The Cult to perform the "LOVE" album in its entirety, giving fans what they want!

Chugg Entertainment and Sun Touring Company announced today that legendary rock act, THE CULT, will be heading to Australia as part of their "Love" Live Tour, with confirmed dates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth in May, 2010.

This will be the first time THE CULT has toured Australia in 15 years, last performing as part of the Big Day Out in 1995.

The LOVE album is viewed by fans and world-wide media as The Cult's pre-eminent release. From the immediately recognizable opening notes of She Sells Sanctuary, through Billy Duffy's psychedelic guitar strains on Phoenix, to the resolve of Ian Astbury's haunting baritone on Brother Wolf, Sister Moon, The Cult created an album that manoeuvres as a tour de force.

The Cult "LOVE" Live Tour will showcase the band's alternative roots as musicians and performers, and is sure to electrify new fans and devotees. Since commencing the tour in mid 2009, the band have performed in diverse venues from the grand scale excitement of London's Royal Albert Hall, to the intimate setting of Paris' Le Bataclan, this tour will see the band fulfil the ultimate dream of Cult lovers across the globe, performing the unimaginable; a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness one of alternative rock's most important records, LOVE, performed in its entirety, live onstage.

"The band is redefining the live album experience with the "LOVE" Live Tour; nothing is comparable to witnessing The Cult, fully engaged in the live creation of arguably their seminal album. For fans this will be the greatest tour yet, and for those just discovering The Cult, this staging will envelop them in a pure performance experience," stated Cult manager, Tom Vitorino.

The band will take fans through a "best of" finale which will include their greatest hits spanning their storied career. The Cult will deliver spectacular production, along with the intense performances that fans have come to expect and have been working closely with their art/ design team to create an arresting set, with dramatic effects, using state-of-the art technology.

Continuing their historic creative partnership, Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy began writing together again in 2001 and have since recorded several songs at The Sunset Marquis Villa Recording Studios, in Los Angeles. Their highly anticipated new tracks will be the follow up to The Cult's 2007 release, the critically acclaimed, Born Into This. 

Tickets for all shows go on sale on Friday, 19 March, 2010.  Stay tuned for support act announcements.

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Following the recent cancellation of the Lost Weekend Festival, The Thermals have unfortunately announced the cancellation of their upcoming Australian tour.

Ticket holders for the band's concert at Oxford Art Factory should contact their point of purchase for a full refund.  Chugg Entertainment and The Thermals apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Reviewed by Bernard Zuel
Sydney Morning Herald
February 19, 2010

THERE are rules at an AC/DC concert and everybody knows them. That's why there is more black than a Greek widow's convention. Why there's more flashing red horns than a bull's nudist colony. Why bourbon-and-Coke is holy water and beer a meal. It's why the few fools in white T-shirts are looked at with the same suspicion as vegetarians at a butchers' picnic. Mate, are they taking the piss?

Still, there was nothing more incongruous than a hot pink Hummer blasting out boy band disco in the car park. That's far weirder than a man near retirement age cavorting in schoolboy shorts on stage. That, after all, is the essence of rock'n'roll, isn't it?

So do not ask for whom the school (hell's) bell tolls ... because no one will hear you once Angus Young opens the throttle on Runaway Train, taking his solo down the long, long runway spearing appropriately phallically deep into the stadium.

Hey, don't blame me for the sexual imagery, we're talking a band built on single entendres - and a double dose of Young guitars, with Malcolm's punishing chords making Back in Black meatier than a stadium pie. And never, ever sloppy.

In fact the only loose part, apart from the ciggie dangling from the drummer's mouth, of an AC/DC show is the straggly thin and disappearing hair on Angus's noggin, drenched in sweat long before he plays the circular riff of Thunderstruck half an hour in and then skips along a glass section of the floor with a camera underneath. Those are some white on white legs there, Angus. Maybe next time they should consider playing a daytime show. Just a thought.

By Kathy McCabe
Daily Telegraph
February 19, 2010

The AC/DC faithful flocked in their tens of thousands to worship at the cathedral of rock last night.

Preaching to more than 70,000 of the converted at ANZ Stadium, AC/DC extolled the virtues of a life lived hard and fast in the name of rock 'n' roll.

With a knowing wink and their wicked sense of humour, Australia's greatest stadium band thrilled the fans with a concert they are not likely to witness again.

Every single member of the crowd would take away a memory stamped into their musical DNA forever.

Perhaps it was the naughty perennial school boy Angus Young teasing them as he peeled off his green velvet blazer, his tie, his white shirt and then slowly lowered his shorts to wiggle his AC/DC boxer-shorted bottom at them.

Maybe it was frontman Brian Johnson playing conductor, whipping the crowd to pump the air with their fists and scream their lungs out.

