THE HARD QUARTET

Emmett Kelly, Matt Sweeney, Stephen Malkmus and Jim White are The Hard Quartet.

Individually covering musical ground as members of Pavement, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Ty Segall, Dirty Three and more. Collectively producing rock ’n’ roll that is familiar but new, warm but icy, melodic but Sphinx-like in its seductive and subtle riddles…

“There are older vibes: getting older, it’s less about having to prove yourself.”—S.M.

“We come from such different places and we’ve have such different career histories, but I think that now we’re all in a similar place, which is kind of strange to acknowledge.”—E.K.

Their eponymous debut album, a double, brings together years of collective influence, inspiration and inhibition but more than anything it harnesses the intuitive nature of these musicians to get inside the song and bring out it’s best side. As a first effort it’s an instant classic.

“I’ve listened to all three of these people a lot over the years. Playing with them now just feels natural. Maybe ‘natural’ in this situation means it’s not a struggle.”—J.W

“This just seems like a really good band for us all to be in for the foresee able future. We’ll go until the wheels fall off. I can’t think of three better guys than these three guys. There’s something sweet and solid about the vibe.” – M.S.

And following three showcase performances across New York, Los Angeles and London, The Hard Quartet will make international touring debut with Australia as their first stop.

Don’t miss the debut tour of The Hard Quartet, live this January.

CARIBOU

Following on from the recent announcements of Honey, the brand new album for Caribou PLUS his appearance at New Years Eve festival Lost Paradise festival comes the news that the full four piece ensemble that is Caribou live, will perform their first Australian tour since 2022 including their first Perth and Adelaide stopovers since 2015!

Caribou’s first Sydney headline show in nearly eight years – following a memorable night in the Opera House Concert Hall circa 2015 – was a jubilant experience both onstage and in the audience. After easing in with the gentle ‘New Jade’ from Suddenly, Snaith set the controls for the heart of the dancefloor with three simple words to the audience: “Here we go.” – 2022 Enmore Theatre review

  • Dec 31st: Glenworth Valley, Lost Paradise Festival
  • Jan 2nd: Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
  • Jan 3rd: Sydney, Enmore Theatre
  • Jan 4th: Melbourne, PICA
  • Jan 5th: Adelaide, Hindley St. Music Hall
  • Jan 7th: Fremantle, South Lawn Fremantle Arts Centre


The follow up to 2020’s Suddenly (“Perfectly imperfect pop” 5/5 The Guardian ‘Album of the Week’), Honey arrives as an intriguing new kind of Caribou record. After putting every ounce of himself into 2014’s Grammy-nominated Our Love and Suddenly, for his sixth Caribou aka Dan Snaith now pulls himself away a little in search of music that isn’t about any one person and is available to everybody. A record that grabs you and moves you like his other alter-ego Daphni, before cradling and uplifting you like Caribou. Huge dancefloor tracks twinkle, shimmer and surprise in a way only Snaith’s productions can but with a freshness that defines an artist who is too excited by music-making to ever truly settle into any one sound. In the words of Snaith himself:

“I’m still chasing that thrill of when something hits really hard and I find myself jumping up and down or the hairs standing up on my arms in excitement. How lucky am I that that’s never gone away? That the chance of making something new and exciting is still as exhilarating as ever. And as much fun as ever. Starting the day with nothing and (finishing most days with nothing good but occasionally…) having something that didn’t exist before stuck in my head by the end of the day. It still seems like a kind of alchemy.” – Dn 

Snaith also recently announced a full UK tour for February 2025 which includes three nights at London’s The Roundhouse – all of which are sold out. The upcoming Australian tour will do the same.

VIOLENT FEMMES


Almost 6 years on from their covid postponed Australian shows Violent Femmes finally return for the Good Things Festival. Register for pre-sale here.

Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and The Velvet Underground. Their goal was to rock harder than any other acoustic act on the planet.

After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Pretenders’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.

