Joining the likes of history-making Seth Sentry and Perth psych-gods Tame Impala, Adelaide duo Atlas Genius are the latest in a list of Aussie acts to make an appearance on US late night television, off the back of their North American tour ins support of their new album When It Was Now.
The South Australian brothers are currently chasing a 49-week run on the US charts with their lead single ‘Trojans’, and will soon continue their assault on the US market with a spot on the Late Show With David Letterman in the coming week.
The David Letterman spot is not the band’s first late night talk show performance either, having appeared on network competitor Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in December, and another spot on music program Last Call With Carson Daly before that. According to The Music, a spot on the high-profile Late Show With David Letterman has the potential to get Atlas Genius in front of over 3 million viewers.
Speaking to Tone Deaf earlier this month, frontman Keith Jeffrey marvelled at the band’s upcoming whirlwind American tour which sees the group play ates in Texas, California, and along the West Coast. “The crowds we’ve played to in nearly every city have been so fantastic and open to us being there. Everyone’s been very welcoming,” he said.
The duo hit the fourth spot on the US charts for ‘Trojans’ and also a number one single in Canada, with the band noting it’s “something we’re pretty chuffed about.” “I’d definitely say we’ve got a much larger fan base internationally than in Australia, and it definitely shows.” – Keith Jeffery, Atlas Genius
“I mean, that’s only really possible through [the] raving of international publications and online media, and it’s essentially allowed us to spend the huge majority of this year on the road,” Jeffrey added. The band are touring off the back of their debut release When It Was Now, which our Tone Deaf reviewer remarked saw the band deserving of “being the next hottest thing to come out of Adelaide, and they’ve pulled all the right moves to get a solid fan base.”
Atlas Genius are also making in-roads with UK audiences with an appearance at the upcoming Great Escape Festival in May. Often hailed as the UK’s answer to SXSW, the festival sees over 16,000 punters attend shows at 30+ venues (read our Festival Guide to the Brighton event here).
“I’d definitely say we’ve got a much larger fan base internationally than in Australia, and it definitely shows,” Jeffery says of their international success.
A possible reason for this could be the lack of Australian late night television programming similar to shows Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, Later with Jools Holland and Jimmy Kimmel Live! . As covered in our opinion piece on Australian music television last year, Australia simply doesn’t afford artists the same opportunity to nurture and promote live artists on television the way the US and UK do.
Network host Jimmy Kimmel in particular must have a soft spot for us Aussies with rapper Seth Sentry appearing as guest act on his program last month and making history as the first Australian rapper to perform on a US talk show. The Melbourne artist performed two popular songs from his debut album This Was Tomorrow; ‘Float Away’ and ‘Dear Science’, in which the rapper laments technology’s inability to provide hoverboards yet.
Meanwhile, Ballarat-based quintet Gold Fields made their US television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! performing their hit single ‘Dark Again’ in February.
The Aussie invasion didn’t stop there with the busiest band in the world right now, Tame Impala, also nailing a performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon ahead of their sold out shows in the US, which also included a stint at Coachella. Not to mention Gotye’s domination of the US last year which included a performance at comedy skit program Saturday Night Live and his first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! early in 2012.
If Gotye and Tame Impala’s success is anything to go by, Adelaide’s Atlas Genius’ hard work should pay off in the near future.
