Radio Birdman, legendary outsiders of Australian rock and rolland ARIA Hall of Famers, celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2024 with shows in June and July
In a time when absolutely everything is deemed iconic, Radio Birdman remain the real deal. They rewrote the rules of the Australian music industry by sheer force of will and carved out their own path which many others have since followed. Their logo, still mysterious even after half a century, is now emblazoned on the bodies of a global legion of fans, their cars, surfboards and much more. Thesefinalperformances in June and July will underscore why.
To mark the occasion, the explosive 2014 album,Live At Paddington Town Hall 12th December 1977will be reissued by Citadel Records.
And with the start of their BIRDMAN 5-0 50th Anniversary tour only a couple of weeks away, iconic ARIA Hall of Famers RADIO BIRDMAN are also the subject of a new biography entitled RADIO BIRDMAN: RETALIATE FIRST, authored by esteemed Sydney rock writer Murray Engleheart (AC/DC Maximum Rock & Roll, with Arnaud Durieux, and Blood Sweat and Beers – Oz Rock from The Aztecs to Rose Tattoo) and published July 2 by Allen & Unwin. In a post on their socials Radio Birdman said. ”Acclaimed author Murray Engleheart has written what promises to be, far and away, the most in-depth and complete history of Radio Birdman to date. Years in the making, Retaliate First is a compelling synthesis of thousands of hours of research, first-hand accounts and unique insights. It’s a must read for anyone who wants to know what really happened.”
Australian Musician’s Craig Eriksson caught up with Radio Birdman guitarist, songwriter Deniz Tek to chat about the band’s career, the upcoming 50th anniversary tour and biography
The biography announcement comes as the tour closes in on being a complete sell out, with all three Sydney shows and one of two Brisbane shows having nowsold out, only a handful of tickets left for the other Brisbane show and both Melbourne shows (with special guestsCivic) and the one Adelaide show on track to also reach capacity.
RADIO BIRDMAN – BIRDMAN 5-0!
FRI JUNE 21: CROXTON BANDROOM – MELBOURNE with CIVIC–SELLING FAST
SAT JUNE 22: CROXTON BANDROOM – MELBOURNE with CIVIC–SELLING FAST
SUN JUNE 23: THE GOV – ADELAIDE with CULL THE BAND–SELLING FAST
FRI JUNE 28: THE TRIFFID – BRISBANE with HITS–LAST TIX
SAT JUNE 29: THE TRIFFID – BRISBANE with HITS–SOLD OUT!
FRI JULY 5: MANNING BAR – SYDNEY with HARD-ONS–SOLD OUT!
SAT JULY 6: MANNING BAR – SYDNEY with HARD-ONS–SOLD OUT!
SUN JULY 7: MANNING BAR – SYDNEY with HARD-ONS–SOLD OUT!
Tickets on sale via Oztix (except Brisbane shows, which are via Moshtix)
RADIO BIRDMAN: RETALIATE FIRST
By Murray EngleheartPublication date: July 2, 2024
The ultimate in-depth biography oficonoclastic Sydney punk bandRadio Birdman.
‘Radio Birdman live brought loyalty as strong and powerful as their music. Yeahhup!’ – Anthony Albanese, PM and fan
‘Radio Birdman are analogous to dark matter: largely unseen yet profoundly
influential.’ – Brad Shepherd, Hoodoo Gurus
‘Murray’s raw passion somehow doesn’t mess with his skill to present the story, the contextand the truth.’ – Tim Rogers,You Am I and The Hard-Ons
Tales of Radio Birdman will be handed down through generations. Singer Rob Youngerdrinking from a human skull filled with sheep brains; fans unknowingly breaking limbs whiledancing wildly at gigs; fighting off venue bouncers and hostile audiences with microphonestands, and having publicans cut the power in a desperate bid to halt their force-of-nature-like performances. Their riotous appearance at Paddington Town Hall in December 1977drew an overflowing crowd of thousands, eclipsing the audience for AC/DC’s triumphantreturn to Sydney.
While Radio Birdman split after a disastrous UK and European tour in 1978, hunger for areunion grew by the day, and their eventual regrouping was met with wild acclaim. In aseries of electrifying shows at the 1996 Big Day Out, they drew the spotlight away from the likes of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Rage Against the Machine and The Prodigy. Birdmancontinued to play sell-out gigs to devoted crowds both in Australia and across the globe andin 2007 were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Melbourne.
With 2024 marking their half century of existence, and publication of this book coincidingwith a commemorative tour that may be their last, Radio Birdman have moved fromclearing venues of punters at early gigs to being internationally worshipped, theirmysterious logo now proudly emblazoned on skin all overthe planet. Murray Engleheart’sRadio Birdman: Retaliate Firstis drawn from more than 150interviews with the band members, their closest associates, and most devoted fans.
About Murray Engleheart
Sydney based journalist and author, Murray Engleheart haswritten millions of words about music over more than fourdecades with his work published from Moscow to SãoPaulo, Japan to New York. From first doing album reviewsin a high school magazine in 1974, he has interviewed avirtual who’s who of rock and roll from Keith Richards, LouReed and Patti Smith to Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker and David Bowie. His first book was the global bestseller,AC/DC Maximum Rock & Rollwith Arnaud Durieux(2006) and his second,Blood Sweat and Beers – Oz Rockfrom The Aztecs to Rose Tattoo(2010).
RADIO BIRDMAN: RETALIATE FIRST (Allan & Unwin)
Release date: 2 July 2024 in Australia.
Pre-order link: https://bit.ly/AllenandUnwin