Equally impressive was his sprint down the 75m Angus Walk to leap into the air and grab the Hells Bell's cord to ring it throughout the stadium.

Many would shake their heads at the searing display of proficiency and musicality of rhythm section Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd who were as solid as a bank vault.

And then others played air guitar along with the unforgettable riffs which have made the man in the driver's seat, Malcolm Young, one of the most revered rhythm guitarists of all time.

And it wasn't just about the music. The Black Ice tour sets a new benchmark for a rock 'n' roll visual sensory overload.

The stage roof was flanked by two giant red blinking devil's horn caps which seemed to synchronise with the miniature versions adorning thousands of heads in the audience.

The giant rock 'n' roll train which announced AC/DC's arrival on stage shortly before 9pm was certainly a prop hard to top.

And then of course there was Rosie - the giant sexy inflatable - who has been making her appearance felt at the band's concerts for more than two decades.

Of course if the band was to play every fan's setlist, the show would go for days.

As it was they drew heavily from their latest record Black Ice, including the song War Machine which won them their first Grammy a few weeks ago.

But they also delivered a liberal dose of the classics including Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, TNT, You Shook Me All Night Long, High Voltage and an epic version of Let There Be Rock, which featured Angus spinning around on a hydraulic platform which rose above the crowd at the end of the catwalk.

During High Voltage the band paid tribute to their late frontman Bon Scot on the 30th anniversary of his death by flashing iconic images of him on the video screen.

You have two more chances to see AC/DC at ANZ Stadium on Saturday and Monday with limited tickets still available.

The Daily Telegraph
February 18, 2010 11:13PM

THE AC/DC faithful flocked in their tens of thousands to worship at the cathedral of rock.

As part of their national tour taking fans by storm, ACDC preached to more than 70,000 of the converted at Sydney's ANZ Stadium.

AC/DC extolled the virtues of a life lived hard and fast in the name of rock 'n' roll.

With a knowing wink and their wicked sense of humour, Australia's greatest stadium band last night thrilled the fans with a concert they are not likely to witness again.

Every single member of the crowd would take away a memory stamped into their musical DNA forever.

Perhaps it was the naughty perennial school boy Angus Young teasing them as he peeled off his green velvet blazer, his tie, his white shirt and then slowly lowered his shorts to wiggle his AC/DC boxer-shorted bottom at them.

Maybe it was front man Brian Johnson playing conductor, whipping the crowd to pump the air with their fists and scream their lungs out.

Equally impressive was his sprint down the 75m Angus Walk to leap into the air and grab the Hells Bell's cord to ring it throughout the stadium.

Many would shake their heads at the searing display of proficiency and musicality of rhythm section Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd who were as solid as a bank vault.

And then others played air guitar along with the unforgettable riffs which have made the man in the driver's seat, Malcolm Young, one of the most revered rhythm guitarists of all time.

And it wasn't just about the music. The Black Ice tour sets a new benchmark for a rock 'n' roll visual sensory overload.

The stage roof was flanked by two giant red blinking devil's horn caps which seemed to synchronise with the miniature versions adorning thousands of heads in the audience.

The giant rock 'n' roll train which announced AC/DC's arrival on stage shortly before 9pm was certainly a prop hard to top.

And then of course there was Rosie - the giant sexy inflatable - who has been making her appearance felt at the band's concerts for more than two decades.

Of course if the band was to play every fan's set list, the show would go for days.

As it was they drew heavily from their latest record Black Ice, including the song War Machine which won them their first Grammy a few weeks ago.

But they also delivered a liberal dose of the classics including Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, TNT, You Shook Me All Night Long, High Voltage and an epic version of Let There Be Rock, which featured Angus spinning around on a hydraulic platform which rose above the crowd at the end of the catwalk.

During High Voltage the band paid tribute to their late front man Bon Scot on the 30th anniversary of his death by flashing iconic images of him on the video screen.

"Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are a travelling Woodstock, a throwback to the great lost days when bands thought of themselves as families and concerts were foaming whirlpools of joy." 
Huffington Post, 2009

"Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros aren't quite a household name yet, but we have a feeling they will be one very soon."
Time Out, New York, 2009

"Frolicky, feel-good sing-alongs that dip into '60s psychedelia and '70s boho-rock jam abandon, joyful vocal textures and jangly instrumentalism (there's about a dozen people onstage at once), and most notably Ebert's Messiah-like magnetism make for a compelling musical display."
LA Weekly, 2009

If you haven't caught yourself whistling along to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Top 40 single "Home" in recent weeks you mustn't have been listening to the radio. The first song from the Californian 11-piece hippy family band has been pricking up ears across the country, and it shows.

