RVG RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘MIDNIGHT SUN’ + NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS – OUT FRI JUNE 2

May 01, 2023 by Our Golden Friend

Today, revered Melbourne band RVG present their poignant new single ‘Midnight Sun’, lifted from their highly anticipated third studio album, Brain Worms – out Friday June 2. ‘Midnight Sun’ comes with a single-take video shot in Melbourne’s Templestowe.

~ BUY/STREAM 'MIDNIGHT SUN' NOW ~

A hurtling rock song, ‘Midnight Sun’ deals in matters of disbelief, and what it feels like to live in a culture that often prefers to argue the semantics than save the world from burning. Aptly furious and defiant, frontwoman Romy Vager cuts through the chaos singing ‘my city is in ashes / but I’m still burning bright / Hangin’ here like a lantern / in case you change your mind’.

Of the song Romy says “I wrote this around the time of the Australian bushfires in 2019 when it felt like everything precious about this country was being destroyed by climate change. There were all these talking heads trying to play down how much of a disaster it was, instead focusing on how much they hate immigrants or queer people. I thought - the world is literally on fucking fire and this is what you choose to use your platform on? The song is contrasting these two things, and how sick we are ideologically that we can’t identify what real problems are.”

This urgency and passion are heard on Vager’s heaving vibrato and vivid lyricism, capturing both her pervasive fury, yet undeniable yearning for empathy and inclusivity. ‘I’ll do my best to be kind,’ she accentuates over the band’s signature post-punk symphony.

The new offering follows February’s album lead single ‘Nothing Really Changes’, which featured across The Guardian AU, NME AU, Tone Deaf, Music Feeds, plus received a slew of local radio adds, DSP playlist covers and debuted at #3 on Top 10 Singles Chart at specialty radio in the U.S. Last month’s follow up ‘Squid’ was one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Songs You Need To Know’ and praised by Brooklyn Vegan, Culture Fiend, Femmusic and Glamglare, with Austin Town Hall calling the track a “a powerful display that delivers a wallop to the listener’s ears”.

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral (2020) as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald. But in new album Brain Worms, this is the most confident the band has ever felt in RVG. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

RVG recently returned from SXSW (Austin) and are currently touring the UK with Billy Nomates, which will be followed by a short headline tour in Europe across May. The band will then return home to play Rising Festival, Dark Mofo and Splendour in the Grass.

If you do one thing today, let it be listening to ‘Midnight Sun’.

Pre-order Brain Worms now HERE.

GOOD MORNING ANNOUNCE INTIMATE EUROPEAN TOUR IN DUO MODE THIS JULY

April 19, 2023 by Our Golden Friend

Photo by Nick McKk

Good Morning today announce a short, sweet, and intimate UK and European tour in duo mode this summer. Fresh off the back of their first ever duo shows, including two sold out nights in LA plus a very special show at Pappy and Harriet's, Good Morning are jumping to do it all again. This time they'll bring their show across to Urtecht, Paris, Brighton and London, recreating the magic of their SoCal shows and giving a sneak peek of a bunch of new songs to audiences this July. Tickets go on sale Friday 21st April.

SEE ALL TOUR DATES BELOW.

These shows will be their first in the UK and Europe since their 2022 tour in support of sixth album Barnyard. Having played sold out duo shows earlier this year in Southern California this will be a rare opportunity to see Good Morning members Liam Parsons and Stefan Blair up close and personal playing a mix of fan favourites and never-before-heard tracks.

In their near decade long tenure, in the wake of Barnyard's release Good Morning have been internationally celebrated, with widespread acclaim from Rolling Stone, NME, Stereogum, The Line Of Best Fit, Consequence, Alt Press, Paste, DIY Mag, Music Feeds, The Music, Northern Transmissions, KCRW, BBC 6 Music and many more, including a warm embrace across local community radio stations Triple R, PBS, FBi Radio, 2SER, Edge Radio and SYN. The album's release also tracked New Music playlist support upon release across DSPs, alongside tastemaker editorial. They spent 2022 touring across the UK, Europe and North America.

Formed as a recording project in 2014 by Stefan Blair and Liam Parsons, the band’s presence in their lives has expanded slowly but surely over the better part of a decade. Due in part to a few strokes of luck, and a mysteriously unflinching desire to write and record music, Good Morning have been able to expand their scope from the lounge rooms and pubs they began recording and performing in to playing shows to people all across the globe. They return to the stage as they formed, in duo mode, bringing a whole new suite of tracks alongside fan favourites.

