For years they were hidden in the musical wilderness, feeding off the steady props that continued to trickle through on the back of their stone-cold classic debut record Since I Left You, released all the way back in 2001. Tunes like Frontier Psychiatrist and the hypnotic title track marked this Melbourne-based collective as one of the most influential outfits in the history of Australian music as their patchwork, sample-friendly rave ups wove themselves into the fabric of our collective musical identity.

From that point, year after silent year would go by until suddenly, in May 2016, word came through of a “hotline” which could be called with new Avalanches tunes waiting on the other side. As hype rolled on it was eventually confirmed that Wildflower was coming and that after 16 long years, we’d finally have new music.

What we didn’t see coming was the revelation that, now shorn of all members but two (Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi), these boys would somehow pull of a Benjamin Button-esque miracle in which their skills and relevance had completely failed to age. Wildflower was brilliant and The Avalanches now possess a stage show befitting of a band with a momentous catalogue, not just one wondrous record.

The Avalanches 2018 Australian Tour
10 February – Party In The Paddock – White Hills, Tasmania
24 February – Sydney City Limits – Centennial Park, Sydney
25 February – Perth International Arts Festival, Perth
7 March – The Tivoli – Brisbane
10 March – Golden Plains – Meredith, Victoria
11 March – Womadelaide – Adelaide
www.theavalanches.com

The last time the duo were in the country they played two sold-out shows in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as massive festival slots at Falls, Southbound and Field day, with many hailing the psychedelic folk act as ‘stand outs’ of the 2014 festival circuit. With the Sydney Morning Herald posing the question, “How do you know a hit? When everyone at the festival stops what they’re doing and sprints towards the music.” When their song ‘Stolen Dance’ hit the Valley stage in Byron, thousands of punters ran to join in the mass revelry, including the biggest line dance ever performed! It was a magic moment and one of the highlights of the festival.

After two years of solid touring including playing some of the worlds biggest festivals the German duo emerged late last year with ‘Cocoon’, signaling to their fans the arrival of a new album. The single has just achieved Gold-status in Australia, while on Spotify the track quickly amassed over 19 million plays and counting. The video has stirred up 4 million-plus YouTube/VEVO views with its gentle and seamless fusion of electronic vibes and folky singer-songwriter flourishes.

Milky Chance 2017 Aussie Tour
2 May – The Tivoli, Brisbane
3 May – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
4 May – Town Hal, Melbourne
10 May – Metro City, Perth
www.milkychance.net

Since the release of his debut ‘Sundanza’ EP in 2010 and 2013’s ‘Dual’ EP, Sampha has quietly but assuredly become one of the UK’s most enigmatic and respected artists. Still just twenty seven years old, he has lent his vocal, production and songwriting talents to a range of stand out releases, from UK contemporaries such as FKA twigs, Jessie Ware and SBTRKT to world-renowned superstars like Drake, Kanye West and, most recently this year, on Frank Ocean’s Endless and Solange’s A Seat At The Table albums. Now it’s time for Sampha to tell his own story and Process, produced by Sampha himself and Rodaidh McDonald, is set to be his defining musical statement.

2016 has seen Sampha become one of the most in-demand new live acts around, with two London shows at Corsica Studios and The Electric Brixton selling out in a matter of minutes. In fact, every one of Sampha’s UK and North American tour dates this year have sold out. The 2017 dates will feature Sampha’s biggest headline shows to date, including London’s 2,000 capacity Roundhouse and New York’s 3,000 capacity Terminal 5, plus debut shows at Sydney Opera House, Melbourne’s Croxton Bandroom, Brisbane’s Triffid and Auckland’s Studio.

Sampha Debut Australian Tour
Brisbane – 25 May 2017, The Triffid
Sydney – 27-28 May 2017, Sydney Opera House – Drama Theatre
Melbourne – 29 May 2017, The Croxton Bandroom
Melbourne – 30 May 2017, The Forum
www.sampha.com

“Fires is an empty threat break up. The words are said, but the meaning isn’t, both parties know that it’s not for real” says LIFE IS BETTER BLONDE. The track premiered via the airwaves on triple j’s Home & Hosed show and the clip online via tastemakers Hilly Dilly. Consumed by a virtual reality set in a reimagined 1950s, a player’s longing for motherhood transcends the rules of the game. The stunning video was directed by Natalie Erika James and Ben Morgan, the team behind his earlier clips Mine and Follow Me.

