Bliss N Eso | Circus Under The Stars

On the eve of Anzac Day, Bliss n Eso have released a short video documenting their life-changing trip to the Middle East with the Australian Defence Force in September 2013.

The Sydney hip-hop trio were invited by Forces Entertainment, a specialised unit of the ADF, who coordinated a specialised trip to the Middle East Area of Operation (MEAO) which also included comedians Doug Chappel Jr. and Nick Cody alongside Brisbane four-piece band, The Bertie Page Clinic. The acts were tasked with providing morale-boosting entertainment to deployed multinational forces.

Originally set to take place in 2012, the trip was cancelled at the last minute due to an escalation in violence and increased threat level.  The opportunity was then presented to the group again in 2013 following a conversation between the bands co-manager, Adam Jankie and Lt Col Ian Robinson (Commanding Officer – Forces Entertainment). It would turn out to be the final entertainment mission into Afghanistan prior to the withdrawal of the majority of Australian forces.

Clouded in secrecy from day one for operational security reasons, the band and support crew started their journey with basic training, fit-out and force preparation at Sydney’s iconic Randwick Air Force Base. Two days later they would find themselves on an unmarked aeroplane full of defence personnel heading to undisclosed location in the Middle East. Fourteen hours later they landed at Al Minhad Air Force Base in the United Arab Emirates for further preparation and briefings prior to their 7-day trip into Afghanistan.

The week-long trip saw Bliss n Eso perform intimate concerts for troops across four military bases including the Australian run Camp Holland in Tarin Kowt, Kandahar Air Force Base as well as a NATO base in Kabul. Performing with a very limited production and makeshift stages, Bliss n Eso and their fellow entertainers provided a much-needed boost in morale for Australian and multinational forces deployed throughout Afghanistan.

“We don’t support war or conflict, what we do support are our fellow human beings. These guys and girls who are stationed all around the world are our fans and due to the nature of their work they don’t get to see our shows back home. To be able to play to them in a location like Afghanistan was a fulfilling and eye opening experience, and likely something we will never be able to do again.” – Bliss (Jonathan Notley)

Watch the short documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSzyeo66NtQ&HD=1

Bliss n Eso are currently in the midst of a massive 16-date outdoor Australian tour.

Fresh off the back of headlining the city’s massive Clipsal 500 concert where they captivated a crowd of 15,000, Bliss N Eso have announced an Adelaide show as part of their enormous upcoming ‘Circus Under the Stars’ tour.

As with all other shows on the tour, they will be setting up a massive outdoor stage at Tampawardli Park to create a totally unique concert experience. They will play host to the full blockbuster tour bill which includes Bliss N Eso, Seth Sentry, Horrorshow and Ceekay Jones.

Bliss N Eso are also excited to announce a new initiative which will see them offering the opening slot on each show of the 16-date tour to a local unsigned artist. For a band that built their following from grass-roots support, they said it was important to give back to the communities that helped get them to where they are.

The competition kicked off last week with them opening the doors for submissions nationwide, with hundreds already received. Submissions will close on this Friday 14 March, after which the band will bunker down to dig through each and every track, finally deciding on a shortlist of three highlights in each city. They will then give control back to their near half a million social media fans to decide the eventual winner in each town.

With tickets flying across the country, massive outdoor stages in every city and the biggest headline bill the genre has ever seen, this is shaping up to be one tour that will be talked about for years to come. Don’t miss out.

Local giants Bliss N Eso aren’t pulling any punches after a massive 2013 with the announcement of their biggest tour to date, and what is sure to be Australian hip-hop’s most monumental outing ever.  Illusive and Frontier Touring will be taking the Sydney trio on a goliath ‘Circus Under The Stars’ 15-date outdoor tour throughout April and May in support of their ARIA #1 album ‘Circus in the Sky’.

Making this a tour to remember, they’ll be joined on all shows by two of the genre’s most prolific acts. They are Sydney powerhouse Horrorshow who have established themselves an enormous following through their thrilling, progressive brand of hip-hop and by the human ball of charisma Seth Sentry, who continues to win over hordes of fans with each passing month. This dream team are some of the country’s biggest acts each in their own right, and together they create the largest Australian hip-hop line-up you’re ever likely to see on a headline tour, making this one hell of a party.

The ‘Circus Under the Stars’ tour will see Bliss N Eso shipping around several truckloads of state-of-the-art production and staging equipment over tens of thousands of kilometres, setting up an outdoor concert experience that has never been seen before in most of the 12 regional areas. In capital cities they will be leaving the arenas they regularly sell out in favour of the unique confines of outdoor locations like Flemington Racecourse (Melbourne), The Domain (Sydney), Wellington Square (Perth) and Riverstage (Brisbane).

Bliss N Eso’s new album, ‘Circus in the Sky’, was the 8th best selling Australian release of 2013 and has spawned a never-ending list of massive hits, including ‘House of Dreams’ (the soundtrack to the AFL Finals), ‘Can’t Get Rid of This Feeling’ (feat. Daniel Merriweather), ‘Act Your Age’ (feat. Bluejuice) and their latest smash ‘My Life’ (feat. Ceekay Jones) which is currently skyrocketing up the ARIA Singles Chart. Following from June’s sold-out ‘House of Dreams’ tour and their current Big Day Out jaunt, the ‘Circus Under the Stars’ tour will present the first chance for fans to hear many of the album’s songs live for the first time alongside Bliss N Eso’s extensive back catalogue. In a special addition, they’ll be bringing out cult US singer-songwriter Ceekay Jones, who features on ‘My Life’, to join them on stage at every show.

In order to make life easy for their fans, Bliss N Eso have joined forces with independent ticketing leaders Moshtix to implement a seamless ticketing solution for all shows through blissneso.com.

This promises to be one of the most talked tours in Australian hip-hop history. Don’t miss out on tickets.