• It’s the Saturday edition of The Purge and it kicks off this week with news of a new EP release for LA-based pop/rock outfit Hey Violet. The follow-up to their 2015 release ‘I Can Feel It’ is the five track ‘Brand New Moves’ EP, which is helmed by the title track, the video for which premiered this week (HERE). They’ll be in Australia in October this year to support the 5 Seconds Of Summer boys at their gigs in Brisbane and Sydney. The EP drops on Tuesday August 16.
• Sydney outfit The Preatures are back with new music. The band yesterday released their new single ‘I Know A Girl’, which received its premiere on Triple J on Thursday and debuted in front of a live audience during the band’s set at Splendour In The Grass last weekend. “‘I Know A Girl’ is about the sisterhood, girls’ relationships and how they talk about each other,” frontwoman Isabella explains.
• Aussie chart favourite Pitbull dropped a new single during the week. It’s called ‘Greenlight’, it features appearances from both Flo Rida and LunchMoney Lewis and was co-penned by the trio, along with Cirkut and hit songwriter Dr Luke. The track will be featured on Pitbull’s forthcoming studio album ‘Climate Change’. More information about the band’s next album project is expected soon.
• A new David Bowie box set it incoming. ‘Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976)’ (cover image above) will drop on Friday September 23 and will feature a previously unreleased 1974 album entitled ‘The Gouster’. It’ll be made available in both 12 CD box set and 13 piece vinyl set, along with the obligatory digital download.
• Those acapella champions from Drums Of War have started work on their five track debut EP. It’s set to comprise their debut single ‘Outkast Medley’, one original and some other fan favourite cover versions, but they need the public’s help in completing it and have started a Pozible campaign in the hope of raising the coin. Click HERE if you’d like to help.
• Aussie icons Ol’55 are about to release an anthology. The band, who made an impact throughout the ’60s and ’70s with classics like ‘C’Mon Let’s Do It’, ‘Stay (While The Night Is Young)’, ‘On The Prowl’ and ‘Looking For An Echo’ will drop the 56 track double disc release, entitled ‘Time To Rock’N’Roll : The Anthology’ on Friday August 26.
• Brisbane’s Bigsound festival is now just over a month away, but the final pieces have now been put into place when it comes to guest performers for the September 07-09 event. Tkay Maidza is now locked, along with the likes of Vera Blue, KuČka, Japanese Wallpaper, The Belligerents, Harts, DZ Deathrays and more. More than 150 artists will perform across 15 venues during the three nights of the festival.
• The Jezabels have added a second Melbourne show to their ‘Synthia’ tour to meet with “overwhelming demand” for tickets. The new show will take place at the Croxton Bandroom on Saturday October 15, with tickets hitting the sales desk on Monday at 10am.
• Ball Park Music are also doing well with their upcoming national tour. The ‘Every Night The Same Dream’ tour kicks off in September this year, but tickets are flying out the door so quickly that the band’s Melbourne and Brisbane shows have already sold out. So they’ve decided to add a second gig in the Victorian capital – on October 04 at the Corner Hotel – to cope with demand. New single ‘Whipping Boy’ will be released on Friday August 05 ahead of their new album ‘Every Night The Same Dream’, which is due on August 19.
• Former Powderfinger frontman Bernard Fanning will tour Australia in October and November in support of his new album ‘Civil Dusk’. Dustin Tebbutt and Ainslie Wills will support him on the jaunt, which kicks off at the Gold Coast Arts Centre on Tuesday October 18. Tickets for all shows are on sale from 9am on Friday August 05.
• Rodriguez is doing something very, very right. The ‘Sugar Man’ will visit Australia for live shows in November, but such is his popularity here, he’s sold out five shows already and has just added a fourth show at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre to cope with demand for tickets. He’ll now play the Enmore on Monday December 05, with tickets available from midday local time on Tuesday August 02.
• It’s about bloody time, but Drake’s 15 week run at the top of the UK singles chart is now over. And how. It’s like someone has switched all those mobile phones that were set to stream his track ‘One Dance’ on loop for weeks on end off (conspiracy theory ahoy)! He tumbles to No.5 this week, allowing those who’ve been challenging him in the past few weeks a little breathing space. But no-one improves to No.1; that position’s already been filled by the new Major Lazer track with Justin Bieber and Mø… ‘Cold Water’. Shawn Mendes’ ‘Treat You Better’ is another big winner this week (up from No.9 to No.6) and after six weeks in, Bastille’s ‘Good Grief’ lands a top 20 berth, improving from No.24 to No.15. But Katy Perry’s ‘Rise’… falls (and how) from No.25 on debut to No.68, 5 Seconds Of Summer’s ‘Girls Talk Boys’ is down from a No.28 debut to No.74 and Britney’s new single ‘Make Me’ is down 50 spots from its No.42 debut.
• ELO improve into the UK No.1 albums spot this week with their greatest hits collection ‘All Over The World’, ahead of Christine And The Queens, Drake, Adele and Coldplay. Bear’s Den’s ‘Red Earth & Pouring Rain’ is the highest debut (No.6), while Michael Kiwanuka’s ‘Love & Hate’, which premiered in the top spot last week, tumbles to No.8.
• Shut. The. Front. Door. We can’t actually believe what we’re writing here… but Drake is no longer at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart either! He’s been knocked (finally) from his perch and it’s taken a blond-bobbed singer from down under to do it. Yep, that’d be our supergirl Sia taking over the No.1 mantle Stateside this week with her ‘Cheap Thrills’, with Drake down to No.2. Calvin Harris and Rihanna are up to No.3, with Justin Timberlake down from No.2 to No.4. Katy Perry’s new US Olympics anthem debuted at No.1 here last week, but can only manage a No.11 debut in the US and the new Britney Spears single ‘Make Me’ is new at No.17. Our own 5 Seconds Of Summer are struggling with their ‘Ghostbusters’ song ‘Girls Talk Boys’, however; it’s new at a lowly No.68.
• Though Drake may have vacated the No.1 spot on the Billboard singles chart, he’s still flying high on top of the albums chart this week; ‘Views’ holding off a challenge from Needtobreathe’s ‘Hardlove’, which premieres at No.2. Apart from the No.9 debut for the new ‘Kidz Bop 32’ compilation, there’s really not too much more to write home about in the US top ten this week. Logic’s ‘Bobby Tarantino’ is up from No.38 to No.12 and Dirty Heads’ self-titled set is new at No.14. Spare a thought for The Avalanches though; ‘Wildflower’ debuted at a very respectable No.27 last week, but slumps to No.199 in week two!
• And as we wrap up your Saturday edition of The Purge for another week, we’ll soon be cracking on with work on tonight’s Chart Watch, in which we’ll be taking an eagle-eyed look at the top 100 singles and albums charts here at home. It’s live from 7pm AEST.
TICKETS PLEASE
MONDAY AUGUST 01 : The Jezabels (Melbourne)
TUESDAY AUGUST 02 : Rodriguez (Sydney)
FRIDAY AUGUST 05 : Bernard Fanning (Nationally)
Australia's first stop for pop!