The product of lost and re-discovered voice memos, late-night musings and discarded production scraps, LIFE IS BETTER BLONDE appeared suddenly in 2015 with the supremely glitchy contemporary R&B single Mine, accompanied by a fittingly bizarre music video in which a Japanese salaryman moonlights as an electric organ-player at an American-themed bar in Tokyo. Perhaps unsurprisingly this flamboyant entrance to the scene did not go unnoticed by some of the most influential ears in Australian music, picking up a triple j award for video clip of the year.
www.lifeisbetterblonde.com

Having toured the globe as headliners, as well as in support of acts like The Arctic Monkeys, Gary Numan, Warpaint, Bloc Party, and Gotye, they are one of the country’s most electrifying live campaigners and are set to bring that battle hardened experience to Australian audiences for a run of dates supporting the album in the new year. Tickets are on sale now.

New Spirit and ‘Another Life’ also feature cover art by the acclaimed Australian artist Jonathan Zawada, who recently won the ARIA for Best Cover Art for his work on the cover of Flume’s Skin album.

Prepare for New Spirit in February, when once again we will hear PVT peer into the future and return with its soundtrack.

PVT 2017 Australian Tour Dates
24 February 2017 – NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE
25 February 2017 – THE FOUNDRY, BRISBANE
03 March 2017 – OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY
www.pvtpvt.net

‘Another Life’ pulses with the same intense energy of its sprawling predecessor, albeit in a comparatively concise four minutes, and despite also being complex in its composition, features a tribal beat and hypnotic refrain that draws the listener deep into the chaotic and experimental dimension within which PVT exist. The track had its world premiere on Triple J’s Home & Hosed program earlier this week, but is now available to listen to online.

LISTEN TO ‘ANOTHER LIFE’ HERE:

“To me, ‘Another Life’ is about expectation and things falling short of that expectation,” says PVT songwriter / multi-instrumentalist Richard Pike. “It’s about middle class ‘aspirational’ desire and their ultimate dissatisfaction. And it’s about my own dissatisfaction with political leaders’ short-sighted and archaic regression of ideas, eating up a country’s own future. Aside from the political rant against new conservatism, which it is, it’s also a personal look at human nature and a hopeful pining for another life. It’s also got a great beat.”

‘Another Life’ is a perfect prelude to themes and sonic textures fans can hope for with the release of New Spirit, which will be PVT’s first album since the acclaimed 2013 record Homosapien, which claimed the coveted title of triple j Feature Album, and praise from the likes of NME and Pitchfork internationally, as well as Faster Louder and Music Feeds locally.

Having established themselves as an international force since their formation in 1999, the trio of Richard Pike, Laurence Pike and Dave Miller has constantly been on the forefront of embracing the evolution of audio technology in their art, all the while earning prestige for producing gritty and confronting music that simultaneously draws from pop and conventional rock to produce a volatile formula – always teaming with new and exciting results, PVT themselves being the only constant.

They have forged a career on constantly breaking the boundaries of expectation and conformity with every new album release, and with the release of New Spirit on February 17, they are looking to stretch further into the realms of experimentation and surrealism with a myriad of soundscapes and musical structures inspired by both the Australian environmental and political landscape.
www.pvtpvt.net

At just 28 years old Big K.R.I.T. has already topped Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart twice. In November last year, Big K.R.I.T. hit the No. 1 spot with his second Def Jam release Cadillactica, moving 44,000 in first-week sales. The album features a host of acts including Raphael Saadiq and Wiz Khalifa. In 2012 he topped the chart with his release Live From the Underground.

“one of the most gifted rappers living on this wretched ball of blue called Earth.”– Billboard

“Shouts to K.R.I.T. for a long-lasting full body of work; shouts to K.R.I.T. for Cadillactica.” – The 10 Best Rap Albums of 2014, Billboard

“K.R.I.T. flexes his musical chops especially on the straight up soul records, “Third Eye” and “Angels,” but his calling card remains country rap tunes like “Mo Better Cool” and “Mind Control.” – NPR

Big K.R.I.T will be delighting his Australian fans, with sideshows just announced for Perth’s Villa on the 22nd of September, Melbourne’s Max Watt’s on the 24th and Brisbane’s Zoo on the 25th.

Electronic hip hop duo Milwaukee Banks is set to support Big K.R.I.T at the Melbourne and Brisbane sideshows. Milwaukee Banks play a new type of futuristic rap, a blend of southern hip hop with an ambient, glitchy beat. The duo’s recent EP release, Rose Water, has received deserved attention, and their collection of remixes and collaborations has projected them onto many to-watch music lists.

Big K.R.I.T. Aussie Tour
Perth – Tuesday 22 Sep 2015, Villa
Melbourne – Wednesday 23 Sep 2015, Max Watt’s
Brisbane – Friday 25 Sep 2015, The Zoo
Sydney – Saturday 26 Sep 2015, OutsideIn
Sydney – Sunday 27 Sep 2015, Oxford Arts Factory
www.facebook.com/BigKritMusic