The Rinehearts are supporting the Models on their 40 Years of Motion tour at the Port Beach Brewery in Fremantle on Friday 26th of April 2024.

Get your tickets here!

Al Matcott is supporting Kate Alexander’s album launch at The Old Bar on Friday 26th of April 2024.

Get your tickets here!

Fenn Wilson is supporting Grace Cummings at the Merri Creek Tavern on Tuesday 23rd of April.

The show is sold out but you can get on the wait list

Sally Seltmann writes:

“I am beyond excited to announce that T. Wilds will be supporting me on my ‘Early Moon’ tour in August!

During last year’s lockdowns, I lost myself in Tania’s beautiful album ‘Ten Songs’. I’ve always admired Tania’s ability to create a mood and an atmosphere with the music she writes and records. I get carried away in the mysterious worlds she creates, and I find myself floating through her melodies of great gentleness. It’s no secret that Tania and I go back a long way, and we’re good friends. Sydney, Melbourne, Chicago, Yarraville, New York – we have stories from these places, and we might tell some! Anyway, I’ve always admired Tania as an artist, and T. Wilds is her brilliant new project. Come see her play before my band and I go on stage. This August

We also have Maisy Taylor joining us as 1st support for the Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide shows. Maisy Taylor is a singer-songwriter from Byron Bay who effortlessly blends folk, pop and indie influences in her writing. Her captivating songs ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘Homesick’ are both so well crafted, it’s no wonder why Triple J are paying her so much attention and playing her tunes.

I can’t wait for the shows!“

Tumbleweed add an extra show and announce their old mates and fellow ’90s fuzz monsters Fridge as special guests on their upcoming 30th anniversary tour.

There’s a buzz in the air. Tumbleweed are set to continue the celebrations of their 30th anniversary as a band with a national  tour. And with the announcement of an added show in Ballarat, the band has also announced old mates Fridge as their special guest on the tour.

Volta, Ballarat, Fri 22 April – tickets
Westernport Hotel, San Remo, Vic, Sat 23 April – tickets
The Croxton, Melbourne, Sun 24 April – tickets
Crowbar, Sydney, Fri 6 May – tickets
The Triffid, Brisbane, Sat 4 June – tickets
The Gov, Adelaide, Sun 12 June – tickets

Fridge – who started out in Tasmania in 1991 before moving to Melbourne – shared many a bill with the Weed early on, as well a mutual love of fuzz. Known for popular albums like Space Junk and Cactus, the band also shared bills with the likes of the Cosmic Psychos, Spiderbait, Bored!, Hard-Ons, Celibate Rifles, Meanies and a young You Am I – as well as Iggy Pop and Monster Magnet. Tumbleweed are thrilled to have them on board.

Tumbleweed’s Richie says: “We had heard rumours about this band of fuzzed out long hairs from Tassie, but the first time I saw them was the Meanies’ Gangrenous launch at the Club in Collingwood in 92. I remember rocking up to the gig and we were hit by an almighty wall of warm fuzz and hair and human bodies heaving. They were certainly drawing from a common well as us. Backstage we hit it off immediately with our shared love of music and we have remained firm friends ever since. Both Al and Phil have played in Tumbleweed at various stages over the years, and Al played in Richie and the Creeps and in my Richie and Friends solo shows a few years back. Phil is now living in Wollongong and is our live mixer these days. Squiz is now famous as the guitarist in King Parrot and he still rocks up to every Melbourne show and sleeps on our couch and Tony was the one that got away to greener pastures, so it’ll be great to drag him out of his Tasmanian hibernation! They are our brothers!  Fridge for the first time in 25 years! What a way to celebrate our 30th Birthday!”

THIRTY YEARS ON…

30 years used to be a long time in rock’n’roll. When Tumbleweed began in 1991, if you were to look back 30 years you would happen upon a time prior to Beatlemania, when rock’n’roll was still buzzing from Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Elvis!

A lot can happen in three decades, but paradoxically, sometimes very little changes.

Tumbleweed exploded into the 90s with astounding vigour and vim; from the humble village of Tarrawanna in Wollongong NSW, Tumbleweed were desperate to break the shackles of their steel town and take their sounds to the world.

They meant business from the get-go and had already built a network of friends in Seattle, just as the fuse was lit before the big grunge explosion. Mark Arm from Mudhoney produced the first single “Captain’s Log”/”Space Friends” (1991) and it was mixed by Jack Endino at Reciprocal in Seattle. Tumbleweed back then were three Curley brothers, Lenny, Jay and Dave with Richie Lewis on drums. The band transformed before the release of the first single with Paul Hausmeister and Steve O’Brien – previously of Wollongong 60s garage punks The Unheard – joining the band and Richie becoming the lead singer.

With this new and invigorating 5-piece line up, the band developed their sound and pioneered a new era in Australian rock’n’roll, with the rapid fire of releases “Stoned”/”Holy Moses” 7” (1991), Theatre of Gnomes EP (1992) and Weedseed EP (1992) all dominating the alternative charts, and a non-stop touring schedule supporting just about every band in the spotlight, from Fugazi to Nirvana to Iggy Pop. The momentum led to the band signing directly to Atlantic Records in America. For a moment it seemed that they were destined to take on the world; they toured England with Mudhoney and played the Astoria in London with the Lemonheads, and on a quick showcase tour in the US they played New York’s legendary CBGBs.

Back in Australia they were on tour when their debut album was released entering the charts at #12.

By the end of the Australian tour, the band’s original manager quit.

Atlantic records dropped them shortly after and the overseas opportunities inevitably dried up.

Tumbleweed then concentrated their efforts on Australia, finding a new label in Polydor and released a single “Daddy Long Legs” (1994) and second album Galactaphonic (1995). They toured to sell-out crowds and seemed to be sailing sweetly when they foolishly kicked out guitarist Paul Hausmeister. Steve left out of solidarity.