Violent Femmes eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification- eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs, and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.

MTV’s “Unplugged” show was inspired by the Femmes, although they never actually appeared on it. Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, The Pixies, John Cusack, Mark Morris, and Wim Wenders.

More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music, and inspire people of all ages.

THE SAINTS ’73-’78

“Rock music in the ’70s was changed by three bands—the Sex Pistols, the Ramones and the Saints” – Sir Bob Geldof.

The Saints; one of the most revered, reviled and talked about bands in all Australian music history will reform this November in celebration of a vinyl box set release of their bona-fide 1977 classic debut (I’m) Stranded.

Featuring founding members, guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay alongside honorary Saints; singer Mark Arm of the legendary Mudhoney, bassist Peter Oxley of Sunnyboys fame and former The Birthday Party / Bad Seeds guitarist Mick Harvey, The Saints ’73-’78 will recreate the sounds of The Saints hugely influential first three albums (I’m) Stranded (1977), Eternally Yours (1978) and Prehistoric Sounds (1978).

“The Saints first three albums rank among the best records ever made. They have been a part of my life since stumbling upon them in the early 80s. Their influence looms large in Mudhoney world. I am stoked, stunned, and humbled that I get to join in on this Rock ‘n’ Roll Reality Camp with Ed, Ivor, Peter and Mick!”– Mark Arm

Tickets for The Saints ’73-’78 are on-sale 12pm Friday 14th June.

The deluxe box set edition of (I’m) Stranded is a collaboration between long standing Los Angeles label In The Red and Universal Music Australia and is to be released November 15th. Pre-orders available here and here. Here’s what you get…

** Four x LP’s covering all recordings, studio and live, from 1976-1977 including the previously unreleased 1976 mix of the album.

** 28 page 12” x 12” full colour photo essay

** Official band history

** 1976 promo photo

** (I’m) Stranded sticker

“It’s been an exhausting yet thrilling process being involved in the creation of this box set. It’s been 51 years in the making and has possibly turned out even better than I anticipated. It’s by far the most extensive appraisal of the band, both aurally and visually, that has ever been made available and hopefully reveals some things people may not have known about the band.” – Ed Kuepper

What you didn’t know about The Saints.

** (I’m) Stranded was written by Ed Kuepper & Chris Bailey in 1974

** In Sept ’76, Jamie Dunn (better known later as his alter-ego Agro the Puppet) via Juke magazine was the first to review the (I’m) Stranded 7″. He did not like it.

** Between October and November 1976 UK magazine Sounds declared (I’m) Stranded Single of the Week on three separate occasions

** By the time of album recording in October 1976 The Saints had played just five open-to-the-public shows. Anything else had been a private party.

** In June 1977 a nascent Tubeway Army supported The Saints at London’s legendary Roxy venue

** 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Saints guitarist Ed Kuepper as a live performer.

“It’s great to be given the opportunity to run through this set of songs again and especially the chance to work with a group of people of the calibre of Mark, Mick, Pete and especially Ivor, who is one of the most distinctive drummers I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I’m feeling chuffed that they’re all on board for this. We’ll be concentrating exclusively on material from and around the first three albums, including stuff that hasn’t been performed live in Australia before….or, at least for a pretty long time…  very much looking forward to this. Catch us if you can, pop fans.” – Ed Kuepper

“I’m really looking forward to having the chance to be playing these great songs again and capturing the original excitement and energy of the first three albums.” – Ivor Hay

THE EXPLODING UNIVERSE OF ED KUEPPER

 

The Exploding Universe of Ed Kuepper returns to stages this April in celebration of the remastered reissued vinyl release of 1992’s ARIA winning (Best Independent release) solo effort Black Ticket Day plus Law Of Nature, the 1984 post-punk classic from Kueppers influential post-Saints outfit, Laughing Clowns.

