They'll be bringing along Scott Owen of The Living End for the ride.
The beloved ARIA Award-winning band The Whitlams are heading back out on tour this September and October to celebrate the Early Years (1993 to 1997). Taking a trip back in time, the band will kick off the tour in Coffs Harbour in September, before heading further across New South Wales, performing one special show in Melbourne and continuing onto cities in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
The Whitlams four-piece is joined by Scott Owen from The Living End to recreate the rollicking energy of its first three albums. And really, who better to rip through the double bass classics from ’93 to ’97 than the human powerhouse who has driven The Living End’s famous rhythm section since its inception?
Tim Freedman says, “Scott and I have been talking about this idea for five years, and at last our schedules have clicked. Terepai and Scott will absolutely explode in these early songs, and it will be thrilling to hear the energy that Andy Lewis brought to the first line-up so long ago on stage once again.”
The Whitlams National Tour 2023
Fri 22 Sep – Hoey Moey – Coffs Harbour, NSW
Sat 23 Sep – Toronto Hotel – Toronto, NSW
Wed 4 Oct – Tilly’s – Wagga Wagga, NSW
Thu 5 Oct – Beer Deluxe – Albury, NSW
Fri 6 Oct – Northcote Theatre – Melbourne, VIC
Sat 7 Oct – Enmore Theatre – Sydney, NSW
Sun 8 Oct – Blue Mountains Theatre – Springwood, NSW
Fri 13 Oct – The Tivoli – Brisbane, QLD
Sun 15 Oct – Burleigh Bazaar – Gold Coast, QLD
Fri 20 Oct – The Gov – Adelaide. SA
Fri 27 Oct – Astor Theatre – Perth. WA
Sat 28 Oct – Freo.Social – Fremantle, WA
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The distinctive slapping catgut of the double bass propelled The Whitlams onto the airwaves through the mid 90s, from their debut ‘Gough’ in 1993, to the crossover hit ‘I Make Hamburgers’ in 1995, to the frenetic ‘You Sound Like Louis Burdett’ in 1997. Scott Owen will join the band for the first hour of the show in which they will perform the best of Introducing The Whitlams, Undeniably The Whitlams and Eternal Nightcap.
The Whitlams’ No.1 ‘No Aphrodisiac’ marked the band’s evolution onto electric bass, with the reflective first half of the song being recorded on double bass, and the second half on electric. At that pivotal moment Whitlams’ bassist Ian Peres will move from the Hammond organ onto bass and bring the show home with a string of the more recent hits like the ever relevant ‘Blow Up the Pokies’.
The Whitlams are Tim Freedman on piano and vocals, Jak Housden on guitar, Terepai Richmond on drums, and newest member, Ian Peres, on Hammond organ and electric bass.
The Whitlams was a touring phenomenon way before their breakout 1997 hit Eternal Nightcap. They forged a reputation as a brilliant live act with a raw earthy musicality on countless East Coast tours from 1993 to 1996 with the late Andy Lewis on double bass.
General Public tickets go on sale Thursday 25th May 2023. Find out more here.
