Over the past two years the ‘Colin Hay effect’ has created waves across continents and generations…
2022 saw the release of Colin’s fifteenth studio album Now And The Evermore, a solo tour of the UK, a US tour with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band and a long-awaited run of solo dates in Australia. In November 2022 ‘Down Under’ was recognised by APRA for its streaming success and was prized with their esteemed Billions Award, marking one billion streams for the acclaimed song.
‘Down Under’ had dominated the airwaves again earlier in the year with Luude’s reimagined drum’n’bass cut reaching number 5 in the UK’s top 40 and number 2 in the ARIA charts. In addition to this celebration of the iconic anthem, a rendition by King Stingray sung in Yolngu Matha soundtracked the 2022 global Tourism Australia campaign.
Soon to follow, triple j darlings Lime Cordiale took to the studio with a tribute single to Colin suitably titled ‘Colin’ which featured a cameo from the artist and received accolades from music bloggers across the nation. In 2023 Colin was summoned back to Australia to receive APRA’s Ted Albert Award for outstanding services to Australian music.
There is no arguing that the prolific storyteller and song-man has had an extraordinary couple of years and anyone who has witnessed his stage presence will tell you that the experience is both endearing and intoxicating. Colin’s music has garnered critical acclaim across the globe for over four decades. His formative years with seminal outfit Men At Work in Australia has led him to be one of the most celebrated live acts in the country.
Whilst audiences have enjoyed the intimacy of Colin’s solo performances and critics have likened it to having a drink with an old mate, witnessing the seamless musicality of his band of vocal/instrumental geniuses is something to behold. The LA-based collective is known for their tight arrangements that generate a soulful and often Caribbean-inspired soundtrack to Colin’s lyrics.
Colin will return in June with the band, including, from Cuba, SanMiguel Perez (guitar/tres/vocals), Yosmel Montejo(bass/vocals) and Jimmy Branly (drums). Rounding out the front line of the band is Peru’s own Cecilia Noël (percussion/vocals) and Grammy Award-winning Scheila Gonzalez (keyboard/flute/sax/vocals) whose family hails from Guatemala.
These musicians are legends in their own right and the opportunity to see them in action should not be missed.