In the face of a live music wipeout triggered by the Delta outbreak and sweeping national lockdowns that don’t really seem to have impacted sport all that much, Brisbane garage rockers Concrete Surfers have said “fuck it… if ya can’t beat em, join em”.
They’ve just announced a tour of local footy stadiums in honour of their forthcoming EP Calamities that’ll see them piggy back off the rest of the Queensland Rugby League season, as that’s pretty much the only way they can play in front of an audience right now.
Literally entitled the If Ya Can’t Beat Em, Join Em Tour, the run will see the lads perform at QRL fixtures around the Sunshine State, with four dates announced so far and more TBA.
“With the current strict rules on capacities and dancing for music venues it has been near impossible for bands at this level to tour and play shows, impacting on financial stresses, morale and release plans,” the band’s manager, Chris Langenberg, said in a statement.
“There has been lots of frustration throughout the industry, constantly seeing the double standards of imposed rules between sporting events and music events. Even with the Play Fair campaign, nothing has really changed for music venues and artists all year. So, instead of getting frustrated about the current situation, we have created a tour that works within the current QLD laws / rules and will be playing to some of the biggest audiences allowed in the country right now. At the Rugby League.”
He continues: “Concrete Surfers aren’t aiming to make money on this tour – the band is determined to make a statement on behalf of the entire country, to make sure our case is being heard while creating jobs for music crew along the way and to give the band some long-awaited gigs. The tour works like this: The rugby league game finishes, and straight after – the band will set up on the grass in front of the grandstands and play a set to the crowd of footy and Concrete Surfers fans.”
Genius, really.
Catch Concrete Surfers’ tour dates below ,and keep an eye out for their new EP dropping on September 17.
