THE WEEKLY WRAP | 23/02/2024
The Weekly Wrap is a look at the biggest stories in music all collected in one place for your reading ease.
By Tobias Handke
AC/DC Go Gold with 50th Anniversary Vinyl Re-releases
It’s hard to believe but hard rockers AC/DC have been filling stadiums across the globe for an incredible 50 years. Forming in 1973, the band played their first gig at Chequers Nightclub in Sydney on December 31 later that year. In celebration of reaching this milestone, AC/DC are releasing limited edition gold vinyl pressings of nine of their best-selling albums from their impressive discography. Along with the limited gold vinyl, each album comes with a 12” x 12” album-specific print featuring new AC/DC artwork. The albums being given the gold treatment are Back In Black, Highway To Hell, The Razor’s Edge, Powerage, For Those About To Rock (We Salute You), High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Cheap, Who Made Who and Live All nine albums are available for pre-order via AC/DC’s website, with a release date of March 15 scheduled. The Tea Party Celebrates 25 Years of ‘Triptych’ with National Tour
Canadian alternative rockers The Tea Party are setting off on an Australian tour this June to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their 1999 album Triptych. The honorary Aussies (frontman Jeff Martin lives in Byron Bay) will be playing deep cuts from Triptych, along with a selection of greatest hits and rarities sure to please long-time fans. "The three of us are looking forward to bringing the magic of our fourth studio album Triptych to live audiences in Australia", the band said in a press release. "The album features several timeless classics including ‘Heaven Coming Down’ amongst others. Join us as we take this journey into an iconic era in The Tea Party’s history together".The Tea Party’s Adelaide show will take place at the Norwood Concert Hall on June 18, with general sale tickets available from 11 am Monday, February 26. Live Nation pre-sale kicks off this Friday, February 23. Find out more details about tickets and register for pre-sale via Live Nation Australia. Alice Cooper and Blondie Announce Pandemonium Festival Sideshows
When Pandemonium Festival was announced a few weeks back, most South Aussie music fans shook their fists in anger. Once again the City of Churches has been overlooked by another monster tour. The likes of Alice Cooper, Blondie, Placebo, Deep Purple and Gang of Four are playing the East Coast only festival, hitting Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast and Bribie Island of all places.
Those not keen on long bar queues and dirty toilets can rejoice after festival organisers Apex Entertainment announced two huge sideshows. The bad news is both take place in Newcastle, with Blondie, Wolfmother and Cosmic Psychos playing one night and Alice Cooper, Deep Purple and Gyroscope headlining next. While sadly no SA shows are on the horizon, we’ve no doubt plenty will travel to catch these rock legends in the flesh. Tickets are currently on sale for the festival dates through Apex Entertainment, while the Newcastle sideshows pre-sale starts from 9 am today until 9 am on Monday, 26 February, when general ticket sales commence. Visit Apex Entertainment for the full line-up and ticket details. Slayer Reunite, Announce Festival Dates
If you had Slayer reuniting on your 2024 music bingo card, well done! Five years on from the band going their separate ways, the metal icons have announced their shock reformation. Not only are they getting back together, but Slayer will be headlining US heavy music festivals Louder Than Life in Louisville, Kentucky and Riot Fest in Chicago this September.All four founding members - Tom Araya, Kerry King, Gary Holt and drummer Paul Bostaph - are coming back for the festival shows, although there is no word on new material being released. "Nothing compares to the 90 minutes when we’re on stage playing live, sharing that intense energy with our fans", said frontman Tom Araya via a press release, "and to be honest, we have missed that".Added guitarist Kerry King: "Have I missed playing live? Absolutely. Slayer means a lot to our fans; they mean a lot to us. It will be five years since we have seen them".While this is great news for heavy metal fans, it will be interesting to see how the band get on, with King having taken a few shots at bandmate Araya in a recent Rolling Stone interview. King claimed to have not spoken to Araya since the band broke up, going on to say "If Tom hit me up, I’d probably respond. It probably depends on what he hit me up for, but I don’t wish him dead at this moment".Hopefully, the two have buried the hatchet and are ready to rock fans with Slayer classics at Louder Than Life and Riot Fest. Sam Mendes Directing Four Beatles Movies
Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes' next project is an ambitious four movie franchise focusing on the individual members of the Beatles. The Marvel Cinematic Universe-style series of films will be told from the viewpoint of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, with each getting their own standalone movie. Mendes will direct the films for his company Neal Street Productions, with Sony Pictures signed up as the key distributor. Not much else is known about the film, bar producers Pippa Harris and Julie Pastor, and executive producer Jeff Jones all being involved."We went out to LA just before Christmas to pitch the project, and it’s fair to say we were met with universal enthusiasm", Mendes told Deadline, who broke the news. "The reason Sony stood out from competing offers was down to Tom and Elizabeth’s passion for the idea and commitment to propelling these films theatrically in an innovative and exciting way".Sony is targeting a 2027 release date for the films. The Kid LAROI Doco Heading to Amazon Prime
Rising Aussie hip-hop star The Kid LAROI is getting the documentary treatment with the feature-length Kids Are Growing Up film arriving on Amazon Prime next week. The doco paints an intimate portrait of the real The Kid LAROI, aka Charlton Howard, and follows his career from a kid in Broken Hill all the way to the bright lights of Hollywood. Kids Are Growing Up dives deep into LAROI’s life and shows him struggling with the death of friend and mentor Juice WRLD, mental health issues and his first major heartbreak. "I can't wait for audiences to see this behind-the-scenes portrayal of my journey, which perfectly encapsulates some of the most rewarding and challenging years of my life and career so far", The Kid LAROI said in a statement.Kids Are Growing Up hits Amazon Prime on February 29. Kings of Leon Share New Single, Announce Ninth Album
It's been a minute since we've heard from stadium rockers Kings of Leon, but the Tennesse quartet are back with a bang, dropping new single 'Mustang' and revealing the title and tracklisting for their forthcoming Can We Please Have Fun album. Recorded at Dark Horse Studio, the album sees the band teaming with producer Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Shawn Mendes) for an album Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill described in a press release as being "the most enjoyable record I’ve ever been a part of".First single ‘Mustang’ does have a slightly different feel to it than their more recent work, although it still floats in the commercial rock ether the band has been living in since 'Sex on Fire'. Can We Please Have Fun will be released on May 10. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here. FRIDAY FIVE
This week's Friday Five features a collection of awesome new singles we highly recommend checking out. 1. Khruangbin – ‘May Ninth’
2. Bowillia – ‘Colourblind (Acoustic)’
3. Kasabian – ‘Call’
4. Bats For Lashes – The Dream of Delphi
5. ScHoolboy Q – Yeern 101
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