Just over a year since their last release, one of the most significant Australian rock bands You Am I are gearing up for another exciting year.
Forming nearly 30 years ago, You Am I has become a household name among lovers of Aussie and international rock bands alike. They were the first Australian band to have released three consecutive number one albums and in their time together have received 10 ARIA Music Awards from 31 nominations.
Releasing their live album 'All Onboard' last year, You Am I are in no hurry to wrap things up yet and are taking a relaxing break as they prepare for their huge Australian and European tours later this year.
“[We're] just having a cruisy year so far but in September we'll be in Europe touring and then back here for some shows near the end of the year, so a lot of bits and pieces going on behind the scenes,” You Am I bass player Andy Kent says.
“It's a bit more of a creative first half of the year and then we'll roll out stuff in the second half.”
The band will be playing a show in St Kilda in September before they take their music to fans in Ireland, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. You Am I will also be making an appearance in Cairns (27 October) as a part of the second instalment of Scene & Heard Festival. “Yeah, [I'm] looking forward to that,” Andy says of Scene & Heard, “it's a good part of the world and there are great bands playing.”
As You Am I return to Aussie shores for the festival they will be continuing to work on new music as well as re-issuing some of their older tracks. “We're gonna re-release on vinyl, it's never been on vinyl before, a record of ours called 'Convicts'; it only ever came out on CD and digitally. So that's coming out on vinyl and so we're gonna go a play some shows to play those songs some more which will be fun."
Redcliffe and Gold Coast will also get a taste of You Am I in August as they join the Rockin' 4 The Homeless [R4TH] festival in support of The Breakfast Club, a not-for-profit organisation that provides assistance and services for homeless people within the Redcliffe community.
The event consists of a gala dinner followed by a celebrity guitar auction, which will see guitars from Tash Sultana, Joe Satriani, Pennywise and Robert Cray as well as You Am I. “Yeah, happy to do that,” Andy says.
“Dan [Nebe, R4TH organiser] is a friend of ours who puts it on and we're happy to lend support to something like that for sure. There's a guitar auction as well, which is great; raise some money, you know.”
You Am I play Rockin' 4 The Homeless at Southport RSL (Gold Coast) 30 August and Picnic Hill (Redcliffe) 31 August. The band have also announced a massive tour with Jebediah that runs Oct-Dec 2019.
