Australian national treasures, The Chats, have given us their cracking new single ‘Identity Theft’ and a tour of the same name set to take place in September / October. They’ve also gifted us a timeless new video to get stuck into. Generous blokes, they are.
Continuing their hedonistic pursuit of A Bloody Good Time, on ‘Identity Theft’, The Chats hit a snag in the road when an online pingaz transaction goes awry. A cautionary tale about hackers stealing your identity and the peril that follows, the track premiered on triple j’s Good Nights last night and the accompanying video is another masterpiece that features Anonymous slaying Guitar Hero. Yep. Don’t ask questions, just watch.
2019 has been a pretty hectic year for The Chats. After the Sunny Coast trio dropped their beloved anthem Pub Feed – a song Masterchef’s Matt Preston proclaimed is “perfectly seasoned” – the words “chicken schnitty” were heard bouncing around airwaves all over the country, while MTV TRL were left nursing one hell of a hangover after the band debuted the track on TV. They knocked out a bonkers set at Boogie in the same weekend that they opened for Iggy Pop at Festival Hall and then went on to comfortably sell out ALL of their over and underage shows on their subsequent Australian tour.
Without pausing for breath, The Chats threw their shorts, thongs, cheap sunnies and gallows humour into a duffle bag for a jaunt around the US. News of their arrival was so well received, many of the 17 venues needed to be upgraded to meet demand. Yeah, they sold out too. In Los Angeles, during their backstage smoko they were reacquainted with their old mates Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, and shared some tinnies with a coupla blokes from the Arctic Monkeys. Days earlier they were photographed sinking tins with ‘Billy Joel’. Honestly, you can’t make this shit up.
Next on The Chats itinerary is a quick leap across the pond to spread their charm on the European festival circuit before returning to debut ‘Identity Theft’ on home turf across September and October.
THE CHATS
IDENTITY THEFT TOUR 2019
Wednesday 25th September | UOW Unibar, Wollongong (18+)
Thursday 26th September | Kambri, Canberra (18+)
Friday 27th September | The Factory Theatre, Sydney (LIC/AA)
Saturday 28th September | B&S Ball, Goondiwindi (18+)
Wednesday 2nd October | Barwon Club, Geelong (18+)
Thursday 3rd October | 170 Russell, Melbourne (U18)
Friday 4th October | Chopped Festival, Guilford (LIC/AA)
Saturday 5th October | Midland Town Hall, Perth (U18)
Saturday 5th October | Badlands, Perth (18+)
Sunday 6th October | The Gov, Adelaide (LIC/AA)
Thursday 10th October | San Fran, Wellington (18+)
Friday 11th October | Galatos, Auckland (18+)
Saturday 12th October | MCR, Dunedin (18+)
Friday 18th October | The Beery, Central Coast (18+)
Saturday 19th October | FKA Festival, Hunter Valley (18+)
Sunday 20th October | The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart (U18)
Sunday 20th October | The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart (18+)
Wednesday 23rd October | The Northern, Byron Bay (18+)
Thursday 24th October | The Triffid, Brisbane (LIC/AA)
Friday 25th October | Solbar, Sunshine Coast (18+)