All tour dates listed below, with tickets available from Friday 21st April HERE.

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

Wed 5 July - Brewpub Kromme Haring - Urtecht, NL - TICKETS
Thu 6 July - Supersonic Records - Paris, FR - TICKETS
Sat 8 July - Green Door Store - Brighton, UK - TICKETS
Sun 9 July - Moth Club - London, UK - TICKETS

RVG RELEASE NEW TRACK ‘SQUID’ HEADLINE THE FORUM FOR RISING FESTIVAL (JUNE 14) + NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS – OUT FRI JUNE 2

March 23, 2023 by Our Golden Friend

Photo by Izzie Austin

Revered Melbourne band RVG release ‘Squid’ – the next glimpse into their highly anticipated new album Brain Worms – out Friday June 2. The new song arrives following the announcement of their headline show at The Forum (Melb) on Wednesday June 14 as part of Rising Festival, joined by Danish rockers Iceage and a once in a blue moon show from Batrider.

~ BUY/STREAM 'SQUID' NOW ~

‘Squid’ powers through the walls of realism and out the other side, imagining what might happen if we were to go back in time, step on something, and … become a squid. “I didn’t intend to be // Some hideous turquoise thing // Some hideous third thing,” Vager sings, bringing an earnestness and desperation so real that feelings suddenly cut through the song’s absurdity.

Of the single Romy says "Squid is a song about going back in time and stepping on a Tiktaalik and then going back to the present but you have the same job, the same problems you had before except you’re a squid. We jammed it on a whim and it ended up coming out really well. I left a large chunk of the lyrics till the last minute, finishing them off in Finsbury Park at 6 in the morning before I could get into the studio and record my vocals."

The new offering follows last month’s album lead single, ‘Nothing Really Changes’, which was hailed by The Guardian, The Music, Brooklyn Vegan and more, received a slew of local radio adds, DSP playlist covers & debuted at #3 on Top 10 Singles Chart at specialty radio in the U.S.

All throughout Brain Worms – made up of post-punk band of lyricist/frontwoman Romy Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte, and bassist Isabele Wallace – it’s apparent that RVG is in very fine form. Named for the recognisable experience of each day bearing witness to a world of private obsessions being aired out in the infinite, Brain Worms may not be wholly new territory, but this time around, there’s a newfound radical acceptance glistening overtop everything.

Recorded in London at Snap Studios with James Trevascus (Billy Nomates, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, The Goon Sax), all ten Brain Worms tracks surge with lush sounds and clear intentions. RVG have moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they made a record they can call their best.

RVG found critical acclaim upon release of their debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more. The band followed up their debut with the incredibly received Feral (2020), called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald.

RVG have just landed back in Australia following eight performances at last week’s SXSW(Austin), and will head overseas next month to tour the UK with Billy Nomates followed by a short headline tour in Europe across May. They will return to Australia for their album launch at The Forum on June 14th as part of Rising Festival.

Pre-order 'Brain Worms' now here.

RVG BILLY NOMATES TOUR DATES 2023

Mon. Apr. 17 - Cardiff, UK @ Tramshed (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Wed. Apr. 19 - Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms (w/ Billy Nomates) - SOLD OUT

Thu. Apr. 20 - Manchester, UK @ New Century Hall (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Apr. 21 - Leeds, UK @ LUU-Stylus (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Sat. Apr. 22 - Glasgow, UK @ QMU (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Mon. Apr. 24 - Newcastle, UK @ Boiler Shop (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Tue. Apr. 25 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Institute Birmingham (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Thu. Apr. 27 - London, UK @ O2 Forum Kentish Town (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Apr. 28 - Brighton, UK @ CHALK Live (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

Sat. Apr. 29 - Bristol, UK @ Marble Factory (w/ Billy Nomates) - TICKETS HERE

RVG EUROPEAN TOUR DATES 2023

Tue. May. 2 - Paris, FR @ Supersonic - F REE
Thu. May. 4 - Rotterdam, NL @ V11 - TICKETS HERE
Fri. May. 5 - Haldern-Rees, DE @ Haldern Pop Bar - FREE
Sun. May. 7 - Nijmegen, NL @ Merleyn - TICKETS HERE

