The Whitlams 25th Anniversary Orchestra Tour
Australian musical institution The Whitlams will mark the 25th anniversary of their scrappy genesis with a national orchestral tour in April and May 2017.
Adding an air of aural sophistication to lead singer-songwriter Tim Freedman’s pop smarts, the full orchestral treatment will be given to their classic hits including Blow Up the Pokies, No Aphrodisiac, Thank You (For Loving Me At My Worst) and many more, under the baton of conductor Guy Noble.
The beautifully crafted and textured arrangements were commissioned over a decade dating from the first symphonic collaboration with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in 2004. Composers of the calibre of Peter Sculthorpe, Brett Dean and James Ledger have contributed scores, and the repertoire has been critically lauded as the most successful union of classical and pop this county has seen. The brilliant musicianship of Jak Housden (guitar), Warwick Hornby (bass) and Terepai Richmond (drums) is enhanced by a 50 piece orchestra on each date, and is sure to impress fans and music lovers alike.
Playing for one night only in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide, the tour follows on from The Whitlams’ immensely successful collaborations with our state symphony orchestras over many years. This will be, for instance, the 11th Sydney Opera House Concert Hall show for Sydney Symphony and The Whitlams.
Tim Freedman said, “It is an honour to play with these musicians who in some cases have been playing their instruments since they were in the womb. I particularly look forward to hearing Peter Sculthorpe¹s beautiful string interlude to my song ‘Out the Back’ for the fist time since he passed away two years ago. It never fails to send audiences into raptures.”
The Whitlams have been a fixture on the Australian music scene since 1992. Their achievements include seven albums (three multi-Platinum and three Gold) and three ARIA Awards, including a Best Group gong presented by Gough Whitlam in 1998. In 2011 Eternal Nightcap was voted 27th on the ABC ‘My Favourite Album’ poll, and more recently was voted no. 17 in ‘Triple J¹s Hottest Australian Albums of All Time’.
The Whitlams – 25th Anniversary Orchestra Tour
28 April Brisbane (Philharmonia Australia)
Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre
29 April Melbourne (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)
Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
2 May Sydney (Sydney Symphony Orchestra)
Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
3 May Perth (West Australian Symphony Orchestra)
Perth Concert Hall
5 May Canberra (The National Pops Orchestra)
Canberra Theatre, Canberra Theatre Centre
6 May Adelaide (Adelaide Pops Orchestra)
Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre