Live Review: Our Most Anticipated Tours of 2013

2012 was an outstanding year for live international acts in Australia. Over the past 12 months we have had the opportunity to see a large list of hugely anticipated artists such as RADIOHEAD, THE BLACK KEYS, APHEX TWIN, AT THE DRIVE-IN, JACK WHITE, AMON TOBIN, ROYKSOPP, BECK, CHIC (FEAT. NILE ROGERS), NEW ORDER, SIGUR ROS, THE XX, BONOBO and many more. This brings up the question of who everyone is hoping for in 2013. Here are some of our most anticipated tours for this year.

MODESELEKTOR (Previously toured in 2008)

It has been over four and a half years since we’ve had the privilege to witness the boys from Berlin in action. The last time they visited was for We Love Sounds in 2008, when they performed a live set which consisted of tracks from their albums Hello Mom! and Happy Birthday! We even got treated with their signature mid-set champagne shower during ‘Kill Bill Vol 4’, which was definitely a sight to see.

Since then Australian fans have been begging for the return of the duo, which almost happened in 2012 when they were booked for Playground Weekender. It seems as though that year simply wasn’t meant to be. Following MODESELEKTOR’s cancellation, the festival was forced to call off the entire event due to a high flooding risk.

Being a huge fan of them, I decided to use my initiative and get in touch with their management to ask the big question. I received a response saying that they were currently busy in the studio (probably with APPARAT recording the new MODERAT album) but I was promised that a tour would happen “eventually”.

CARIBOU (Previously toured in 2011)

Even though they were in the country just under two years ago for Playground Weekender, it seems as though it has been a long time since CARIBOU have graced our shores. I remember that performance so well. They were the first big international act of the festival and they played on the main stage in a late afternoon slot of the opening day. The atmosphere was exceptional, with beach balls constantly being slapped around by excited punters. Hopefully 2013 is the year we see the return of the band.

JOHN TALABOT (Previously toured in 2012)

Mr TALABOT was in the country last year for Laneway Festival, demonstrating his impressive DJ skills. Since then he has released his critically acclaimed album fin and has been performing a live show in support of it all around the world. He was even chosen by THE XX as the main support for their tour of the UK/USA.

I was lucky enough to see his live show at Sonar Festival in Barcelona in mid-2012 and it was one of the highlights of the whole event. I couldn’t wait for an Australian tour announcement so I contacted his booking agent. The response was quite clear: “He’ll be back this year”.

THE D.O.T (Debut tour TBA)

THE D.O.T is an interesting new project made up of MIKE SKINNER (THE STREETS) and MICK HARVEY (THE MUSIC). Late last year they released their first album titled And That and toured the UK supporting it.

As we suspected, THE D.O.T is very different to anything these two men have been involved in before. In a recent PURPLE SNEAKERS interview, MIKE SKINNER described their show as “a bit like a DJ set but crossed with a stand up comedy”. He also mentioned that they were in the process of planning a trip down under so it’s highly likely we’ll get the chance to see them later this year.

DELPHIC (Previously toured in 2010)

With a new album titled Collections to be released on January 28^th, it’s likely that DELPHIC will embark on a world tour which will hopefully include Australia. Their live show typically consists of a lot of improvisation, which certainly sets them apart from a lot of other bands in the same genre.

DELPHIC were last here for Splendour In The Grass in 2010, offering a performance which had the flow of a DJ set but was made up of a full live band. This was an effective formula that was heavily appreciated by the audience and many people even rated them as the best act of the festival.

ARCADE FIRE (Previously toured in 2008)

I’m sure we can all agree that ARCADE FIRE are long overdue for an Australian tour. With the help of JAMES MURPHY of LCD SOUNDSYSTEM fame, the band are currently in the studio recording a new album which they aim to have released by the end of 2013. Unfortunately that’ll mean we’ll probably have to wait at least another year until they’re ready to tour again. Once the album is complete, the country’s large scale promoters will be faced with possibly the biggest bidding war they’ve ever had.

PANTHA DU PRINCE (Previously toured in 2011)

The last time PANTHA DU PRINCE stopped by was just over a year ago, however since then a lot has changed in his live show. Elements Of Light, his new album which was released earlier this month, features a collective known as THE BELL LABORATORY. This project is described by Rough Trade Records as “a symphony for electronics, percussion and bell carillon, a three-tonne instrument comprising 50 bronze bells”.

Performances of this kind obviously require a lot of hardware and equipment and we’d have to be very lucky to see it in Australia but there’s always hope. If the tour does happen we certainly won’t see PANTHA DU PRINCE in clubs like his last visit. Perhaps this show will fill the AMON TOBIN spot for Vivid LIVE this year? We’ll find out soon.

FRANK OCEAN (Debut tour TBA)

After FRANK OCEAN cancelled his Future Music Festival appearances early last year, fans of the R&B singer have been waiting patiently for a new announcement. Following the cancellation, Future Entertainment came forward with a press release saying “We are assured that new dates will be forthcoming and Future look forward to announcing these when the information is available to us”. Unfortunately the announcement never came.

SOULWAX (Previously toured in 2010)

Over the past couple of years we’ve seen a number of visits from the Dewaele Brothers, who are known to most people as 2MANYDJS. The last time we got the chance to witness a performance from their band SOULWAX was way back at Parklife in 2010.

Late last year I got the chance to interview 2MANYDJS and for quite a while now I've been eagerly awaiting an Australian tour so I decided to quiz them about it. Their response was “after the album is done”. Considering their loyalty to Fuzzy Touring, surely that would mean another Parklife visit, right?

PHOENIX (Previously toured in 2011)

Reportedly releasing an album in April, PHOENIX have just announced their live return. They are scheduled to play the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals in Germany. It has been almost two years since we’ve seen them play in Australia and I’m positive that a lot of people can’t wait to have them back.

Words by Tony Kingston