Pandemonium Festival – Newcastle All Ages Side Shows Announced
Pandemonium festival has been causing, well, pandemonium since it was announced last month!
Some of the most iconic acts in rock and roll will make history at the inaugural
festival as it sweeps across Australia’s east coast this April and fans can’t get enough.
So, the call has been heard, Apex Entertainment is adding more to the mayhem with the announcement of not one, but TWO very special shows at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre!
The iconic Blondie will grace the stage on Monday, April 22 with Aussie rock legends, Wolfmother and Cosmic Psychos in support.
Then the following night on Tuesday, April 23 the one and only Alice Cooper has teamed up with Deep Purple to bring you a classic rock showdown for ages. Perth rockers Gyroscope will set the scene.
Pick one, pick both! Newcastle fans your rock ‘n’ roll dreams have come true!
Both shows are All Ages too so bring the next generation of rockers along.
PANDEMONIUM 2024
Saturday, April 20: Caribbean Gardens, Melbourne
Monday, April 22: Blondie/Wolfmother/Cosmic Psychos – Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
Tuesday, April 23: Alice Cooper/Deep Purple/Gyroscope – Entertainment Centre, Newcastle
Thursday, April 25: Cathy Freeman Park – Sydney Olympic Park Precinct, Sydney
Saturday, April 27: Doug Jennings Park, Gold Coast
Sunday, April 28: Sandstone Point Hotel, Bribie Island*
*Blondie not performing
NEWCASTLE SHOWS
Both Newcastle shows are open to All Ages, with a limited number of junior priced tickets available for ages 3-15 years inclusive.
Presale: Friday Feb 23 @ 9.00am to Monday, Feb 26 @9.00am local time
General on-sale: Monday, Feb 26 @ midday
www.pandemonium.rocks
Tickets and Information for all events can be found at
www.pandemonium.rocks
Some of the most iconic acts in rock and roll will make history at the inaugural
Pandemonium festival as it sweeps across Australia’s east coast this April!
Pandemonium offers an unparalleled lineup of rock legends including:
Alice Cooper
Blondie
Placebo
Deep Purple
Wheatus
The Psychedelic Furs
Dead Kennedys
Gang Of Four
Palaye Royale
plus Australian icons
Wolfmother
Cosmic Psychos
Gyroscope
and introducing Thai solo artist Petch;
A dozen bands across two giant stages will be busting out countless hits that have become the soundtrack to our lives over the last half a century.
Schools Out, Call Me, Highway Star, Every You Every Me, Teenage Dirtbag, Love My Way, Holiday In Cambodia, Lonely, Damaged Goods and sooo many more.
You know the bands, you know the songs. Pandemonium gives you the opportunity to experience some of the worlds’ greatest bands – all in one day and night of incredible rock and roll!
A truly unforgettable experience.
Pandemonium is proud to partner with some very important charities.
Their work with our Veterans and our Youth is essential.
In Melbourne, Hawthorn RSL have a ticket allocation and 50% of the funds will be donated to them for veteran support. In Sydney, Pandemonium takes place on ANZAC Day and Wounded Heroes will be on site. Top Blokes who work tirelessly in support of the prevention of Youth Suicide will be on site at the Gold Coast event.
Money from each ticket sold will be donated to all organisations.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
ALICE COOPER
Alice Cooper has cast a long shadow over rock music with an unrivaled live show and timeless anthems like “School’s Out,” “No Mr. Nice Guy,” and “Poison.” Selling over 50 million albums worldwide, he earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame® in 2003, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® inducted him as part of its class of 2011. Boasting one of the most influential catalogs in history, Rolling Stone cited 1971’s platinum-certified Love It To Death among the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” while other platinum releases spanned the seminal Killer [1971], School’s Out [1972], the Billboard 200 #1 Billion Dollar Babies [1973], Welcome to My Nightmare [1975], and Trash [1989], to name a few.
He’s so embedded in generations of popular culture that he not only made a cult-classic appearance in Wayne’s World during 1992, but he also starred alongside John Legend and Sara Bareilles in NBC’s 2018 production of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert — and also memorably appeared on both The Muppets and That 70s Show! as well as in Dark Shadows, with pal Johnny Depp.
Beyond hundreds of syncs, everyone from Etta James, The Smashing Pumpkins, Megadeth, and The Flaming Lips has covered his tunes. The Beastie Boys, Disturbed, and countless others have
sampled him. His collaborators have notably included the late Vincent Price, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, and Jon Bon Jovi, to name just a few. Plus, he co-founded Hollywood Vampires alongside Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Johnny Depp.
After thousands upon thousands of gigs and easily a million miles traveled, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® Inductee is as loud as ever with his latest album Road released in 2023!