Released on March 29th and available for pre-order now, Black Ticket Day and Law Of Nature join recent reissued solo efforts; 1996’s Frontierland, the previously unreleased Mr. MiraKle, 1991’s much-celebrated Honey Steels Gold and the 1984 debut Electrical Storm as a part of Kueppers collaboration with Melbourne’s Remote Control records,

“Kuepper’s purple patch of the first half of the 1990s is something extraordinary, and Black Ticket Day (1992) is a jewel in his crown. It’s as expansive as its predecessor Honey Steel’s Gold yet more electric; features pop gems “It’s Lunacy” and “Real Wild Life” but also wig-outs like “Blind Girl Stripper” and “All My Ideas Run to Crime”. Law of Nature (1984) is a heat-haze of an album, drawing as Kuepper has said on memories of growing up in the semi-rural suburbs of Brisbane. It manages to find a perfect fit for the experiental colours of earlier Laughing Clowns releases within a set of disciplined song-forms. A classic of Australian post-punk featuring the original recording of ‘Eternally Yours.'” – John Encarnacao, author, Ed Kuepper’s Honey Steel’s Gold for 33 1/3.

For the April tour Kuepper will again feature drummer Mark Dawson, Sunnyboys bassist Peter Oxley, pianist Alister Spence and brass arranger Eamon Dilworth.

“This was a mesmerising performance with Kuepper’s band, containing decades of experience, delivering a thrilling set that was like a greatest hits collection. Celebrating the release on vinyl of two of his solo albums (‘Honey Steel’s Gold’ and ‘Electrical Storm’), Kuepper solo work is a brilliant mix of the esoteric, jazz, psychedelic and absolute unadorned commercial pop – sometimes all within one song.” – Backstreet Mafia

“The band is blistering; Peter Oxley and Mark Dawson are locked in as tight as Superglue stuck between two fingers. Alister Spence is masterful on keys. Eamon Dilworth on trumpet brings echoes of Miles Davis’s “Sketches in Spain” set to a solid backbeat. It rocks.” – i94bar.com

Tickets for all shows on-sale now.

Black Ticket Day and Law of Nature available for pre-order now via artistfirst

DIRTY THREE

The wait is over. Prayers have been answered; 5 years since their last whistle stop visit and 12 years since that last national tour Warren Ellis, Mick Turner and Jim White a/k/a Dirty Three finally return.

Already announced as a marquee act at Melbourne’s Rising Festival, Mick, Jim and Warren will bring their collective energies to venues in Canberra, Thirroul, Sydney, Fremantle, Adelaide, Hobart, Brisbane and Byron Bay this June.

“What joy to kick off the tour for our new album “Love Changes Everything “ in Melbourne Australia for the Rising Festival. Recorded in 5 days. Mixed in a year. Nothing has changed. Older and meaner, sadder and totally dangerous. Dirty Three are Thirty Three years old. Come blow out the candles and help us stick a knife in the cake.” – Warren Ellis London 2024

The trio that paints notes like stars in the sky. Back with new compositions to play and new stories to tell. They don’t get together very often these days. But to see them perform is to witness three men shoulder-deep in the task. The aching splendour. The meandering beauty. The mammoth swirl.

“For two hours, Dirty Three were the greatest band on any planet in any universe.” – FBi Sydney State Theatre review

“It’s impossible to find flaw with the performance, though its x factor is something collectively felt. A kind of accruing, song by fiery song, of irrefutable proof as to how truly great this band is.” – Sydney Opera House review – The Guardian

“Their songs, you know, maybe saved someone’s life.” They’re one of the world’s greatest living bands without a shadow of a doubt … It speaks straight to your heart.” – Jen Cloher (musician)

Don’t miss the greatest live band on the planet. Ladies & Gentleman from Melbourne Australia; Dirty Three

Sydney pre-sales available now. Sign up to feelpresents.com for exclusive access. All other cities on-sale 12pm Thursday April 4th except Canberra on-sale April 12th.

The new album Love Changes Everything out June 14th. Available for pre-order now via Remote Control