What began as an unlikely meeting of some of Australia’s most revered alternative musicians has rapidly become one of the country’s most compelling new bands. Fresh from a whirlwind year, Melbourne supergroup Bleak Squad have announced an exclusive Hobart performance, adding a Tasmanian stop to their expanding run of Australian dates this August.
The quartet will perform at Alter Bar on Thursday August 13, joining previously announced shows in Brisbane, Eumundi, Murwillumbah and Adelaide. The announcement follows news of the band’s Melbourne mystery show on August 7, which sold out almost immediately, with the venue remaining under wraps until the day of the performance.
Bleak Squad unites an extraordinary lineup of Australian art-rock heavyweights, featuring Adalita (Magic Dirt), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, The Birthday Party), Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque, Fancy Weapon) and Marty Brown (Art of Fighting). Together, they’ve created a project that feels less like a side venture and more like an essential new chapter for four musicians whose influence stretches across decades of Australian independent music.
Their debut album Strange Love has quickly established itself as one of the year’s breakout releases, topping the AIR Albums Chart, debuting inside the ARIA Top 40, earning Album of the Week honours from both RRR and PBS FM, and securing a coveted shortlist position for the Australian Music Prize.
Recorded from spontaneous jam sessions, Strange Love thrives on creative freedom, with all four members swapping instruments and songwriting responsibilities while lead vocal duties are shared between Adalita and Harvey. The band has already completed a successful national headline tour, appeared at Golden Plains, shared stages with Pulp and Ed Kuepper & Jim White, and recently unveiled the new single Black & White.
There is no sign of the momentum slowing. Alongside the expanded Australian tour, Bleak Squad have confirmed work is already underway on a second album, while UK and European dates are locked in for November, signalling that this remarkable collaboration is only just getting started.
Go HERE for tickets.
