizard on the scene, Seattle-born Robert DeLong. He’s a guy you instantly know will make an impression on contemporary music. Four and half stars” – The Sydney Morning Herald

Drumming since the age of ten, when the Seattle born songwriter takes the stage seventeen years on, he has to be seen to be believed. DeLong loops and fuses beats and melody whilst utilizing a diverse and unique array of tools including MIDI interfaces, game controllers, keyboards, trigger pads, acoustic drums and electric guitars. But this isn’t just a cheap gimmick; every instrument DeLong brings on stage serves a purpose and is an essential component of the performance, taking the audience on an exploration of sound and innovation.

His high energy performances have also enraptured audiences at Coachella, Lollapalooza and The Governors Ball, making him one of the biggest buzz artists to emerge from this year’s SXSW;

“One man dance band Robert DeLong absolutely destroyed at a show on the west side of town. Already dubbed the next big thing by the likes of MTV, Billboard, and VIBE, DeLong is known for making music with game gear like joysticks and Wiimotes. Still, I admit I had my doubts about whether or not he could live up to the hype. But hot damn, that was a ridiculous set.” – Wired

Robert DeLong live is an impressive display of sheer talent and creativity that promises to be one of the most intriguing performances this year. Don’t miss it!

Just Movement out now featuring smash hit single ‘Global Concepts’

ROBERT DELONG
JULY 2013

Frontier Members pre-sale via www.frontiertouring.com/robertdelong

2pm AEST Thu 16 May to 2pm AEST Fri 17 May

General public on sale from 9am local time, Monday 20 May

Tue 23 July                Melbourne | Ding Dong Lounge                (18+)

www.oztix.com.au | Ph: 1300 762 545

Wed 24 July               Sydney | The Standard                               (18+)

www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1300 438 849

www.robertdelong.com | www.facebook.com/DeLongMusic  | Twitter @DeLong 

www.frontiertouring.com/robertdelong | www.facebook.com/frontiertouring | Twitter @frontiertouring

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This tour announcement comes off the back of the release of ‘Home is Where the Heart is’ – the first official single from their upcoming new album Circus in the Sky.

The six-date tour will cover all mainland capital cities in the band’s first headline tour since 2011 when they embarked on the highest-selling tour by an Australian hip-hop act. This is the first chance fans will get to experience the tracks from Circus in the Sky in the flesh, alongside the cult classics from their back catalogue.

Bliss N Eso will be joined by two very special guests – Alabama’s rising star Yelawolf and local superstar Pez.

Since signing to Eminem’s Shady Records in 2011, Yelawolf has become one of the world’s most hyped emerging rap artists. In the years since, he’s released his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Trunk Muzik’ and featured on tracks alongside the likes of Ed Sheeran, Big Boi, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T. and Travis Barker just to name a few.

Melbourne’s Pez made his welcome return to the spotlight in recent months with the release of his latest single The Game and is tipped for an enormous 2013.

Bliss N Eso have also confirmed the release date for their upcoming new album Circus in the Sky as Friday 28 June 2013. It follows on from 2010’s hugely acclaimed Running on Air which debuted at #1 on the ARIA Album Chart and achieved platinum sales.

The first taste of Circus in the Sky came via teaser track and recent triple j favourite ‘House of Dreams’ – the tour’s namesake – which featured the trio in blistering form over thumping drums and strings.

The group are recognised as one of the most explosive live acts in the country, so tickets to their first headline tour in years are sure to be snapped up in next to no time (like always).

Bliss  N Eso are back. Don’t miss out!

BLISS N ESO
with special guests Yelawolf (USA) + Pez
JULY 2013

Bliss N Eso Members pre-sale via www.blissneso.com
Frontier Members pre-sale via www.frontiertouring.com/blissneso

10am AEST Tue 21 May to 10am AEST Wed 22 May
General public on sale from 9am local time, Friday 24 May

Thu 4 July                  Sydney | Enmore Theatre                                        All Ages

Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Sat 6 July                   Melbourne | Festival Hall                                         All Ages

Ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100

Wed 10 July               Perth | Metro City                                                     18+

Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Oztix.com.au  | Ph: 1300 762 545

Fri 12 July                  Brisbane | Eatons Hill Hotel                                    All Ages

Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Oztix.com.au  | Ph: 1300 762 545

Sat 13 July                 Adelaide | Entertainment Centre Theatre              All Ages

Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Sun 14 July                Darwin | Discovery                                                   18+

Oztix.com.au  | Ph: 1300 762 545

www.blissneso.com | www.facebook.com/blissneso | Twitter @blissneso

www.frontiertouring.com/blissneso | www.facebook.com/frontiertouring | Twitter @frontiertouring

 ‘CIRCUS IN THE SKY’ OUT FRI 28^TH JUNE 2013

 www.illusive.com.au | www.facebook.com/illusivecrew | Twitter @illusivecrew

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Speaking to The Sun, Williams said of the collaboration, “I was expecting Dizzee to come round to my place in LA for an hour. He got round at 6pm, we chatted for hours and he left at 6am. It was a great night.”