Lenny, Jay and Richie continued on with various other members through the third album Return to Earth (1996), which spawned the hit single “Silver Lizard”, and then album #4, Mumbo Jumbo (1999) which, funnily, got them the only ARIA nomination they ever received.

But things were not the same.  Richie and Lenny walked away from it in 2000.

In 2009 the classic line up Richie, Lenny, Jay, Paul and Steve reformed for the 15th anniversary of Homebake, a festival Tumbleweed had helped pioneer with “Weedstock” back in the 90s.

They released their fifth album Sounds from the Other Side in 2013 to critical acclaim and just wrapped up touring that album when, in August 2014, tragedy struck. Jay Curley, bass player, brother and founding member, died suddenly in his home. The band were devastated.

In 2017, old friends Spiderbait asked Tumbleweed to reform to play a special anniversary show at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. The band recruited old Wollongong mate and Pink Fits bass player Jamie Cleaves to fill in on bass. With Jamie they discovered new life in the band, a new spark that reignited their passion for rock’n’roll. With Jamie now a solid member of the band they recorded a single “Shadowland/ Rebellion” (2021) with Rob Younger.

Tumbleweed are now loving it more than ever. They have found a balance, are writing new music and are playing the best shows of their career!

Tumbleweed are about to embark on a tour to celebrate still being around 30 years on! From the fairy tale beginning full of unbridled potential, to the crushing failure to realise their dreams, Tumbleweed’s story has been one of the highest highs and the lowest lows, but it has always been real.

To be continued….

The Hard-Ons first tour with new singer Tim Rogers finally kicks off in just over two weeks and follows the group’s first ever top 5 album!

The Hard-Ons have announced the supports for their soon-to-start I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken Tour – their first tour with their new line-up which features new singer Tim Rogers. The tour comes on the back of the band’s first ever ARIA Top 5 album, and takes in all East Coast capitals and key regional hubs.

The list of supports includes strong locals as well as a couple of bands with a shared history on the Alternative Charts in the ’90s – Smudge in Sydney and The Meanies in Melbourne. Sydney’s C.O.F.F.I.N are the main support for the tour-closer at the Corner in Melbourne.

The complete run of dates and supports follows.

THE HARD-ONS
I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken
Australian Tour 2022

MARCH
Thu 17 – Southport, Vinnie’s Dive – with guests BLUSHH – tickets here
Fri 18 – Brisbane, The Zoo “Punkfest” – with guests FAT and BURNT TRASH – tickets here
Sat 19 – Eltham, Eltham Hotel – with guests MASOCHIST – tickets SOLD OUT
Thu 31 – Canberra, The Basement – with guests GLITORIS and CHARLOTTE & THE HARLOTS – tickets here

APRIL
Sat 2 – Adelaide, Enigma Bar – with guests CULL – tickets here

Thu 7 – Geelong, Barwon Club – with guests DEAD and EYEROLL – tickets here
Fri 8 – St Kilda, Gershwin Room @ The Espy – with very special guests THE MEANIES and RIVER OF SNAKES – tickets here
Sat 9 – Melbourne, Corner Hotel – with special guests C.O.F.F.I.N and CHEEKY GEEZERS –  tickets here

JUNE
Wed 1 – Wollongong, La La La’s – with guests LUCIFUNGUS and CHIMERS – tickets here
Thu 2 – Sydney, Factory Theatre – with special guests SMUDGE and FLOWERS FOR JAYNE – tickets here
Fri 3 – Newcastle, The Cambridge Hotel – with guests BITCHCRAFT – tickets here
Sat 4 – Avalon, Avalon RSL – with guests RAISING RAVENS – tickets here

The Hard-Ons’ upcoming tour follows the unprecedented chart success and fantastic response to their new I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken album –  their first with new singer Tim Rogers.  The tour is gonna be unmissable; the new album reveals the new line-up to be working a treat. A couple of surprise shows – including the line-up’s first, playing under the name Clandestine Sausage at the Link & Pin Cafe in Woy Woy back in December – have shown the band to be in magical form. The magic comes in part from the fact that Tim Rogers has proven himself the perfect new addition to the band, which in turn is partly due to the fact that he has long been one of the band’s biggest fans. As he recently told Blunt: “I’m a fan first and foremost. [They were] the first band I loved that I could see, the first band I got my nose broken to, [and the first band] I lost my hearing to. There are so many firsts. And then to be in the rehearsal room… I looked over at Blackie’s amp and went, ‘Oh, that’s the amp.’ And I saw the SG, and I was like, ‘That’s the SG.’ I’ve been watching him play with those since 1986.”

I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken is available on cassette, dandruff white vinyl, CD, black vinyl and digitally via our Bandcamp page. Shop or have a listen here.

To celebrate their 30th anniversary as a band, Wollongong’s legendary Tumbleweed are releasing a limited, deluxe singles box set that includes all the singles recorded with the classic line up of Richie Lewis, Paul Hausmeister, Lenny Curley, Jay Curley and Steve O’Brien. The boxset is out November 26. PRE ORDER here.

Tumbleweed will be back on the road to launch this box set and celebrate their 30th anniversary next year, while also recording new music to follow up last year’s ‘Shadowland’ release. In the meantime they’ll be celebrating at home in Wollongong with a five-night residency – five shows in five nights, each with different local supports – at La La La’s, in the week leading up to Xmas.

Sat 18 December w/ The Drop Offs
Sun 19 December w/ Dropping Honey
Mon 20 December w/ The Dark Clouds
Tues 21 December w/ Baby Machine
Wed 22 December w/ Private Wives

Tickets here.

Facebook event here