Funk royalty and pioneers of the 90’s Acid Jazz scene, The Brand New Heavies, will return to Australia next February. Their unique mix of jazz, funk and soul will light up audiences as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of their iconic album, ‘Brother Sister’.
The Brand New Heavies ‘Brother Sister 30’ Tour kicks off at Brisbane’s Eatons Hill Hotel on Thursday 13th February then heads to Sydney, Melbourne, and concludes at Perth’s Astor Theatre on Monday 17th February.
Ahead of their February Australian tour, Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips spoke to The Brand New Heavies founding member and bass player Andrew Levy about the band’s career, the recording fo their iconic album Brother Sister, his gear and the upcoming tour down under.
Released in 1994, The Brand New Heavies third album ‘Brother Sister’ changed everything for the band. Propelled by the classic singles ‘Dream On Dreamer’, ‘Midnight At The Oasis’ and ‘Back To Love’, the record achieved huge success (a No. 4 UK chart position, over one million sales and a BRIT nomination) as they cemented their position as the spearheads of Acid Jazz. Still sounding as fresh and timeless as it did back then, The Brand New Heavies celebrate the album’s 30th anniversary with the announcement of the ‘Brother Sister 30’ Tour.
Featuring original members Andrew Levy and Simon Bartholomew with the phenomenal vocalist Angela Ricci, the tour will see The Brand New Heavies perform ‘Brother Sister’ in full alongside other hits and fan favourites from their storied history with a complete live band.
The band says, “We can’t believe that Brother Sister is going to be 30 years young! What better way to celebrate than coming to see us play the album in its entirety as well as all our hits.”
Since debuting in 1990, The Brand New Heavies have translated their love of sophisticated ’70s funk grooves into an ever evolving sound that has ignited dancefloors and inspired fans for over thirty years. Their huge success with ‘Brother Sister’ continued with the follow-up ‘Shelter’, another Top 5 Platinum-certified album that featured further hits in the shape of ‘Sometimes’, ‘You Are The Universe’ and their take on ‘You’ve Got A Friend’. Their legacy has continued to grow with consistently strong albums ever since, including 2019’s TBNH which featured their first recordings with Angela Ricci.
2023 saw The Brand New Heavies enter a new era of rediscovery with the release of ‘Never Stop… The Best Of’. They also embarked upon the sold-out ‘Never Stop… The Greatest Hits’ Tour, for which they were accompanied by the London Concert Orchestra.
THE BRAND NEW HEAVIES AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES 2025
Thursday 13th February
Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane QLD
Friday 14th February
Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
Saturday 15th February
Hamer Hall, Melbourne VIC
Monday 17th February
Astor Theatre, Perth WA
For more information, visit: https://mjrpresents.com/tbnh
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