It’s the end of May 2024 when I’m writing these words.

While Australia is currently prepping for the colder, darker and slower months of the year, the Northern Hemisphere is about to kick off the summer live music season.

Every year, quite a few Aussies bring their shows to the Old Continent (including Ireland and the UK). So let’s see who’s touring where in the next few months.

PART 187 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE

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Between May and September, a music festival is happening in Europe practically every weekend. From massive, iconic gatherings, like Glastonbury (UK), Roskilde (Denmark), or Rock Am Ring (Germany), to more niche or quaint events, i.e. Flow Festival (Finland), La Roche Bluegrass Festival (France) or Salt Wave (Poland).

Beloved, internationally famous Aussie artists frequently appear on festival bills in Europe. For instance, Kylie is headlining one of the BST Hyde Park dates this year. Confidence Man are playing Pukkelpop in Belgium. And Amyl And The Sniffers and Troye Sivan are stopping by Primavera Sound in Barcelona.

But let’s face it – the line-ups at famous events tend to be quite repetitive, highlighting the same names all the time. So, I wanna mention a few artists whose performances might not be as widely covered by the European press.

DOM DOLLA

You might not know this Manila-born, Darwin-raised and Melbourne-based musician just yet. But Dominic Matheson, aka Dom Dolla, is no newcomer to the house and techno music community.

He’s already worked with Nelly Furtado and Gorillaz, played Coachella in 2022 and sold out the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver. This year, he’s also been nominated for a Grammy in 2024 for a collaborative track, “New Gold”.

He’s slowly climbing up the ranks in the electronic music scene. And you have a few chances to see him do his magic in 2024. He’ll perform at the Sea You Festival in Germany, Tomorrowland in Belgium, and Sziget in Hungary.

And if that weren’t enough, he’ll also take over the ultimate party place – the Ushuaïa Club in Ibiza. If that’s not making it as a DJ, then I don’t know what else is.  

GENESIS OWUSU

Genesis Owusu (real name Kofi Owusu-Ansah) makes music that is not easy to define. It’s an original, explosive fusion of hip-hop, funk, punk and rock.

The younger brother of another interesting rapper, Citizen Kay, the Ghanaian-Australian artist reps the nation’s capital, Canberra. When he released his debut album in 2021, he cleaned up at the ARIAs (the Aussie Grammys) that year. Since then, his career has really taken off, gaining Halley’s Comet speed in a fairly short time.

The rapper’s been to Europe before (London and Dublin, to be precise). But he played smaller venues back then.

This time, he’s programmed for festivals in different corners of the continent, including NOS Alive in Portugal, Mad Cool in Spain and Colours of Ostrava in Czech Republic.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION

Metalcore is not necessarily festival material. Yet, the number of live music events uniting fans of the heavier music genres in Europe is mindblowing. So, if that’s your go-to style, you should see The Amity Affliction in action.

This post-hardcore band from Queensland was formed over 20 years ago. With eight albums behind their belt, the Aussies are used to seeing their name on festival posters. But they’ve also frequently visited the Old Continent, including stops at Wacken Open Air – one of the largest and most revered heavy metal events worldwide.

This summer, you can catch them in Europe in a few places, too. MetalDays in Slovenia, Helsinki Metal Festival in Finland and Reading & Leeds in the UK would probably be my choices.

Oh, and they’ll surely slay in Wacken. Again.

PENDULUM

Australia’s electronic music game is strong – that’s for sure. What’s interesting, though, is that many notable acts in that genre seem to come from Perth or WA (Western Australia) in general.

Pendulum is one of them. Their work is much more diverse than pure electronica, though. Each album showcases a new musical chapter, incorporating elements of rock and drum’n’bass in the band’s sound.

Considering that – sometime in 2014/2015 – the members weren’t sure if they’d continue the project, I’d say they’re doing fine. Here we are in 2024, gearing up for a new round of live shows.

This European summer will see Pendulum perform at both Rock Im Park and Rock Am Ring in Germany, Pinkpop in the Netherlands and Pohoda in Slovakia, for example.

TROPICAL FUCK STORM

I don’t want to sound childish, but a band with this name is bound to turn heads. Plus, the album and EP titles are equally bold (i.e. A Laughing Death in Meatspace or Goody Goody Gumdrops). And if the music matches it, what more can you ask for?

Tropical Fuck Storm (TFS) are not just any band, though. Formed not too long ago (in 2017), they’re a Melbourne supergroup, creating in rather rare genres, like art punk, noise rock or punk blues.

I’d dub everything they do as highly experimental. But that’s also their main attraction point, I reckon. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they’re killing it overseas from time to time.

Punters at both Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Porto will be able to see TFS this year. And they’re playing the Festival Delle Perferie in Italy, which has a free entry.

JORDAN RAKEI

Technically, I shouldn’t classify Jordan Rakei as an Aussie artist. After all, he was born in New Zealand and is now based in London. But he spent a fair amount of his life in Brisbane and honed his music skills there.

Soul, jazz, alternative R&B and trip pop are the genres he mixes to create his signature sound. He boasts a collaboration with Disclosure, an appearance at SXSW and a set for the “Tiny Desk Concerts” series.

Aside from numerous headlining gigs across Europe this summer, Jordan is also scheduled to perform at a few festivals. Amongst them are Bilbao BBK Live in Spain, Salt Wave in Poland and… Glastonbury. And it’s not even his first time there.

Not bad, hey?

I realise the above is just a fracture of live music events with Aussie artists involved. G Flip and Yours Truly are going to be at Reading & Leeds this year, for example. And Ziggy Alberts and Stand Atlantic are touring as well, although not as part of the festival circuit.

So, if you have your picks for artists from the land Down Under worth seeing somewhere in the summer of 2024 in Europe, you know where to find me.

_{Cover photo: Reading and Leeds Festival official poster}

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