King Ibis are fighting the good fight
Boorloo/Perth-based indie-pop/rock band King Ibis and their new single, Cooling Embers. Here they talk to us about embarking on their first national tour:
Over the years, we have played at most of our local venues in Perth, as well as numerous tours regionally. These wonderful venues and welcoming people in WA provided us the stepping stones to kick-start our careers. While our music has reached local ears, it at times feels impossible to reach the larger audience with our isolated location. It seems like the only way to grow is to take our first trip across the border, so this March, we embark on our first national tour.
The unknown of bringing our music to new audiences is incredibly exciting and nerve-wracking. However, the prospect of playing with new bands in brand new venues far from our little Perth feels like the best and most necessary step to grow beyond our state’s limitations.
This has come with its own set of challenges; between taking time away from our day jobs, figuring out how to fly our equipment and finding the cheapest accommodation on the block to make the tour viable, the roadblocks can feel never-ending at times. Nevertheless, our excitement to visit all these new venues and people is vast and we feel incredibly grateful for this opportunity to play our music more.
In between the nerves and excitement, planning for the logistics of our maiden voyage has shone a bright light on how tough it is for young WA bands to tour. I’ve mentioned a few of the challenges already, but talking about all of it would be a long list (not to mention boring). Touring has always been hard work for all bands, but it seems particularly difficult in these times.
With this in mind, we would urge anyone reading this, if you want to continue to see live music from all over, to please get out there and support bands by being there.
We can’t keep fighting the good fight without your support, so help us help you.
KING IBIS ‘COOLING EMBERS’ TOUR – Tickets available via linktr.ee/Kingibis
THU 14 MAR | STRANDED BAR, MEANJIN/BRISBANE QLD
SAT 16 MAR | THE LADY HAMPSHIRE, EORA/CAMPERDOWN, NSW
SUN 17 MAR | NORTH GONG HOTEL, DHARAWAL/WOLLONGONG, NSW
THU 21 MAR | EPSY BASEMENT, EUROE YROKE/ST KILDA, VIC
SAT 20 APR | MOJOS BAR, WALYALUP/FREMANTLE WA*
