Nostalgia is back in a big way and so are these bands from the 90s and early 00s - who all seem to be celebrating a milestone anniversary of a successful album.
There are a slew of nostalgic gigs to get to in the next few months, and we can’t wait to re-live our youth!
The Superjesus
Bless their cotton socks, they are hitting the road for the SUMO 20th Anniversary tour and playing for TWO HOURS over two sets, and they’re not just playing the capital cities, they’re going rural through every state (except NT). I can only anticipate that one of the two sets is the band playing SUMO in full, which is awesome because not only are the hits great, like "Down Again", "Now And Then", and "Saturation", but fans will get to see their favourite album tracks, and for me, that’s songs like "I’m Stained" and "Dead Ended". Seriously though, I can’t pick favourites from SUMO, it was a defining album of my youth and I still play it to death. Check the details of where you can see them here.
Read more: 5 Albums That Influenced The Superjesus' Sumo
Shihad
Formed in 1988 in New Zealand, Shihad enjoyed massive success in the 90s, producing 5 number 1 albums, and became a staple of the live set, and festival scene. Now, they’re hitting the road for their ‘30’ tour both in Australia, and their native New Zealand. They’ve also recently released a limited edition of their 1999 album The General Electric, so I’m hoping we’ll hear some gold from that during this tour. There are too many favourites to hope for in just one Shihad show, but I’m sure they’ll sneak "Bulletproof" into it, HUGE tune, and I’d love to hear some gear from their very excellent FVEY album. More info on the tour is here.
Read more: Shihad Announce 30th Anniversary Tour
Motor Ace
Melbourne lads, Motor Ace are hitting the road for their 20th Anniversary shows early next year. With 3 studio albums under their belt, they’ll have a gaggle of tunes to choose from on stage. Probably best remembered for songs like "American Shoes" (which planted them firmly in the minds of fans of The Verve and Oasis), "Hey Driver", and "Death Defy" which was the theme song of the hugely popular TV show, The Secret Life Of Us. They’re definitely the songs I’ll be hanging to hear live again. More info on the tour here.
Read more: Motor Ace Announce 20th Anniversary Tour
Magic Dirt
Touring around the country this summer, as part of the Hotter Than Hell roadshow with some awesome bands, are seminal festival favourites, Magic Dirt. Formed in Geelong, Victoria back in 1991, they enjoyed the rise of Australian rock music through the 90s, they’re nine-time ARIA nominated, and always deliver a kick arse live show. As far as nostalgia goes, Magic Dirt is HIGH on my list of must-see bands. I mean, who didn’t have a major crush on Adalita at some stage? Song wise, there’s a tonne I hope they play including "Dirty Jeans", "Sparrow", "Rabbit With Fangs", and of course, "Plastic Loveless Letter". Get more info on the Red Hot Summer Tour here.
Read more: Our 90s Rock Chicks Ruled And Still Do
Eskimo Joe
The Western Australian juggernaut that is Eskimo Joe have been going strong for 21 years and to celebrate they’re headed around the country this year and into next, before undertaking some incredibly cool shows with Symphony Orchestras after that in 2019. With 35 x ARIA nominations from six studio albums in their back pocket, choosing a setlist won’t be easy for the threesome. On a personal tip, it’s always great to hear the big hits, "Black Fingernails Red Wine", "Sarah", and "Foreign Land". But if someone could convince the lads to belt out "Sweater" (a song they’ve sworn never to play live again), I’d be bloody stoked. More info on where you can catch the guys is here.
Read more: Celebrating 21 Years Of Eskimo Joe
Area-7
Like Magic Dirt, the Melbourne ska lads are taking part in the Hotter Than Hell Tour, but I wanted to single them out because they don’t play as often as they should anymore, or probably not as often as they’d like to. Let me just say this, if you’ve never been to an Area-7 live gig, you’re missing out on one helluva good time. It’s nigh on impossible to stand still! So for me, I’d wanna hope they belt out absolute party starters like "Start Making Sense", "Second Class Citizen", "Bitter Words", "No Logic", and of course, "Nobody Likes a Bogan". More on the Hotter Than Hell tour here.
Read more: Take The 90s Rock Quiz
Hotter Than Hell Festival
I’ve mentioned a couple of bands from this festival, and if you haven’t clicked through to the link, get a load of the players. Spiderbait, Magic Dirt, Area-7, Jebediah, Bodyjar, 28 Days, Killing Heidi, Shihad. Line ups vary slightly from city to city, but holy hell, it’s just a who’s who of 90s Aussie rock right there! As if you wouldn’t want to see Bodyjar rip out "One In A Million", and go nuts to Spiderbait thrashing out "Buy Me A Pony!", 28 Days blasting "Rip It Up" is a must, and Killing Heidi throwing down "Weir" live will bring back a million memories, and so will Jebediah when they slay the crowd with "Leaving Home". This is a SOLID day of good times and better tunes to take you straight back to the best time in Aussie music. Get involved here.
Read more: Hotter Than Hell Festival Is Back
We've added all your faves to our Hotter Than Hell playlist...
