With the magnificent album ‘Sideways to the New Italy‘ making Backseat Mafia’s top 50 albums for 2020 and my favourite 2020 music list from Australia and New Zealand, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (RBCF) continue to sparkle with the release of a video from a track off the album and an announcement of a further gig in Sydney for their Australian tour later this year.
‘The Only One’ is classic RBCF: a sardonic, laconic and casual Australian tone with jangly guitars and an innate sense of humour and a self-deprecatory style. A rolling bass and wobbly guitars present a slightly off-kilter pace beneath the cool and studied vocals and the soaring choruses.
The video perfectly captures this ability not to take oneself too seriously – a serious offense downunder – with the errant adventures of Pie Man wandering the streets of Melbourne. The charming innocence of Pie Man’s journey rollicks and rolls to the beat of the song:
As the band says:
The places are real, the people are real, the pie is made of cardboard and sticky tape.
This larrikin sense of humour during a difficult period is both commendable and welcome.
COVID willing, RBCF is embarking on an Australia-wide tour – delayed due to last year’s pandemic and lockdown, and have announced extra shows following sell outs in Sydney. And it is gratifying indeed that this is a serious national tour – reaching distant and remote locations such as Hobart and Canberra. This is an incredible opportunity to see a band of this caliber in relatively small venues.
‘Sideways to the New Italy’ Australian Tour– tickets available here
Fri 16 Apr – The Gov (Adelaide)
Sat 17 Apr – Altar (Hobart)
Fri 30 Apr – The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Sat 1 May – Freo Social (Fremantle)
Fri 14 May – Forum (Melbourne)
Fri 21 May – The Factory Theatre (Sydney) | SOLD OUT
Sat 22 May – Kambri @ ANU (Canberra)
Sun 23 May – The Factory Theatre (Sydney)
Sideways To New Italy
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Album out now through Ivy League Records
Available to buy/stream here
