Tour by Gang of Youths | |
Location | Australia |
---|---|
Associated album | Go Farther in Lightness (2017) |
Start date | 28 October 2018 |
End date | 31 January 2019 [a] |
No. of shows | 21 |
Supporting acts | Charlie Collins |
Attendance | 50,000 |
Gang of Youths concert chronology |
The Say Yes to Life Tour was the seventh nationwide concert tour by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, and the second supporting their 2017 studio album, Go Farther in Lightness. Spanning 21 sold-out shows across five major capital cities in Australia, with 14 between Sydney and Melbourne alone, the band broke venue records at both the Enmore Theatre and the Forum. The Say Yes to Life Tour received widespread critical acclaim, and was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Live Act.
In August 2017, Gang of Youths released their second studio album, Go Farther in Lightness . It debuted at number one on the ARIA charts, received widespread critical acclaim from music outlets, [2] [3] and was supported by a national tour with seven shows from August to September 2017. [4] In January the following year, Australian youth radio station Triple J held the Hottest 100 of 2017, which saw Gang of Youths feature a record-equalling three songs in the top 10, [b] with "Let Me Down Easy" placed highest at number two. [5] The album also topped Triple J's annual album poll and received four ARIA Awards, including Album of the Year. [6]
Following a European and North American tour, Gang of Youths announced in May 2018 they would be returning for a second nationwide tour. [7] The Say Yes to Life Tour, named after the closing track on Go Farther in Lightness, originally featured only seven shows. [1] The band were quick to add several additional dates after "selling out their initial run in record time", [8] with five more shows added in Sydney and Melbourne each, and one more in each of the other three cities. [8] Just a week later, they added a seventh night at the Forum Theatre, and a sixth at the Enmore, breaking records for most performances at both venues within a single tour. [9] Days later, they announced a special all-ages show in Melbourne, making for an eighth night in the city. It came after Victorian youth music organisation The Push appealed for the band to perform a show for fans under 18 years old. [10] In total, the band performed 21 shows in the tour. [11]
Performances on the tour were lauded by critics. Reviewing from Sydney, Kate Hennessy of The Guardian said the band were "note-perfect all night". Giving the show five stars, she wrote of her amusement at the frontman's self-deprecating banter, writing: "Le’aupepe bereaves me of any potential critique as I find myself instead utterly swept up in the concert’s central mantra: saying yes to life". [12] Reviewing a Melbourne show for Savage Thrills, Nate Hill wrote of the crowd's engagement with the band's music: "Gang of Youths has a way of turning a punter into a true believer", he wrote, concluding the audience "left the beautiful Forum Theatre feeling as though they had been part of something special". [13]
Writing for the AU Review, Genevieve Morris compared Le'aupepe's stage presence to that of Bruce Springsteen and Michael Hutchence. She said the band consistently had "the whole crowd in a daze" and during the last song, "the whole room felt connected and was absolutely buzzing, which is true credit to the sensory experience Gang of Youths can manufacture". However, she did feel as though some tracks in the set weren't suitable in a live setting, including "Persevere" and "Vital Signs". [14]
At the ARIA Awards of 2019, the tour was nominated for Best Australian Live Act. [15]
This set list is from the Sydney show on 29 November 2018, and is not completely representative of the entire tour. [16]
Encore
Over 50,000 tickets were sold, [17] and all shows sold out. [11]
Note: Show added due to demand |
Date | City | Venue |
---|---|---|
28 October | Melbourne | Forum Theatre |
29 October | ||
31 October | ||
3 November | Fremantle | Fremantle Arts Centre |
4 November | ||
6 November | Melbourne | Forum Theatre |
7 November | ||
8 November | ||
12 November | ||
13 November | ||
14 November | Hobart | Odeon Theatre |
16 November | ||
17 November | Adelaide | Thebarton Theatre |
18 November | ||
22 November | Sydney | Enmore Theatre |
26 November | ||
27 November | ||
29 November | ||
30 November | ||
31 January [c] |
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Gang of Youths are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 2012. Since 2020, the group consists of David Le'aupepe on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and piano, Max Dunn on bass guitar, Jung Kim on guitar and keyboards, Donnie Borzestowski on drums and Tom Hobden on violin, rhythm guitar and keyboards. They relocated to England in 2017. Founding member Joji Malani, on lead guitar and backing vocals, left them in 2019 to return to Australia. The band's debut studio album, The Positions (2015), received multiple ARIA Award nominations and peaked at number five on the Australian albums chart. It provided the single "Magnolia", which has been described as their breakthrough hit and was certified platinum in 2018.
The Positions is the debut studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 17 April 2015. The album debuted at number five on the ARIA Albums Chart and was preceded by three singles including "Magnolia", which has been described as the band's "breakthrough hit". Upon release of the album, frontman David Le'aupepe said "I was in a four-year relationship with a girl who had a terminal illness and then I made a concept album about it with my friends."
