The Roots Australian Tour 2013 has been announced and with the legendary hip-hop crew headed Down Under for this year’s Falls and Southbound Festivals, Frontier Touring and Illusive are presenting special headline shows this December.
The Grammy award-winning hip-hop visionaries will take to the stage for headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne, and joining in on both live performances as special guest will be Sydney’s very own hip-hop wunderkind Urthboy.
The Roots were co-founded by childhood friends Black Thought and ?uestlove in 1987, their passionate and innovative approach to hip-hop took the band from talent shows to underground gigs in Philadelphia and New York to a tour across Europe.
Their debut offering Organix, an independent release, quickly caught the attention of several major record labels and the band released their first major-label album Do You Want More? and its follow-up Illadelph Halflife in 1995 and 1996 respectively.
It was their seminal fourth album Things Fall Apart in 1999 that saw The Roots breakthrough and catapult into cultural consciousness. Receiving universal acclaim, Things Fall Apart was praised for its complex sound and thematic maturity by playing with the conventions of both hip-hop and soul. The album reached #4 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum in the US. Its smash hit single ‘You Got Me’, a collaboration with R&B singer Erykah Badu and Eve, peaked at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
The Roots subsequently released the equally acclaimed albums Phrenology and The Tipping Point before signing with the urban and hip-hop institution Def Jam. This deal fostered the one-two punch of the dark and socially conscious albums Game Theory and Rising Down that also introduced shades of synth and electronica to their already progressive sound.
In 2009, the band began their tenure as house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Displaying an impeccable knack for versatility and improvisation, the band have become a fixture on television screens across the world and cemented their place within pop culture history.
Any concerns that The Roots television commitments would encumber their creative output were firmly put to rest with the band releasing no less than four albums in three years including the critically lauded How I Got Over, the John Legend collaboration Wake Up!, the Betty Wright collaboration Betty Wright: The Movie and Undun which saw the band reach new heights artistically with an existential concept album. Its elegant subject matter was only matched by the band’s skilled musicianship.
Earlier this year, The Roots worked with iconic singer-songwriter Elvis Costello on the duet album Wise Up Ghost (watch the clip for single ‘Walk Us Uptown’ here), a work that combined their collective talents for criss-crossing genres and composing evocative lyrics into an expertly crafted and ingenious collaboration that references both of their respective careers. The customary standard high praise for The Roots isn’t just restricted to their albums; their live shows have become renowned as showcases of their razor sharp skill and unbounded imagination.
Hailing from NSW’s Blue Mountains region, Urthboy’s rise and rise has been nothing short of remarkable, indelibly leaving his mark as one of the main songwriters of the group The Herd and in his own prolific solo career.
A three time nominee of the Australian Music Prize, Urthboy’s most recent album Smokey’s Haunt (watch the clip for single ‘The Big Sleep here) cemented his place as critical favourite. The release earned nominations for J Award’s Australian Album Of The Year. Urthboy has equally impressed on the tour circuit both here and overseas with appearances at Germany’s Splash Festival and Open-Air Festival in Switzerland.
The Roots’ December headline shows with Urthboy in Sydney and Melbourne are set to be one of the most celebrated performances of the year. Make sure you don’t miss out!
The Roots Australian Tour 2013
with special guest URTHBOY
Friday 27th December – Sydney | Hordern Pavilion (All Ages)
Ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849
Saturday 28th December – Melbourne | Festival Hall (All Ages)
Ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100
Frontier Members pre-sale via www.frontiertouring.com/theroots | Tuesday 8 October (2pm AEDT ) to Wednesday 9 October (2pm AEDT)
General public on sale from Thursday 10 October (9am local time)