“I have never been so urban,” he continues, “When I heard Dizzee wanted me, I was like, ‘F**k yes!’ He only deals in bangers.”

“The song instantly sounded like a smash. I love his vibe, his energy and he is a real talent. He seems to be the voice of this generation, so it was a no-brainer.”

Dizzee said, “Having Robbie involved has been good. When his name came up, I was excited about it. We went to his house to record it. It’s not often on these things you sit in the same studio anymore. He told me some amazing stories. We really vibed. I’d love to sit with him and listen to [his] stories all day.”

dizzeerascal.co.uk | facebook.com/DizzeeRascal‎ | twitter.com/DizzeeRascal‎ | liberatormusic.com.au

‘THE FIFTH’ IS COMING SOON

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Recorded in a series of intensive sessions between April and November 2012, with production duties once again shared by Graham Sutton (Bark Psychosis) and the band’s Jack Barnett, ‘Field of Reeds’ represents another uncompromising shift from a band without peer.

Jack began writing the material in 2011, while the band were staging their celebrated Hidden Live shows, in a year that became marked by prolonged legal negotiations. Having taught himself to arrange and notate the brass, woodwind, and percussion parts for Hidden, Jack further utilised these skills on ‘Field of Reeds’, with every part fully scored and arranged before recording commenced. Only the band and production team heard the album before it was finished.

The first recording sessions took place at Studio P4 Funkhaus Nalepastraße, a former West German radio complex in Berlin, with renowned conductor André de Ridder – a key player in ‘Hidden Live’ – leading the ensemble. Further sessions followed in London and the West Country. Virtually every sound heard on the album is as it was played, with edits used only to tweak performances using played material and never ‘copied and pasted’, as is common practice in most modern music.

“I like the sense with this music that you are surrounded by people playing instruments,” Jack says. “You can hear someone move or breathe before they begin playing.”

This desire to capture the perfect performance would lead on occasion to distress among the musicians. “For the song ‘Fragment Two’,” Jack says, “George drumming is take #76.” Elsewhere, a full day was spent smashing panes of glass for ‘Light In Your Name’.

Opening track ‘The Way I Do’ is framed around a digital field recording of a woman’s half-remembered interpretation of ‘This Guy’s In Love With You’ by Herb Alpert, while several others make imaginative use of the Magnetic Resonator Piano invented by Professor Andrew McPherson of the Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary, University of London.

“He was kind enough to let us use his invention after a friend of Graham’s put us in touch,” Jack says. “It’s a kind of torture device for pianos, using optics and magnets. A lot of sounds that you might think are electronic or synthetic are actually made by this. This is the first time it’s been used outside a relatively small number of contemporary classical performances.”

Among the guests on the album are basso profundo Adrian Peacock, renowned British jazz trumpeter Henry Lowther, Dutch contemporary composer Michel van der Aa and Swedish soundtrack arranger Hans Ek. Several songs feature Portuguese jazz singer Elisa Rodrigues, whose voice recalls a combination of her namesake, Amalia Rodrigues, and Billie Holiday. Respected mixing engineer Mark ‘Spike’ Stent mixed the record.

The songs on ‘Field of Reeds’ are more intimate, melodic and personal than the band’s previous work, covering subjects such as “hope, despair, love – those kinds of things”.

“I tried to make all the lyrics and songs mean something, something very specific; I don’t like it when you’re allowed to be singing about nothing in particular – I was inspired by people like Stephen Sondheim, Oscar Hammerstein, Kurt Weill,” Jack says. “The device at the end of ‘Light In Your Name’, where the lyric splits into the two singers’ perspectives, is nicked from my favourite song, Send In The Clowns by Stephen Sondheim.”

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‘FIELD OF REEDS’ IS OUT FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2013

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This kind of brilliantly nonsensical response perfectly encapsulates the beauty of Is Tropical (completed by Gary Barber and Simon Milner) and their sophomore effort: the content may have come on serious leaps and bounds from their 2011 debut ‘Native To’, but as for themselves? Well, they’re not taking that bit so seriously…

Having toured the world in support of ‘Native To’, careering their way around Europe, losing sleep in America (“We were stuck in San Francisco airport for hours once. We’d done a gig the night before in LA and then flown straight to Mexico City, done a gig there, got arrested and then come back”), getting lost in Russia (“We were literally lost for 22 hours. We were walking into River Island, just being like, ‘Please help us!’ until some kids recognised us when we were sharing some vodka with a tramp in the park”) and evading the law in Shanghai (“You can’t even eat chewing gum in the street there – you go to prison. So when we went for a swim in the marina everyone was incredulous. Oh well. Spring break!”), Is Tropical had racked up enough hedonistic experiences to last a lifetime. Along the way, however, they also learnt some more important musical lessons: namely, that 100mph craziness isn’t necessarily all you need to make a record. “On our first album we thought the louder or heavier the song, the more that people would get into it,” explains Simon. “Then we toured with a load of bands where their biggest song was a ballad and we’d never really thought about that. Our first album had a lot of dynamics with sound, but this one’s also with… feeling?”