RVG MELBOURNE HEADLINE SHOW

Wed. Jun. 14 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum - TICKETS HERE

RVG ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM BRAIN WORMS OUT FRI JUNE 2 + NEW SINGLE ‘NOTHING REALLY CHANGES’ OUT NOW + SIGN TO IVY LEAGUE RECORDS

February 21, 2023 by Our Golden Friend

Revered Melbourne band RVG today make their anticipated return with the release of their new single ‘Nothing Really Changes’, lifted from their just-announced third studio album, Brain Worms – out Friday June 2! To coincide with the news, RVG also announce that they have signed to Ivy League Records in Australia and New Zealand, with the album out via Fire Records for rest of world. They will also be playing shows across Australia with Julia Jacklin this month, supporting Billy Nomates throughout the UK and will be showcasing at SXSW in March.

~ LISTEN TO 'NOTHING REALLY CHANGES' HERE ~

Between the four bandmates — lead singer and guitarist Romy Vager, guitarist Reuben Bloxham, drummer Marc Nolte and bassist Isabele Wallace — Brain Worms sees the band at their most confident. They’ve moved past their influences, pushed themselves, and tried new things. And they have made a record they can, by all accounts, call their best.

Exemplifying this is ‘Nothing Really Changes’ – a pulsing, thrilling listen, detailing the pains of a fresh break-up, and the physical attachment that lingers. The song is brought to life by Vager’s striking performance in the video (and subsequent ‘twist’!), directed by Hayden Somerville & filmed at Rippon Lea Estate in Melbourne. Somerville describes the scene as, “A giant empty estate, haunted by a past decision. The words and music painted this haunted manor world in my head. A lifeless body represents a past relationship so nicely, while also acting as a fantastic listener for Romy. I think it’s all very therapeutic.”

Vager on ‘Nothing Really Changes’:“It started off as a songwriting experiment to write something catchy with an obnoxious riff, a cross between Divinyls and Smoke on the Water. It’s a song about missing someone but protecting yourself from being hurt. We were rehearsing It a lot leading up to recording the album but couldn’t get it to sound right on our own. James really helped us to orchestrate the parts in the studio and make it feel like an RVG song.”

Pre-order Brain Worms, listen to 'Nothing Really Changes' and purchase the exclusive Filthy Rat Bag designed t-shirts HERE.

Pre-order the ‘Brain Worms’ album and merch HERE.

After a momentous first five years — finding critical acclaim for debut A Quality of Mercy (2017), landing on countless end-of-year Best Of lists, and playing alongside some of the world’s biggest acts in Pixies, Kurt Vile, Pete Doherty, Sleaford Mods, Camp Cope, Shame, and more — RVG released second album Feral (2020) as the world was locking down. Feral was called “masterfully executed” by The Big Issue, “the record of a lifetime” by Rolling Stone Australia, and given four-and-a-half stars by the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Hype is scary. After two years of Covid it felt like the hype had gone down so we were able to just do stuff,” says Vager. “This time around we were like, this is what we’re doing, we’re taking control, we’re taking risks, and we’re going to make an album that sounds big so that when we hear it on the radio we want to hear it again.”

“If we could only make one more album, it would be this one,” says Vager.

This weekend RVG commence their tour supporting Julia Jacklin across Australia. Kicking off this Sat Feb 25 at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, the tour will see RVG play The Tivoli in Brisbane on Sun Feb 26, before finishing with two shows at The Forum in Melbourne on Tues Feb 28 and Wed March 1. With their live show feeling more fine-tuned than ever, March will also see RVG play Austin’s SXSW, before they support Billy Nomates across the UK in April. All tour dates are below.

Pre-order 'Brain Worms' now here.

RVG TOUR DATES 2023

Mon. Feb. 25 - Sydney, NSW @ The Enmore Theatre (w/ Julia Jacklin) - SOLD OUT

Sun. Feb. 26 - Brisbane, QLD @ The Tivoli (w/ Julia Jacklin) - TICKETS HERE

Tue. Feb. 28 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum (w/ Julia Jacklin) - SOLD OUT

Wed. Mar. 1 - Melbourne, VIC @ The Forum (w/ Julia Jacklin) - SOLD OUT

Sun. Mar. 5 - Adelaide, SA @ Hindley St Music Hall (w/ Julia Jacklin) - TICKETS HERE

Fri. Mar. 10-Sun. Mar. 19 - Austin, TX @ SXSW