Their debut tour of Australia was announced just two weeks ago and their Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel sold out in less than 48 hours, the show at Sydney's Metro Theatre has only a handful of tickets left.

For those who missed out, today's news is good news, and what else could we hope for from the happiest band in America.

By overwhelming demand, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have extended their first ever Australian tour to begin in Brisbane at The Hi-Fi on Tuesday 23 March, and play a second show on Wednesday 24 March at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. They will also stay on in Sydney just a couple more days to play at the Factory Theatre on Thursday 1 April.

All of these newly announced shows go on sale through the usual outlets at 9am on Friday 19 February, and be quick. Tickets didn't last long for their first shows, and with their fan base growing day by day - hundreds of thousands of votes placed "Home" at number 15 o Triple J's recent Hottest 100 countdown - there is no doubt these new tickets will go just as fast.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros were named one of Rolling Stone's "Artists To Watch In 2009" and it's just one of the notable places that they earned last year, appearing within a plethora of music press and pop culture blog's "Best Of 2009" lists.

They have drawn comparison to acts such as The Polyphonic Spree, Arcade Fire and any number of hippy family bands from the 60's and 70's. With their shameless happiness and boundless energy, they are winning passionate new followers at every turn. The late Heath Ledger was one such fan that backed the band from the beginning, with financial support and intentions to be a part of their first record before his untimely death.

The mastermind behind the group is Alex Ebert, former front man of indie/punk/electronic group, Ima Robot.  Ebert is also the creator of the band's fictitious namesake, Edward Sharpe, a character dreamed up during a difficult period where Ebert made an exit from the lifestyle he was lost in, one that included over indulgence and cynicism, and went back to basics. While in his apartment, he sketched out a the story of a boy called "Edward Sharpe" who was sent to earth to heal and save mankind, but kept getting distracted by beautiful girls and the power of love. Inspired by the story, Ebert found his own peace, and the affections of a stunning woman in the form of Jade Castrinos, who shares lead vocals on the single "Home".

Ebert and Castrinos enjoyed their escape to freedom and began to write music together; on their travels, they picked up a band of merry men and a white school bus and took their show across America.

Nowadays, a far cry from the front man's dark former life, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros deliver their audience a childlike joyfulness and energy that you can't help but be completely immersed in when you experience their live show.  If you don't dance, and sing, and leave the concert dreaming of a Woodstock life of hippy tranquility and unabashed happiness, you couldn't have been paying attention.

"There's a medicine show coming your way, guaranteed to cure whatever ails you."  Huffington Post, 2009

Don't miss Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros live in Australia for the first time next month, tickets on sale this Friday through the usual outlets.

According to ... well, everyone ... she's beautiful, incredible and we can't get her out of our heads.

Orianthi, the 25 year old South Australian blonde "rock-chick" guitarist who found fame in Michael Jackson's This Is It movie and with her debut single, the Top 10-peaking hit, According To You, was today announced as the support for the five-date Australian leg of John Mayer's Battle Studies Tour which starts at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on April 30 and ends at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on May 8.

Tickets for the concerts go on general sale this Friday, February 19, from Ticketek and in Sydney from Ticketmaster.

Just weeks after being the only Australian performer in the We Are The World remake, the LA-based guitar prodigy is excited to be coming home soon.

A believer that "dreams do come true" - and in her case, and then some! - Orianthi is no stranger to rubbing shoulders with stars of the 'super' kind.

She's been mixin' it up with the 'big boys', as the say, since she was a teenager.

Her first support was opening for Steve Vai when she was 15.  Next up was ZZ Top.  She jammed with Santana when she was 18.

"Insane," she says.

In 2009 it was on-stage with Carrie Underwood at the Grammy Awards.

Then, in a modern twist on the old-fashioned fairytale, she didn't get the 'call', but rather, the 'email' - via MySpace - from Michael Jackson's Musical Director asking if she wanted to audition for This Is It.

"I didn't think it was for real," she said.

"Getting into his band, actually being hired, by MJ, was a really special and amazing moment, there were tears."

Supporting John Mayer is another star-string to her dream-bow and it's doubly special and amazing because she's coming home to Oz.

"It's amazing, I get to play with a lot of my Idols.  It's pretty surreal," she said.

Orianthi has got the pedigree, and the chops, to go guitar-to-guitar with Mayer, himself a virtuoso.

"I think in life you should go with what you sort of 'get' and I sort of 'got' playing the guitar, you know, but I guess that's my path to walk down in life."

"It's a true double whammy," said promoter, Chugg Entertainment's Executive Chairman, Michael Chugg of the concert line-up.  "It's going to be great."

And to Orianthi, the last word, "I just love playing, it makes me really happy."

Us too Orianthi, us too!

Happy days ahead for Aussie audiences when Orianthi opens for John Mayer in April and May.