BLONDIE
Undeniably one of the most trailblazing and influential bands of our time, Blondie is pioneering frontwoman/songwriter Debbie Harry, guitarist/conceptual mastermind Chris Stein and powerhouse drummer Clem Burke, along with band mates bassist Glen Matlock, guitarist Tommy Kessler and keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen.
Among their hits is the groundbreaking rock-disco hybrid “Heart of Glass” the equally influential hip-hop fantasia “Rapture” the stalker-love song “One Way Or Another” and the lilting calypso “The Tide Is High.” It’s a thrilling journey back to when Blondie pushed punk onto the dance floor and introduced a wider audience to hip-hop sounds, all the while building a catalogue of enduring hits along the way. For the last four decades, Blondie has become and still remains a true global icon; one whose influence both shaped and continues to inform the worlds of music, fashion and art. From an irreverent Lower East Side punk outfit to bona fide international ambassadors of New York cool, Blondie will forever be synonymous with that punk spirit that lives somewhere in all of us. Their chart-topping success, fearless spirit and rare longevity led to an induction into the Rock‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and more than 40 million albums sold worldwide to date.
As we look back at the band’s storied career, it makes Blondie’s current vibrancy that much more stunning after 40 years of entertaining all of us.
PLACEBO
Back in the mid ’90s when non binary icons weren’t realistically even dreamt of, Placebo’s Brian Molko spoke for those who felt alienated by the blokey Britpop that dominated the landscape. Channelling glam goth androgyny, grungey sonics and pop savvy for an alternative vision which struck a genuinely international chord. Their first hit, “Nancy Boy” from 1997’s self titled album, provided a stark contrast to said Brit-pop’s lad culture and it connected big time.
With more than 13 million albums sold, including five UK Top Ten LP chart entries and comparable global results for ‘Without You, I’m Nothing’ (1998) and 2009’s ‘Battle For The Sun’, Placebo have a voice that can be neither ignored nor silenced. In 1997 they were personally invited by David Bowie to play his 50th Birthday Bash at Madison Square Garden and in 2003 they covered the Kate Bush classic, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which was a huge hit in the UK, US and Australia and was featured on TV teen drama, The O.C
Their 8th release, 2022’s ‘Never Let Me Go’ is a synth drenched wall of sound full of dark alt-rock goth goodness and electronic undertones that frame Mikko’s saccharine vocals to perfection.
DEEP PURPLE
There simply aren’t enough superlatives to properly acknowledge the contribution Deep Purple has made to rock music. Having sold more than 100 million albums and filled global arenas for decades, there’s little wonder that the respected British radio station Planet Rock named the group the ‘5th Most Influential Band Ever’. The band were also presented the ‘Legend Award’ at the 2008 World Music Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. Deep Purple truly are ‘rock royalty’.
Not one to rest on their past glories, the band’s 20th studio album “inFinite” released in 2017 is one of their most successful albums ever. It broke their own chart records accumulated over an impressive 50 year history, reaching the Top 10 in 10 countries and became their highest charting album worldwide since their milestone 1984 reunion album “Perfect Strangers”.
In recent years, Deep Purple has progressively moved into new areas with an impressive output of four incredible new studios albums in the past decade, piquing the interest of fans who were not born when the mighty Purple machine ruled the music world.
Their holy grail of “In Rock” (1970), “Machine Head” (1972) and “Made In Japan” (1973) catapulted Deep Purple to the top in concert grosses and album sales around the world, with tracks such as “Smoke On The Water”, “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin” ascending them to mega-status.
WHEATUS
Teenage years may be fleeting, but it seems ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ is for life, as Wheatus’ debut single, released way back in 2000 continues to thrive nearly a quarter of a century on from its release. The “Teenage Dirtbag photos” TikTok trend has now been embraced by a million people, including celebrities such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Mark Ruffalo, Lil Nas X, Jon Bon Jovi, Chevy Chase, and countless others, resulting in the hashtag #teenagedirtbag being viewed over 2 BILLION times!
The track was used in the 7th series trailer for hit Netflix series “Big Mouth” and a brand new remix of “Teenage Dirtbag” was used for the second series of the hugely popular Disney Freeform / Hulu series “Cruel Summer.” In 2023, it surprised everyone again by re-entering the UK Top 40 charts and the fresh frenzy around the now 24-year-old anthem has led the band to recently perform on some of the most prestigious stages of their career including the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, where Brendan sang Teenage Dirtbag at Madison Square Garden alongside rising pop star Jax.
Following up on six studio albums, two live albums, and multiple singles, Wheatus finally completed their years-in-the-making re-release of their debut album (in a twenty-
song expanded edition featuring “lost” songs from throughout the years) on December 1, 2023
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS
If you were to dissect the today’s alternative rock music, you’ll find that much of it pays homage to The Psychedelic Furs. Led by vocalist and songwriter Richard Butler, and his bass-wielding brother Tim, the Furs scored major hits with “Love My Way,” “Pretty In Pink,” “Heaven,” “The Ghost In You,” and “Heartbreak Beat” in all releasing seven studio albums, spawning several compilations, a boxed set, and a live concert DVD.
