SOUNDS BY THE RIVER is gearing up for a massive 2024, headlined by Jimmy Barnes, with The Living End, Birds of Tokyo, Pete Murray, Kasey Chambers & Mahalia Barnes and the Soulmates.
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Jimmy Barnes, affectionately known by all as Barnesy, is the heart and soul of Australian rock and roll. He has 20 #1 albums under his belt, more than The Beatles, has sold more records in Australia than any other rock and roll artist, and for over 40 years, he has delivered some of our most intense and iconic live performances. He is truly in a league of his own. His third book, Killing Time: Short Stories from the Long Way Home, was released in 2020 and debuted at #1 on the non-fiction book charts, as did its predecessors, Working Class Boy and Working Class Man. Never one to slow down, Jimmy also has penned two books – a children’s book, Rosie the Rhinoceros, and a cookbook with his wife Jane, Where the River Bends.
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The Living End are considered Australian rock legends, and for good reason. Their blistering live performances have seen them perform far and wide, and their reputation precedes them, they rock from the first note to the last. When The Living End first smashed onto the scene in 1997 with their double-A single Prisoner of Society and Second Solution, they embraced a new Australian sound and fans and critics sat up and listened. Since then, they have released seven studio albums, two of which have debuted at #1 on the ARIA Chart – four of those are Platinum and two are Gold. They have been nominated for an incredible 27 ARIA Awards.
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Birds of Tokyo are considered the soundtrack of contemporary Australia. With three chart topping albums, jam-packed with Top 10 hits such as Good Lord, Plans, Unbreakable, and Lanterns, they have grown from independent roots to become one of our most popular bands. They’ve performed at the AFL Grand Final twice, the NRL State of Origin and performed with the likes of Bon Jovi, Muse and Midnight Oil. They are one of Triple J’s three most played artists of the millennium and the only to have won Rock World of the Year on five separate occasions at the APRA Awards.
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Pete Murray is one of the only few Australian artists with more than 1.2 million album sales. A multi-platinum selling performer, he has received 17 ARIA nominations, has released 7 album and 2 Eps. His fi three albums were all #1s on the Australian music charts, and his debut album Feeler, not only reached #1, but it also remained in the Top 100 for two and a half years.
Kasey Chambers is one of Australia’s most revered singer-songwriters. Her album The Captain in 1999 is still considered one of the most extraordinary and lauded debuts from any artist, and she hasn’t stopped since. Her follow-up – Barricades & Brickwalls – saw her become the first Australian country artist to have a simultaneously #1 single and album. She also continued to win accolades, drawing music fans in with her honesty. Kasey hasn’t stopped since and is considered one of Australia’s gifted and enduring talents.
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Born into Australian rock royalty and influenced by the music her father, Jimmy Barnes, recorded and played, Mahalia Barnes naturally began singing at a very young age. As an artist, she’s drawn to guitar-driven gusty soul, rock and blues, and inspired by acts like Tina Turner and legendary Queen of soul Aretha Franklin.
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SOUNDS BY THE RIVER always sells out and the 2024 line-up is already highly anticipated.
There is no doubt the 2021 SOUNDS BY THE RIVER will create some unforgettable memories. Jimmy Barnes says 2020 has created the longest gap between tours since he left Adelaide with Cold Chisel as a teenager. “It’s time to stop playing songs in my house and start heading back out on the road,” he says. “I’m fired up and ready to go!”
Dave Faulkner from Hoodoo Gurus feels the same. “We’re really excited to finally get out and play some concerts after so many months of being cooped up at home,” he says. “As George Harrison said in his song, Here Comes The Sun, ‘little darling, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter’. It certainly has, but summers coming and we can promise you that when Hoodoo Gurus get back on sage, we’re going to be red hot. Look out!”
This sentiment is echoed by Jon Stevens. “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone,” he says. “I think 2020 has taught us all that. I have really missed performing and I can’t wait to get out there.”
Diesel says returning to the stage on the SOUNDS BY THE RIVER will mean so much more, to both artists and audiences, since COVID-19. “It is a real cathartic thing for people to get together, and music can bring spirits together,” he says. “It is a healthy escapism that people need, the power of music is therapeutic. In hindsight of what we have all been through, it is the escapism we need. If we can make people forget about stuff for a couple of hours, that is a good thing.”
For Vika & Linda, the return to the SOUNDS BY THE RIVER is also about bringing people together. “’The life I love is making music with my friends’,” says Vika. “We agree with Willie Nelson and after the year we’ve all had, the SOUNDS BY THE RIVER is bring us back together, and we can’t wait to get on the road again.”
Tickets for the 2021 SOUNDS BY THE RIVER are on sale from 9am Thursday 12th November 2020. Tickets are only available through Ticketmaster. Punters are advised not to purchase tickets from Viagogo or other Third Party Sellers, as fraudulent tickets will not be honoured.