From Melbourne’s legendary Cherry Bar to Glastonbury Festival and Byron Bay Bluesfest, nine-piece soul-sters Saskwatch will stage their first ever Gold Coast gig at Bond University’s ADCO Amphitheatre on Sunday, May 18.
Their free Live at Bond concert will be the grand finale of Bond’s 25th anniversary festivities, wrapping up a jam-packed week-long program of events with a one-in-all-in community celebration.
“We are really excited to have Saskwatch here live on stage for the final official anniversary event,” said Bond’s Community Engagement Manager, Sharon Solyma.
“These guys have played at some of Europe’s biggest music festivals – Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe, BlackisBack in Spain – and, at last year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest, they were written up as ‘this year’s breakout sensation’.
“They’ve got a big band sound with eight musicians playing horns, drums, keyboards and guitar, backing up the brilliant vocals of lead singer Nkechi Anele. And they’re performing all original songs that combine indie pop with a touch of early Motown soul, written by a couple of the band members.
“Their first album – Leave It All Behind – was a big hit on Triple J and with the second album, Nose Dive, having just been released, we’re expecting they’ll attract a big crowd of die-hard fans and new followers to our 25th Anniversary Live at Bond event.”
Saskwatch play Live at Bond as part of a national tour presented by triple j, Spotify, Remote Control, Northside Records and Select Music.
Formed in Melbourne just over four years ago, Saskwatch quickly transitioned from street busking to regular gigs at Cherry Bar’s weekly soul nights where rave word-of-mouth reviews soon had fans lining up along AC/DC Lane for the opportunity to hear them play.
After the release of their debut album in 2012, they took off on a national tour before heading overseas to play major festivals and shows in the UK and Europe.
Back home, they were soon lined up in support slots for big name artists like Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Maceo Parker, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and 70s R&B legends, Earth Wind and Fire.
More recently, they’ve been hard at work recording their second album in a renovated country church at Applewood Lane Studios, just west of Brisbane.
An early single release – Born to Break Your Heart – has already generated plenty of hype after premiering on Triple J last month and their second album, Nose Dive, is receiving extensive air play and is predicted to expand their fan base even further.
For Live at Bond, Saskwatch will be supported by Onyx Reign, a talented young group of multi-instrumentalists and singer/songwriters from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts in Brisbane.
Live at Bond kicks off at 1pm on Sunday May, 18. Free parking is available in parking area PG3. Wine, beer, champagne, non-alcoholic beverages and snacks will be available for purchase onsite.