Here’s one for our good friends in Western Australia. Birds of Tokyo and Missy Higgins have been announced as two of the artists who will be touring around the state thanks to Live Entertainment WA who are bringing a music festival called Rocking the Region to music fans.
The festival will see the musical acts hit up Bunbury, Broome, Albany, Kalgoorlie and Geraldton with Birds of Tokyo kicking off the regional tour in Bunbury on August 7. Meanwhile, Missy Higgins will perform a one-off show in Broome on August 13.
The goal of the live music event is to cultivate a unique celebration that brings prestigious Australian talent to regional Western Australia — especially after an extended period of COVID-related restrictions which were imposed on venues.
Recently, it was announced that many of these restrictions were easing and that capacity limits would be increased for music and hospitality venues, so the will also be a celebration of that.
It will likely be a welcome reprieve for the musical acts as well after 18 months of uncertainty as they found themselves unable to tour and experienced the postponement of multiple gigs.
In a press statement, Birds of Tokyo frontman Ian Kenny said he was excited to get back to touring.
“After spending many months not really being able to tour I can honesty say Birds are stoked to be playing in these regions we know and love,” he said. “Feels like more than ever now is the time to share music and good vibes as far and wide as possible.”
Birds of Toyko released their sixth album – Human Design – in 2020 which was written, in part, about Kenny’s split from his wife.
“I had so much belief in the future with [my ex-wife], I had so much invested in it,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald. “I felt like I had done my part committing to a future, and to have it completely blown up or thrown back in your face was just too hard to ignore or try to bury and say it didn’t happen, that it didn’t affect me – I’m fine, I’m OK. Bullshit. I wasn’t OK and I had to say my piece.”
The band have been together since 2004 have won two ARIA Awards – Best Rock Album in 2010 for their self-titled record and in 2011 for Most Popular Australian Artist.
Higgins came to national fame in 2004 with her catchy pop hit Scar which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Charts. Her first album, The Sound of White, was released in September of that same year and also and debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
She has since released four subsequent albums, the last of which was 2018’s Solastalgia and her latest single When The Machine Starts is out now.
In an Instagram post, Higgins expressed her excitement about heading to Bunbury for her performance writing, “I’ve been wanting an excuse to go back to my favourite place in the world, and playing a show is the perfect one!
“Broome is like a second home to us, I’ve written many a song there and met my husband there. Very much looking forward to getting up into the warm weather and playing a gig at the classic Roey Hotel.”
Tickets for Birds of Tokyo’s performance can be purchased at www.bunburyentertainment.com.au and tickets for Missy Higgins’ Broome concert can be bought via Ticketmaster.
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