PURE GOLD LIVE RETURNS TO HELP CHRISTEN SYDNEY’S NEW ENTERTAINMENT

PRECINCT!THE BEST OF THE 70s, 80s & 90s

1 NIGHT | 20 ARTISTS | OVER 40 MASSIVE HITS!WSFM101.7 is excited to announce the return of PURE GOLD LIVE featuring twenty (20!) of the biggest acts of the 70s, 80s and 90s coming together for one night only to help christen Sydney’s new home of entertainment, ICC Sydney Theatre in Darling Harbour on Friday, 23 December 2016.

Following massive, sold-out shows in 2014 and 2015, PURE GOLD LIVE returns to Sydney for an early Christmas present and to help unwrap the city’s new Darling Harbour entertainment precinct with a massive line up of some of the biggest 70s, 80s and 90s Australian chart toppers!

The legendary line up of PURE GOLD LIVE 2016 include:

Ross Wilson | Dragon | Glenn Shorrock | 1927 | Pseudo EchoSteve Kilbey (The Church) | Kids in the Kitchen | Chocolate Starfish

Thirsty Merc | The Radiators | Eurogliders | John Paul YoungShane Howard (Goanna) | Wendy Matthews | The ChantooziesRose Tattoo | Mi-Sex | Dynamic Hepnotics | Swanee | Real Life

See below for bio information on the artists.

This year PURE GOLD LIVE will be hosted by WS FM101.7’s Drive presenter Jason Staveley who can’t wait to put the Sydney Theatre through its paces with a night like no other. “Every year PURE GOLD LIVE gets bigger and better and this year is no exception! It’s going to be a huge show packed with all those bands that we loved in the 70s, 80s and 90s, each playing their most loved hits. You’ll be moving to every song, singing every word, as it’s played by the original stars – it’s such a unique opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. I can’t think of a better way to get ready for the festive season,” he said.

The first WSFM101.7 PURE GOLD LIVE event was staged at Sydney’s iconic, Hordern Pavilion, in 2014. Since that sold-out launch event, 21 branded concerts have been staged up and down the East Coast bringing a star studded array of Aussie music legends to over 40,000 happy music fans. Fast forward two years and 2016 PURE GOLD LIVE will be the biggest yet with 20 of our best and most well loved artists taking the stage for over 3 hours of hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Artist photos can be downloaded here.

Tickets for PURE GOLD LIVE go on sale on Monday, 22 August at 9.00am and are expected to sell FAST so don’t miss your opportunity to see this once-in-a-lifetime Aussie music feast.

Pure Gold LiveFriday, 23 December 2016

ICC Sydney Theatre, Darling Harbour

Featuring:Ross Wilson

DragonGlenn Shorrock

1927Pseudo Echo

Steve Kilbey (The Church)Kids in the KitchenChocolate Starfish

Thirsty MercThe Radiators

EuroglidersJohn Paul Young

Shane Howard (Goanna)Wendy MatthewsThe Chantoozies

Rose TattooMi-Sex

Dynamic HepnoticsSwaneeReal Life

Tickets on sale from Monday 22 August at 9.00am from www.ticketek.com.au | 132 849

www.wsfm.com.au

Hashtag: #puregoldlive

Please direct all concert enquiries to:

Rina FerrisFerris Davies PRM

Ph: (02) 9555 5807| E-mail: rina@ferrisdaviesprm.com.au

Artist BiosNow Listen! Mr Eagle Rock, ROSS WILSON, 2 time ARIA Hall of Fame Inductee, founder of Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock continues to have a Hell Of A Time while Living In The Land Of Oz. Always believing Ego Is Not A Dirty Word, the Skyhooks and Jo Jo Zep producer hasn't stagnated by Living In the 70s, but continued moving like The Fugitive Kind through the Summer of 81 into the 21st Century following his credo All I Wanna Do Is Rock. When the Chemistry is right to Come Back Again, he'll get up off his Bed Of Nails, bring A Touch of Paradise to your Cool World and examine your State of the Heart. With No Time to lose practicing Primitive Love Rites in Primal Park, Things Are Hotting Up with Wilson's song I Come In Peace being covered and becoming Joe Cocker’s last hit single. Come Said The Boy, to a Ross Wilson show in a venue near you, because we all know You've All Got To Go!

DRAGON formed in Auckland in 1972, relocating to Sydney in 1975, led by enigmatic lead singer, Marc Hunter, and currently led by his brother bass player, Todd Hunter. DRAGON had the nation in mass sing-alongs with their hits the No. 1 smash, Are You Old Enough?, Still in Love with You, Rain, O Zambezi and 1977's hit summer anthem, April Sun in Cuba. DRAGON's imprint on a generation was affirmed when Are You Old Enough? was used in the opening credits of the hit TV series, Puberty Blues. DRAGON achieved legendary status in 2008 when they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and in 2012 they celebrated their 40th anniversary with a string of sell out shows across the country.

