Internationally acclaimed West Australian boogie masters Datura4 are set to tour the east coast of Australia for the first time in six years on the success of their fifth album, “Neanderthal Jam”.

Datura4 is fronted by Dom Mariani of legendary Oz garage rockers The Stems,  With plans to tour Europe in the latter part of 2023, the April tour will be their first time back since 2017.

The band will play four shows across New South Wales and Victoria, including an appearance at the prestigious Gum Ball Festival in the Hunter Valley and a Sydney show with returning platinum-selling Canadian act The Sheepdogs.

Datura4 finds Dom Mariani rediscovering the heavy and progressive blues sounds he loved as a teenager - bands like Led Zeppelin, Ten Years After andt he Groundhogs, Aus bands like Carson, Masters Apprentices, Chain, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs and Perth locals Bakery.

Dom has even added an authentic ‘70s blues-rocker to his band – keyboard player Bob Patient is a one-time member of heavy prog rockers Fatty Lumpkin, a later day member of Matt Taylor's Chain and more recently a sideman of Perth’s internationally revered slide guitarist Dave Hole.

APRIL
Friday 21-  Great Club Sydney (w/ The Sheepdogs) - Tix
Saturday 22 -, Gumball Festival - Tix
Sunday 23-  Barwon Club Geelong - Tix 
Monday 24-  Cherry Melbourne (special guests - The Gas Babies) - Tix 

When the Sunnyboys and Ups and Downs were announced to play Brisbane together back in October 2021, locals couldn’t believe that they’d see the cream of Aussie guitar pop playing a pair of back-to-back gigs at a newly refurbished Princess Theatre.

COVID had other ideas and those shows, and rescheduled dates in March 2022, never came to fruition.

Boutique label Soundpressing has released a split Sunnyboys/Ups and Downs seven-inch single to mark the gigs that never were, just in time for the farewell Sunnyboys tour.

It’s a limited edition of 300 copies in three different coloured variants.

And it’s two modern-era songs – “Can’t You Stop” by the Sunnyboys and a new mix of Ups and Downs' “Gideon” - that clearly show the bands have not lost their love of driving guitars and soaring melodies.

Get yours here before they run out...just like Sunnyboys live shows.

_{The Chordites head a night of brisbane powerpop.}

Hey Brisbane! The Chordites, Generation Jones and Gift Horse: Three of the local scene’s finest exponents of Powerpop together for a night of hooky, guitar-driven rock n roll - how can you not love that formula? 

They’re coming together from 6pm on Saturday, March 4 at the Cave Inn in Woolloongabba for a night of short songs, catchy melodies, power chords and Rickenbackers.

A heads-up to fans of the late Lobby Loyde: The 50th Anniversary Edition of the “Ball Power” LP by the Colored Balls ships on US label Just Add Water on January 27.

This touchstone of Aussie rock ‘n’ roll should need no introduction. Just in case it does, it's simply one of the finest hard rock albums to ever come out of Australia . You can file it under proto-punk, hard rock or psychedelic boogie.

This pressing has been painstakingly sourced directly from the 1973 quarter inch mix-down master tapes.

In the words of Just Add Water: “This has been an entirely analogue production chain and hasn't been touched by a computer at any stage of the process.

"Hear Coloured Balls as nature intended. Every copy includes a bonus poster!"

There will be 800 copies on black vinyl (100 each on opaque blue with white pinwheel swirl and half orange/half blue have sold out.) Order yours here.

San Diego's dynamite trio The Schizophonics is returning to Australia and New Zealand after pre-COVID visits in 2019 and ’20.

Returning on the back of their latest LP, "Hoof It", The Schizophonics are husband and wife duo, singer/guitarist Pat Beers and drummer Lety Beers, and have built a formidable reputation around the world as an explosive live act.

Tapping the same wellspring that fuelled The MC5, James Brown, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix and The Sonics, this electrifying outfit has released three albums since 2009.

Joining the Schizophonics for most Australian shows are The Unknowns, who hail from South East Queensland and share members and a record label with The Chats.

The Unknowns are set to release their second album "East Coast Low" on Bargain Bin Records around the time of this tour. Combining '70s style punk and power pop in a manner not dissimilar to the classic first three Ramones albums, The Unknowns' music is timelessly exciting and fun for all ages! 

Schizophonics
Australian-NZ Tour
MAR
Australia
1 – La La La’s, Wollongong, NSW
+ The Unknowns
2 – Crowbar, Sydney, NSW
+ The Unknowns
3 – Drifters Wharf, Gosford, NSW
4 - Tent Pole Festival, Mt Duneed, VIC
8 – Northcote Social Club, VIC
+ The Unknowns
9 – Hotel Westwood, VIC
+ The Unknowns
11 – King Lear’s, Brisbane, QLD
+ The Unknowns
12 – Vinnie’s Dive Bar, Gold Coast
+ The Unknowns
Tickets here
New Zealand
15 - Space Academy, Christchurch
16 - Valhalla, Wellington
19- - ONEONESIX, Whangarei
+ Neon Serpent
22 - Whammy Backroom, Auckland
+ Ratso
23 - The Green Room, Thames
+ Neon Serpent
25 - Piha Bowling Club, Piha
+ Neon Serpent
Tickets here