• Welcome to your Wednesday wrap, which we’re kicking off with the comeback of Mastin… Reece Mastin. The former reality show star has come full circle with his latest release ‘Not The Man For You’, dropping his given name and unveiling a new organic sound that suits him right down to the ground. “Not everyone will love this, and I’m very OK with that,” he admits. “But for those who share the same taste as I do for the grand and world-changing genre of rock n roll, I wanted to make something special and long-lasting. I wanted to make something that can change your day, change your mindset, and make you feel like you can take on the world.” The single’s out this Friday. A new EP, ‘Suitcase Of Stories’, follows on April 06.
• UK songstress Bishop Briggs will release her debut album ‘Church Of Stars’ on Friday April 20. The LP comprises ten tracks, including new single ‘White Flag’. “‘White Flag’ is about pushing till there is sweat stinging your eyes, blood under your nails and never giving up, no matter what the circumstances are,” she says.
• Among the new singles out and about at Aussie media this week are 360’s new track ‘Drugs’, the video for which has just broken (HERE), along with KLP’s ‘Carried Away’, the acoustic version of Troye Sivan’s ‘My My My’, Janelle Monae’s ‘Make Me Feel’, Mastin’s aforementioned ‘Not The Man For You’ and a re-service of the Armin Van Buuren/Conrad Sewell single ‘Sex, Love & Water’. We’ll bring you a full wrap of the newbies on the FACEBOOK page tomorrow.
• They’re in the country for the Groovin’ The Moo festivals in May, but now Portugal The Man will play a series of headline shows while they’re here. They’ve got dates locked at the Enmore Theatre in Sydney (May 01), the Forum Theatre in Melbourne (May 03) and The Tivoli in Brisbane (May 10). Tickets for all three gigs are on sale at 10am local time today.
• Melbourne’s Alex Lahey continues to enjoy impressive levels of support from punters in her hometown, confirming a second date at the city’s 170 Russell (on April 18) after her first date at the same venue two nights later sold out. She’s also sold out another show in the Victorian capital’s eastern suburbs in the week prior. But it’s not just in Melbourne where she’s enjoying the love; hot on the heels of her appearance at the Sydney City Limits Festival, she’s confirmed a headline show at the Factory Theatre on April 06. Tickets for both new gigs are on sale now.
• And Thirsty Merc have announced a final run of shows as part of their ‘Take Me Back’ Anniversary Tour. Celebrating their 2002 formation, the band will roll out the classics for fans across the country, kicking off with a gig at the Swan Hill Town Hall in regional Victoria on Friday April 06. The run also encompasses gigs in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia; wrapping up at The Grand Bar in Glenelg on Sunday May 20. Dates at www.thirstymerc.com, tickets on sale now.
TICKETS PLEASE
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28 : Portugal The Man (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 28 : Xavier Rudd (Nationally)
THURSDAY MARCH 01 : Nothing But Thieves (Nationally)
FRIDAY MARCH 02 : Peking Duk (Nationally)
FRIDAY MARCH 02 : The Piano Guys (Nationally)
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