Indie rockers Spacey Jane are coming to Newcastle.
You can catch them at Bar On The Hill on Thursday, February 17. Tickets go on sale at 10am today.
Spacey Jane's debut album Sunlight, released last year, reached No.2 on the ARIA charts. Platinum single Booster Seat took out the No.2 spot in triple j's Hottest 100 and just last month was crowned song of the year at the ARIA Awards. They rounded out the year with singles Lots of Nothing and Lunchtime.
Power couple
Newcastle singer-songwriter Max Jackson is a finalist in the 42nd Toyota Star Maker competition, describing it as "a dream come true".
The top 10 artists will perform two songs at the Star Maker Grand Final on the opening weekend of the 2022 Country Music Festival in Tamworth.
Jackson is up against Jake Davey (Taree), Billie-Jo Porter, Brittany Elise, Charlie Fittler, Clancy Pye, Heath Lancaster, Jade Gibson, Katie Jayne, and Loren Ryan.
Toyota Star Maker has launched the careers of artists including Keith Urban, Beccy Cole, Travis Collins, James Blundell and Lee Kernaghan.
Jackson released her debut album Life Of The Party in 2020.
Jackson's partner, Jeremy Minett, has also been busy. Not only has he been gigging with The Viper Creek Band and teaching guitar, he released his debut EP Odd Songs for Humanoids last year and has been working on his debut album, Things Of This Nature.
It will be officially launched at the Oriental Hotel in Cooks Hill on January 7.
Minett describes Things Of This Nature as the album he has "always wanted to make but never had the necessary time or self confidence". The album has already spawned singles Harvest and Mayf and is an instrumental exploration of different musical genres and sounds.
Newcastle Herald readers might remember him from Powerage, a Maitland rock band he played in as a teen that gigged regularly around Newcastle and the Hunter.
Minett attended Maitland Grossmann High School and studied contemporary guitar at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
Archie Roach reschedules
Archie Roach has announced his rescheduled NSW tour dates and will perform at Newcastle's City Hall on February 4.
"COVID really stopped a lot of us from going out to do what we love doing; playing music and interacting with people. I'm busting to get back on the road again, it's been too long," Roach said. Tickets are on sale now.
Roach has been busy filming Kitchen Table Yarns, a 12-part YouTube series initiated to support emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander singer-songwriters. Episodes have already featured Allara Briggs Pattison, Rulla Kelly Mansell and Marlon Motlop, Lydia Fairhall, and Black Rock Band. Connecting through online video, Roach shares stories about their songs, their communities, and their language.
Lunar Electric countdown
The countdown has begun for Newcastle's Lunar Electric Music Festival.
A sell-out crowd of 12,000 will roll up to Camp Shortland on Saturday (December 18) to see more than 30 acts across two massive stages. Festival-goers are set for a blend of high-energy mixes and hip-hop tracks from the likes of Timmy Trumpet, Will Sparks, Hooligan Hefs, HP Boys, Kerser and Tigerlilly.
Lunar Electric founder and managing director Simon Leigh said he was excited to be bringing the festival back to Newcastle.
"It's been such a huge effort for myself and co-director Shaun Dunn, but to be able to produce a festival of this magnitude in the current climate is absolutely amazing.
"It's very rewarding to be presenting an event that makes so many people happy and brings that much-needed joy and release from the trials of the last year or so."
Lunar Electric is fast becoming Australia's premier dance music festival and in 2022 the festival is expanding its horizons to include Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, with the tour kicking off on the Gold Coast on March 26.
"We've had so much great feedback and requests from other states to take the show on the road and now that things are opening up in this brave new world we can finally make it all real," Dunn said.
"We are very excited to take a wonderful line-up of Australian and international acts on tour including Pendulum, W&W, Carnage, Darude, ChillinIt and so many more."
McAlister Kemp
Country-rock duo Drew McAlister and Troy Kemp have joined forces after a seven-year hiatus to record a new single, After the Breakdown.
McAlister Kemp will launch the single at West Tamworth League Club on January 21. Their fourth studio album is set for release in 2022 via ABC Music.
True to the real-life themes that McAlister Kemp are renowned for, After the Breakdown is a song about moving on and finding hope after a tragedy or hard times.
"Troy and I are absolutely stoked to be releasing After the Breakdown after such a long time away," McAlister said.
"It's fitting that this was the very first song we wrote when we reconnected. We're very excited to be releasing new music and can't wait to play the new songs for our fans who have supported us over so many years."
Wildcard TikTok stars wanted for Eurovision
Think you've got what it takes to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest? SBS, Blink TV and TikTok have announced a national TikTok Wildcard contest to find an 11th artist to take part in Eurovision - Australia Decides on the Gold Coast in February 2022.
To enter, post a vocal performance clip, up to one minute long, with the hashtag #EurovisionAustraliaon TikTok. A panel of industry experts will then determine the winner, who will join the artists chasing their dreams to represent Australia at Eurovision 2022 in Italy.
Submissions are open until January 16. Entrants can submit a video as individuals or as a group with up to six members in total. You must be 16 years and over. Visit sbs.com.au/eurovision and follow @sbsaustralia on TikTok.
