• Hello and welcome to your Saturday edition of The Purge, which we’re kicking off with the new single from Mashd N Kutcher. This time around, the boys are taking on the Journey classic ‘Don’t Stop Believin’, with a little help in the vocal department from Addison. The release comes slap bang in the middle of their European tour, which continues with a show in Bielefeld, Germany tonight. They’re back on Terra Australis for shows in August, September and October, with further dates due to be locked down later this year. ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ is out now.
• Christine & The Queens has confirmed the September release of her new album, simply entitled ‘Chris’. Anticipation for the new long player, the French singer’s second, began to build with the release of lead single ‘Girlfriend’ back in the middle of May. A new song, ‘Doesn’t Matter’, now joins the party, with both songs available as grat tracks with the album pre-order. In terms of the second record, Christine says, “It gets to be a bit more exhilarating, because I get to say, okay, I’ve been introduced now. I get to be more confident, and it matches what happened in my life as a woman.” Look for ‘Chris’ arriving at your favourite retailer on Friday September 21.
• Pnau have dropped a fresh new edition of their album ‘Changa’ to celebrate their national tour kicking off next Saturday. Though it’s in digital form only, the new tour version features all the tracks you know and love from the original edition, plus fan favourites and dancefloor anthems from throughout the band’s trajectory (‘Embrace’, ‘Baby’, ‘Wild Strawberries’ etc.
• Angus & Julia Stone fans rejoice; ‘Chateau’, their latest single, has been certified double platinum, meaning that it’s sold in excess of 140,000 units across the country. And to celebrate the fact, the pair has released a new reworking of the song by Russian producer Arty. “The original version is deep and mellow and I wanted to keep this feeling in my remix but also make it more upbeat while bringing some happy emotions to it,” Arty explains. “This remix has a lot of influence from old house and progressive house records and I hope people will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it.” It’s out now.
• Matt Goss has new music out and about in the form of his latest single ‘Red Flares’. Recorded at the famous Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas, the track is the first taste of more music from the singer, who hints at a bigger body of work to come later in the year. Matt is currently playing a residency at The Mirage in Las Vegas.
• Sad news for fans of Aussie outfit Passerine, with confirmation that they’re calling it a day. Phoebe, Alex and Ben have graced the pages of auspOp a number of times over the years (dating back to 2013), but in a statement, they reveal they feel they’ve taken the project as far as it can go. “We’re super proud of all the things we’ve achieved over the past five years, but as hard as it’s been, we feel it’s time to say goodbye to Passerine and move forward in new directions.” But they’re not leaving without gifting us two new songs; ‘Numb’ and ‘It Was You’ being their farewell gifts to their passionate fanbase.
• Aussie outfit The Church will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their classic album ‘Starfish’ with a tour across the country later this year. The live dates will see the boys performing the album in its entirety, alongside other gems from throughout their trajectory. The tour kicks off at Anita’s Theatre in Wollongong on November 23 and then makes stops in Newcastle (NEX on November 24), Brisbane (QPAC Concert Hall on November 25), Sydney (State Theatre on November 30), Melbourne (Palais Theatre on December 01), Canberra (Royal Theatre on December 02), Adelaide (Thebarton Theatre on December 07) and finally Perth (Concert Hall on December 09). A 24 hour Frontier members pre-sale kicks off at midday this Tuesday, while general public tickets are available from midday local time on Friday July 13.
• Bloc Party may have only recently announced their 2018 Australian tour, but the demand for tickets in Sydney has seen them sell out their first show at the city’s Hordern Pavilion on November 30. So the team at Secret Sounds have moved quickly to satiate demand, adding a second show at the same venue on the previous night (November 29). Tickets are on sale now. In the meantime, tickets for the band’s shows in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are selling fast.
• Speaking of sell-outs, the Red Hot Summer Tour at Sandstone Point Hotel on Bribie Island on February 09 has now fully sold out. So organisers have added another date. Jimmy Barnes, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, The Living End, Diesel, Richard Clapton and Chocolate Starfish will roll into the venue for a second successive night; the new show added on Sunday February 10. Tickets are on sale now.
• As part of his forthcoming Australian tour, Gene Simmons’ Melbourne show has been shifted to Festival Hall on August 30. No reason has been given for the shift, which comes a little under two months before he’s due to touch down for the dates (alongside Ace Frehley). Ticketholders will need replacement tickets for the new venue and the team at Ticketmaster is getting in touch with all who’ve purchased them.
• No change to the No.1 spot on the UK singles chart this week, despite a concerted effort from Drake. George Ezra maintains his advantage over all comers with his latest single ‘Shotgun’ for a second successive week, preventing the Drake/Michael Jackson single ‘Don’t Matter To Me’ from a No.1 debut. That’s not to say Drake will be too worried, however, with an impressive three debuts within the UK top five (‘Nonstop’ and ‘Emotionless’ entering the countdown at Nos.4 and 5 respectively). Only Clean Bandit and Demi Lovato’s ‘Solo’ survives the onslaught within the five, dropping one to No.3. Further down, Maroon 5’s ‘Girls Like You’ is into the top ten (No.13 to No.10).
• Just when you thought ‘The Greatest Showman’ soundtrack simply couldn’t be toppled from top spot again on the UK albums chart, along comes Drake with his ‘Scorpion’ and changes everything; the Canadian superstar’s new body of work premiering at No.1 on the UK albums chart ahead of a new entry for Florence & The Machine’s ‘High As Hope’ (No.2). ‘The Greatest Showman’ is down to No.3, just two spots ahead of the No.5 debut for the new Gorillaz album ‘The Now Now’. The repackage of Guns N Roses’ ‘Appetite For Destruction’ does the trick; it’s back in the countdown at No.6 on re-entry, while Bullet For My Valentine just miss the top ten, with a No.13 entry for their new long player ‘Gravity’.
• Cardi B is up to the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with her latest single ‘I Like It’, displacing XXXTentacion’s ‘Sad!’ after just one week. Not that XXXTentacion’s single has gone too far, however. It’s down to No.2, still ahead of Juice WRLD’s ‘Lucid Dreams’ (No.3), Maroon 5’s ‘Girls Like You’ (No.4) and Post Malone’s ‘Psycho’ (No.5).
• Good news for Panic! At The Disco, with confirmation that their album ‘Pray For The Wicked’ has debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. And though it didn’t quite make it up to the No.1 spot following his untimely recent death, XXXTentacion’s ‘?’ still climbs a little higher, up to No.2 this week, with Post Malone’s ‘Beerbongs & Bentleys’ hot on its heels (No.4 to No.3). XXXTentacion’s ’17’ also continues its ascent this week, up two to No.5. Dan + Shay is the only other act claiming a top ten debut Stateside this week (their self-titled set new at No.6), while the 5 Seconds Of Summer album ‘Youngblood’ takes a tumble from its No.1 debut to No.10.
• No more to cover this Saturday morning, but no doubt there’ll be plenty to say tonight when we return for another scintillating edition of ARIA Chart Watch. Oh yes, we’ll roll through the ARIA top 100s, ensuring we keep you abreast of all the debuts, new certifications and big moves. It’s live at five!
TICKETS PLEASE
WEDNESDAY JULY 11 : Esoterik (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)
THURSDAY JULY 12 : DZ Deathrays (Nationally)
FRIDAY JULY 13 : A Day On The Green (Nationally)
FRIDAY JULY 13 : The Church (Nationally)
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