Gretta Louise Ray is an Australian singer-songwriter from Melbourne, Victoria. In 2016, she was the winner of the national Triple J Unearthed radio competition for bands and songwriters, and the 2016 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition, with her song "Drive". To date, Ray has released two studio albums – Begin to Look Around (2021) and Positive Spin (2023) – as well as the EPs Elsewhere (2016) and Here and Now (2018).
Tash Sultana is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer, described as a "one-person band". Sultana rose to international prominence with their 2016 single "Jungle", which was voted into third place in Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown of 2016. The following year, Sultana had three songs voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017; "Mystik" placing at number 28, "Murder to the Mind" at number 43, and their Like a Version cover of MGMT's "Electric Feel" at number 78.
Go Farther in Lightness is the second studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 18 August 2017 by Mosy Recordings. Written entirely by frontman David Le'aupepe, its lyrics focus on "the human experience in all its bleakness and triumph", detailing a mission of finding hope and love amidst personal struggles like loss. The 77-minute rock album also contains three orchestral interludes composed by Le'aupepe.
"What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out?" is a song by Australian alternative rock band, Gang of Youths, released on 10 February 2017 as the lead single from their second studio album, Go Farther in Lightness. It reached No. 13 on the ARIA Hitseekers Singles Chart. It was listed at number 10 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2017. The song was certified platinum by ARIA.
"Let Me Down Easy" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released in May 2017 as the third single from their second studio album Go Farther in Lightness (2017). The song peaked at number 49 on the ARIA singles chart, becoming the band's first top 50 single. In the Triple J's 2017 Hottest 100, it was listed at No. 2 – the highest position by an Australian artist. It was certified double platinum by ARIA in 2019 for shipment of 140,000 copies. The song placed second in the 2018 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition.
"The Heart Is a Muscle" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths from their second studio album Go Farther in Lightness (2017). It was released as the album's fifth and final single on 29 November 2017. The song was written by band frontman David Le'aupepe, and it placed third in the 2018 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition. "The Heart Is a Muscle" also peaked at number 37 on the US Adult Alternative Songs chart, becoming the band's first charting track on the chart. It achieved certified gold status in Australia in 2019.
"The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released in August 2017 as the fourth single from their second studio album Go Farther in Lightness (2017). The song peaked at number 93 on the ARIA Singles Chart, becoming the band's second top 100 single.
David Immanuel Menachem Sasagi Le’aupepe is an Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and frontman of alternative rock band Gang of Youths, which he founded in 2011. He served as the sole songwriter on the band's first two albums, The Positions (2015) and Go Farther in Lightness (2017), finding lyrical inspiration from personal hardships including loss. Following the death of his father in 2018, the band's most recent album, Angel in Realtime (2022), is a reflection on Le'aupepe's grieving process and family identity.
MTV Unplugged (Live in Melbourne) is the first live album by Australian alternative band Gang of Youths. Gang of Youths were the first band to record a MTV Unplugged live in Australia in the new millennium.
Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths have released three studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, three extended plays and 24 singles. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist David Le'aupepe, bass guitarist Max Dunn, lead guitarist Jung Kim, drummer Donnie Borzestowski and violinist Tom Holden.
"Magnolia" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 17 April 2015 as the third and final single from their debut studio album, The Positions. The song recounts the experience of frontman David Le'aupepe on a "week-long bender that precluded sleep and eating" and his subsequent attempt to commit suicide on 3 June 2014. The date, referenced within the lyrics, has since become known by fans as Magnolia Day.
"The Angel of 8th Ave." is a song by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 15 June 2021 as the lead single from their second EP, Total Serene (2021). The track also features on the band's third studio album, Angel in Realtime (2022). It was the band's first original release in four years, and was regarded by many outlets as their "comeback". Frontman David Le'aupepe said the song was inspired by "falling in love and finding a new life in a new city together."
Total Serene is the second extended play by Australian alternative band Gang of Youths, released on 16 July 2021 via Mosy Recordings and Sony Music Australia. The EP was released without notice and is the first collection of new tracks from the band since their second album, Go Farther in Lightness (2017).
Angel in Realtime is the third studio album by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 25 February 2022 through Mosy Recordings. Written over the four years following the death of frontman David Le'aupepe's father, the album lyrically focuses on the emotions that arise from mourning, coming to terms with loss, and discovering family identity in the Pacific Islands. It consistently uses vocal and instrumental samples from Indigenous musicians collected by explorer David Fanshawe, marking a significant sonic departure from their previous album, Go Farther in Lightness (2017).
Triple J Like a Version Sessions is a compilation EP by Australian alternative rock band Gang of Youths, released on 12 August 2022. It features the songs performed by the band throughout their three appearances on radio station Triple J's live music segment, Like a Version, from 2015 to 2022.