Born out of the post-punk UK rock scene, the Furs quickly developed as one of the premiere bands on US College and Modern Rock radio scoring a multitude of #1 singles. With the advent of MTV in the early 80’s the band took off into the stratosphere, and when John Hughes’ approached the band with his film built around the Furs’ song “Pretty In Pink”, the band’s legacy was cemented.
After a brief hiatus in the 90’s, and a side project called “Love Spit Love” that you might remember covered The Smiths ‘How Soon Is Now?’ which was the theme song for the TV series Charmed, the band regrouped at the dawn of the new millennium. In 2020, The Furs re-entered the music charts with their first new studio album since 1991 called “Made Of Rain”.
DEAD KENNEDYS
It’s now 40 years since they formed and Dead Kennedys remain an over-the-top live act guaranteed to cause chaos at every show. Back in the beginning, they were the first West Coast American Punk act to make an international impression, and the only one to impact the UK, where they hit the Top 40. They were hugely influential on the alternative scene at the start of the “ ̃80s, with their early single “Holiday In Cambodia” and first album “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” selling by the truckload, and the subsequent single “Too Drunk To Fuck” becoming news when it was banned.
Dead Kennedys prompted police raids and a level of outrage that surpassed even that aimed at the Sex Pistols half a decade earlier.
The DK’s opened the door for other American bands including the likes of MDC, Bad Brains and Black Flag. In turn their full-on sound, anti-establishment politics and sense of humour became fundamental inspiration for generations of skate and surf punks and massively popular bands including the Offspring and Green Day.
Defined by the instantly identifiable hypnotic guitar work of original members East Bay Ray and bassist Klaus Flouride which is the musical foundation to the bands rallying anti-authoritarianism and political bite — things which are perhaps more vital than ever in this crazy world — Dead Kennedys are rounded out by 12-year touring member Skip Greer and Steve Wilson on vocals filling in for the recently deceased DH Peligro.
GANG OF FOUR
Gang of Four is one of the most radically important, and influential rock groups of the last 40 years. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, INXS, R.E.M., U2, Rage Against the Machine have all spoken of their debt to Gang of Four. More recently, the band’s influence has extended to Franz Ferdinand, Nine Inch Nails, St Vincent, Sleater Kinny and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem amongst many significant others, with today’s creators of angular rock music having GO4’s influence and imprint all over it.
After the death of original vocalist, Andy Gill in 2020, a compilation of the bands most iconic tracks was assembled under the title The Problem Of Leisure and featured incredible versions of the bands tracks from the likes of Idles, Tom Morello, Serj Tankian, Helmet, Warpaint, Gary Numan, La Roux, Flea & John Frusciante and more!
PALAYE ROYALE
Equal parts brit-pop, glam rock and art-punk, Palaye Royale has earned a legion of obsessive, cult-like fans with their fast-paced dirty rock n’ roll and unparalleled swagger, amassing over half a billion streams throughout their career. The trio brought the juxtaposition of the glitz and grime of their teenage years spent in Las Vegas before relocating to Los Angeles.
They worked their way up through the ruthless L.A. rock scene while briefly living out of their car, thanks to their reckless live performances, lyrical vulnerability, and knack for non-normative self-expression. The band’s fourth studio album, Fever Dream, was released in mid 2022 to global praise from media and fans alike.
WOLFMOTHER
Pledging allegiance to thick, throttling fuzz guitars, primal psychedelia, and thundering rhythms, 21st-century rock revivalists Wolfmother split the difference between the classic sludge of Black Sabbath and the retro-garage rock of the White Stripes.
Formed by lead guitarist & vocalist Andrew Stockdale in 2000, Wolfmother spent a few years treading the boards before storming out of Sydney in 2006 with a self-titled debut that generated monstrous international hits in the form of “Woman”; and “Joker And The Thief”. Wolfmother, the album, turned into a big hit itself, eventually being certified quintuple platinum in Australia. Other territories soon followed along with a host of film, television, and video game placements, not to mention constant touring with a focus on festivals.
One of Australia’s most electrifying live acts? You bet!
COSMIC PSYCHOS
One of Australia’s most notorious pub rock bands, Cosmic Psychos beer-fuelled, no frills punk rock hits hard and with no pretensions.
For 40 long years they’ve blazed a trail around the world, spreading the gospel of cans with their quintessential Australian punk rock. Statistically speaking, theirs is a union that has lasted three times longer than most marriages and, to date, the band have released 10 studio albums, worked with super producer Butch Vig, are best mates with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and regular tour buddies with L7.
GYROSCOPE
Perth’s Gyroscope have been a constant presence on the Australian music scene since forming in 1997! Their 3rd album, Breed Obsession debuted at #1 on the ARIA chart and was certified Gold!
