It's the tour lineup that will set hearts pounding across the east coast of Australia. At a time when bubble-gum pop, hip hop and dissonant hardcore metal are filling the music charts a small handful of bands are reinventing the emo-punk genre.
Heading the charge are Thrice and Alkaline Trio, two of the few bands on the independent punk rock music scene to attain mainstream recognition. Rumours have been rife that these bands were due to head to Australia sometime in 2004, but The Frontier Touring Company and Blue Murder are betting that no one was expecting the package to be quite THIS good.
Double billing will be Alkaline Trio and Thrice, in a rotating headline down the east coast of Australia. But if that wasn't enough for you, joining the lineup will be Florida based quartet Hot Water Music. Add to this a yet to be confirmed Australian support act and this show is undeniable value for money.
Alkaline Trio's new album Good Mourning (out now through Vagrant/FMR) is just a foretaste of what Australian audiences can expect. Their live show should deliver enough sinister fantasy, mayhem and murder to satisfy any Scarface groupie.
Thrice equally deliver live with powerful beats, creative riffs, pounding bass lines and soaring vocals, combined with math-like time changes and catchy melodies. Fresh from recent spots on Warped and the European Deconstruction Tour and with a new album The Artist In the Ambulance (out now through Island Records/Universal), Thrice are set to turn Australian audiences on their heads.
Hot Water Music need no introduction to Australia. Their Australian 2003 sell out headline tour led Magnet Magazine to declare them, "the best punk band on the planet" while Blunt Magazine called their latest album Caution "a punk rock classic"!
So put aside the excuses, stick your hand in your wallet and make sure you're lined up to purchase your tickets when these shows go on sale on Monday 22 December.