This variation is, indeed, where ‘I’m Leaving’ marks itself out as a distinct progression from its predecessor. Whereas their debut’s high-BPM party anthems were often bracketed in with the indie/ nu rave crossover, Is Tropical’s second defines itself by a much more varied mantra. “We used to have about eight layers for every song. It was like trying to wear five pairs of long johns, a couple of pairs of joggers and some trousers on top. It was too hot and confusing,” Simon continues. “Essentially, it’s been a learning curve. When we first made music, the first lesson was realising not to do it when you’re really drunk. Then we learnt to focus on the stems of the song and not to over-complicate things. Oh, and not to write a song four octaves higher than you can sing.”

Enlisting seasoned pro and friend of the band Luke Smith (Foals, Depeche Mode) on production duties, the trio then set about condensing the vast quantity of tracks they’d began writing during their months spent on the road into a concise manifesto. Setting up camp in Hackney’s Mare Street, the band spent the entirety of November 2012 stripping things down to their bare bones (“Luke would make us do a busker version and we’d have to do the whole song from start to finish like that”) and building them back up again, re-thinking all their old studio techniques and trying out a less technology-indebted, more honest process. The result is an album that rings with the buoyant spirit that brought them to public attention in the first place, but also beats with an intrinsically human heart.

‘Yellow Teeth’, ‘I’m Leaving’s epic, seven-minute closer, is an effervescent, understatedly hopeful number with a full-on guitar solo, it’s the kind of track that’s built for anthemic crowd sing-a-longs rather than sweaty, tented raves. “We were trying to get away from just doing this dancefloor-filling, indie pop band thing,” explains Gary of the track. “Anthems about a kid becoming a werewolf maybe aren’t what people were expecting….” “But that’s why it was a key thing for us to do,” continues Dom. “That track shows how we’ve developed as a band, that we can come down in tempo and have a bit more of a spectrum.” Elsewhere in the spectrum lies several more curveballs. ‘Lovers’ Cave’ (penned about an actual ‘lovers’ cave’ in France where a couple are thought to have been washed out to the tide) may be unashamedly buoyant, but it also brings the guitars to the fore more than ever before. ‘Dancing Anymore’, meanwhile, features a duet between Gary and his girlfriend – one of many tracks on the record that, again for the first time, feature a female vocal (the rest are provided by Crystal Fighters’ singer Ellie Fletcher). “My girlfriend hated the fact that I didn’t ever dance, but then she saw me dancing and now she doesn’t want me to do it. That song’s about me being fucking horrendous,” he notes.

Elsewhere, however, the record touches on less positive ground. “There’s a lot about death as well,” Simon explains. “For a while we were going to make a whole death album. ‘Leave The Party’ isn’t about leaving a house party, you know?” Indeed, whilst ‘Leave The Party’ is hardly a morose death march, it does have a distinct element of restrained sadness to it that underpins the shimmering electronics and distorted synth sounds to intriguingly conflicting effect. It may not be about the dawn-lit, morning walk home, but it could happily soundtrack it. ‘Toulouse’ (written, unsurprisingly, whilst they were in Toulouse), meanwhile, is proof that they haven’t lost their old knack for a wonky pop ear-worm, whilst the “mental drums” of ‘Cry’ are pinpointed by the band as a future live favourite. Together they build into an album that’s varied, but cohesive. One that has an innate thread of immediate, catchy hooks and melodic nouse, but that thematically and lyrically ventures into newer, more diverse ground.

‘I’m Leaving’ will also give Is Tropical the chance to build on on the global success of their Megaforce-directed video to ‘The Greeks’ (which, to date, has amassed nearly 3.5 million Youtube views and won a number of notable awards). Current single, ‘Dancing Anymore’ will provide a “phase two” of ‘The Greeks” anarchic visual concept, this time focusing on the viewpoint of a teenage boy. “It’s going to be very erotic, in a computer-generated way,” Dom explains. “’The Greeks’ is based in the imagination of children, whereas this is going to be in the imagination of an 18-year-old boy. We 100% trust Megaforce; they’re amazing artists. And I think they feel they can do stuff with us that they couldn’t maybe do with other people. We won’t censor them.”

Between all these elements, what seems most obvious is that – far from just another late 2000s party band – Is Tropical have thwarted expectations and come out brimming with ideas. And sure, some of them (like their mysterious, note-dropping childhood hound) might be crazy, but they’re certainly never boring. “Our friend once said we were like excitable school kids on our first trip to London,” laughs Simon. “But we’re just having fun,” nods Dom. “… and then writing some songs about death.”

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‘I’M LEAVING’ IS OUT FRIDAY 24th MAY 2013

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