VACATIONS frontman Campbell Burns concedes he's unsure when it'll be possible for his indie band to tour Australia again.
However, that hasn't prevented the Newcastle four-piece from pushing ahead and pursuing their dreams.
This week Vacations announced their maiden US tour, running from March 2 to April 15. The 30-date tour includes shows in 20 states in all four corners of America, playing rooms ranging from 200 to 800 people.
"It'll be the longest international tour we've ever done by a few weeks," Burns said. "So I'm quite excited because these will be the first shows we've done in about two years."
Barring a brief appearance on livestream show Music People at the Civic Theatre in March, Vacations haven't performed live since December 2019 when they supported Spacey Jane.
Yet the popularity of their music internationally has continued to grow thanks to social media. Last year Vacations' 2016 single Relax went viral on TikTok and then the band released their second album Forever In Bloom.
On Spotify Vacations command 3.2 million monthly listeners and Relax has been streamed an amazing 95.7 million times, with their biggest audiences residing in Los Angeles and Mexico City.
Live music performances have resumed in the US in recent months, so the biggest obstacle for the tour proceeding is likely to resolve around the Australian government opening the borders.
"We're applying for our visas soon and I think we have a pretty strong case this time, so I'm pretty confident it'll be OK," Burns said.
Vacations have played in the US twice at Austin's South By South West Festival in 2018 and 2019, and also toured Europe extensively in 2019.
"I've always wanted to tour the US and it's predominantly where our fan base is based, particularly in LA," he said.
"I'm just keen to get over there, play some shows and see the reaction to the songs off Forever In Bloom and play old songs and see how they go as well.
"It's just so different because due to the pandemic we haven't played shows for such a long time. It's hard to imagine."
Burns (vocals, guitar), Jake Johnson (bass), Nate Delizzotti (guitar) and Joseph Van Lier (drums) will bunker down in a 12-seat van for the tour along with photographer Charlie Hardy.
Burns said it was unlikely any Australian shows would be booked prior to the US tour.
"We'd all love to, but unfortunately right now it's easier to tour overseas than it is here due to how the pandemic has been handled by the government and the support that's been shown for the arts scene," he said.
"It's disappointing. Honestly, I don't think we'll be touring Australia until halfway through next year."
