Arctic Monkeys

Frontier Touring can confirm that joining Arctic Monkeys on their much anticipated Australian and New Zealand tour will be psychedelic rock Perth band, POND!

Formed in 2008 by Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson and Joseph Ryan, POND started as a collaborative musical project with the idea that they were able to get anyone to record and perform with them. This included three members shared with highly successful band, Tame Impala.

March 2012 saw the release of the band’s fourth album Beard, Wives, Denim to critical acclaim and really pushed psychedelic rock into the forefront of Australian music internationally (watch ‘Fantastic Explosion Of Time’ here). Produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker back in 2010, the album received international accolades with NME stating that it was ‘quite possibly the best album released so far [that] year’ (9/10).

POND also played as part of the South by Southwest Festival in 2012 and was a band on everyone’s watch list.

‘POND has built themselves a reputation as one of Australia’s top live acts, and it’s not hard to see why, delivering a whole lot of noise on par with the depth of the album recordings’ – The AU Review

‘He (Nick Allbrook) was as charismatic and entertaining a lead singer as I’ve ever seen…I was so enthralled by the music and performance. It was one of those rare shows where I was completely 100% lost in the music.’ – Under The Radar

Just last year, POND embarked on their own headline Australian tour following the release of fifth album Hobo Rocket (out now through Modular), of which multiple shows sold out.

Six years on and POND have definitely earned their recognition as their own band, with Allbrook describing the creation of the band’s fifth record based around the “…kind of mindset of finding our own little place in music, and being more of a functioning band, which is what makes it noisier and denser. This one we went as brutally hard as we would at a show. We wanted the songs to sound loose and live”.

In addition, with the latest release came a whirl of nominations in the 2013 WAM Awards including: Rock Act of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year (for frontman Nick Allbrook), Group of the Year and Album/EP of the Year for Hobo Rocket.

With their next record Man, It Feels Like Space Again well in the works, POND have really cemented themselves as international stars with no sign of slowing down. Their expertly crafted and highly praised showmanship and infectious riffs are a perfect opener and is guaranteed to keep spirits high for the Arctic Monkeys.

This will be Arctic Monkeys’ biggest tour of Australia and New Zealand topping off what has been a huge twelve months for the band’s music here and in particular, their fifth studio album AM (out now through Domino Records/EMI), which shot straight to number one on both the ARIA Album Chart and New Zealand’s official album chart.

Over the weekend the band had three entries in the top 20 of the triple j Hottest 100: ‘Arabella’ (18), ‘Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High’ (6) (watch here) and ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ (4) (watch here) – a massive achievement as 1.5 million listeners voted in one of the year’s biggest music polls.

Now with the addition of POND to the show, the interest for these shows will undoubtedly exceed the already massive demand – you do not want to miss this! Tickets are selling fast, with Adelaide sold out already!

**PLEASE NOTE** POND will be the only support band for all shows in Australia and New Zealand. Royal Blood as printed on Melbourne and Brisbane tickets will not be performing.

Frontier Touring is thrilled to confirm that Sheffield indie rockers Arctic Monkeys will be landing in Australia and New Zealand next May to embark on their biggest tour of our shores to date!

Lead by quintessential front man Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys first burst onto the music scene in 2006 with their ferocious and catchy Mercury Prize-winning debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.  The album became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history, kicking off the over 5 million records that the band has sold internationally across their five studio releases.

In the years since their debut, the band have received two Grammy Award nominations, five Brit Awards, headlined the iconic Glastonbury Festival twice and taken to the world stage in front of billions as part of the London Olympic Games opening ceremony. Originally one of the ‘best new bands to watch’, Arctic Monkeys have well and truly cemented themselves now as one of the most important British bands of their time.

The band were last Down Under in 2011 for Falls and Southbound Festivals as well as a handful of Australian headline shows; in 2014 they will return for their most extensive run of tour dates including two New Zealand shows and five Australian shows in celebration of their fifth studio album AM (out now through Domino Records/EMI).

Recorded in the band’s adopted home of Los Angeles, AM is the band’s initials, a new morning, an analogue radio frequency and an existential statement amongst many more interpretations. Twelve tracks of near perfection including ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ (watch here) and ‘One For The Road’ (watch here), the album features stomping riffs, Turner’s most mature songwriting yet and guest appearances from Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Elvis Costello’s drummer Pete Thomas and ex-Coral man Bill Ryder Jones

On the charts, AM was the band’s fifth consecutive UK #1 debut, making them the first artist signed to an independent label to achieve this. Closer to home, the album shot straight to the #1 spot on both the ARIA Album Chart and New Zealand’s Official Album Chart.

As well as success on the charts, AM was also heralded by critics  across the globe as Arctic Monkeys’ best album to date and was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Music Prize just two days after its release:

‘Arctic Monkeys’ fifth record is absolutely and unarguably the most incredible album of their career. It might also be the greatest record of the last decade.’ – NME, 10/10

‘AM does not so much revive Britpop as it does revive rock music.’ – The Vine

‘The Monkeys keep on evolving.’ – Rolling Stone, 4*

The AM Tour has already hit the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Europe this year, impressing sold-out crowds with a set list filled with both tracks from their latest release and musical highlights from along the way:

‘They’re untouchable right now; they’re in their own league.’ – Chronicle Live

‘The band is at the top of their game and it was an unforgettable experience.’ – Nouse

‘By adding west coast hip-hop to vintage hard rock, Arctic Monkeys are more impressive than ever.’ ­– The Guardian

Tickets to the Australian and New Zealand leg of the AM Tour go on sale from 9am local time on Wednesday 11 December. If the demand for their latest album is anything to go by, these tickets won’t last long. Be quick to see the always energetic, toe-tapping and fun-filled live show from Arctic Monkeys, a band at the top of their game.