GLENN SHORROCK is a founding member of pop groups Axiom, The Twilights and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer. The Twilights had eight consecutive national hit singles including Needle in a Haystack and What's Wrong with the Way I Live. Axiom's top 10 hits were Arkansas Grass, Little Ray of Sunshine and My Baby's Gone. Little River Band had national and international chart success, including the Shorrock-penned Emma, Help Is on Its Way and Cool Change. Shorrock was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1991 and as a member of Little River Band in 2004. In May 2001 the ARIA, as part of its 75th Anniversary celebrations, named Cool Change as one of APRA’s Top 30 Australian songs of all time.

Known for enduring hits such as That's When I Think of You, Compulsory Hero, 'To Love Me, Scars, Don't Forget Me, and, of course, If I Could, 1927 made a devastating entry into the ears of its listeners with the Quintuple Platinum selling album …ish in 1988, which earned the band a slew of ARIA Awards as well as a lot of fans along the way. Following up …ish with the multi-platinum second album The Otherside, a self-titled third album, and countless live shows at home and abroad, the last couple of decades have certainly earned 1927 legendary status. Not content to rest on their laurels, after more than ten years, the band released a new studio album Generation i a few years ago and it may just be the band’s finest album yet.

PSEUDO ECHO formed in 1982, releasing their first album, Autumnal Park, in 1984 which skyrocketed the band to household name status across the country. Their second album, Love an Adventure, spawned another string of hits including its title track, Don't Go, Try, Living in a Dream and their remake of the Lipps, Inc. song Funkytown, which brought the group their biggest international success and spent seven weeks at No. 1 in Australia from December 1986. In 2012 Pseudo Echo celebrated their 30th anniversary and this year released their sixth studio album, Ultraviolet.

It’s a unique band that finds itself cherished as a bona fide legend in the ARIA Hall of Fame while remaining a virtual enigma to the world that knows its name but the church, led by the enigmatic STEVE KILBEY, is just that. Since arriving in Australia half a century ago, STEVE KILBEY has forged a unique and frighteningly individual stream of musical thoughts including the church’s accidental signature tune, Under The Milky Way, being sung along with him by countless Australians. A songwriter of many musical tongues, STEVE KILBEY - band singer, songwriter and bassist, painter, writer, poet, actor, sage, dispenser of arcane wisdom, and much loved national treasure - has created an all-embracing artistic universe of unearthly beauty.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN took Australian audiences by storm, which saw them rise to the top of the charts, as their music stood squarely within the New Romantic movement that dominated the music scene in the mid-1980’s. Forming in Melbourne in 1983, KIDS IN THE KITCHEN enjoyed strong chart success with four Top 20 hits on the Australian Singles Chart, Change in Mood (1983), Bitter Desire (1984), Something That You Said and Current Stand (both 1985). The related album, Shine (20 May 1985), reached No. 9 on the Australian Album Chart.

CHOCOLATE STARFISH burst on to the charts in 1993 with their classic cover of Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain. A string of original hits followed, including Mountain, Four Letter Word and Accidentally Cool. CHOCOLATE STARFISH released just two albums before taking some time out – 1994′s self-titled debut (which spent two months in the Top 10) and 1995′s Box (which reached number six). CHOCOLATE STARFISH was Australia’s hardest-working band in the ’90s, playing more than 700 gigs between 1993 and 1997, once doing 22 nights in a row. The band never officially broke up, they just simply stopped playing in 1997. Fast forward to now and the band have recently released an acoustic record Born Again Versions and returned to doing what they do best performing with all the joie de vivre they are renowned for.

THIRSTY MERC is an Australian pop rock band formed in 2002. THIRSTY MERC has released 4 albums: Thirsty Merc (2004), Slideshows (2007), Mousetrap Heart (2010) and Shifting Gears (2015). The band have sold over 200,000 albums, toured extensively around Australia, and received national radio airplay for their tracks. Their smash hit In the Summertime is the theme song of TV Show Bondi Rescue and hits like 20 Good Reasons, The Hard Way and now their latest hit the Good Life are radio and fan favourites.

Led by Brian Nichol, THE RADIATORS, are renowned for delivering a night pub rock anthems .The albums Feel the Heat (March 1980) and Scream of the Real (May 1983), both topped the charts . The singles Coming Home, No Tragedy and Gimme Head are Aussie classics. Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane described the group as "an archetypal, hard-working pub-rock band capable of delivering tightly crafted, well-executed, hard-hitting metal-pop anthems backed by a playful sense of humour. The band tour constantly, racking up over 3500 gigs. The Rads really know how to deliver a fun filled night of Aussie Pub rock.

Featuring Grace Knight on vocals and Bernie Lynch on guitar and vocals, EUROGLIDERS took the charts by storm in the 1980's. Audiences were blown away, and Grace Knight captivated fans with her ‘manic ballerina’ stage persona. In 1984, EUROGLIDERS released their album This Island, which spawned their No. 2 hit single, Heaven (Must Be There). Heaven also peaked at No. 21 on the United States Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and appeared on the Hot 100. Another Australian top ten album, Absolutely, followed in 1985, which provided three further top ten singles, We Will Together, The City of Soul and Can’t Wait to See You. Grace and Bernie, along with their superb band, have reunited to once again captivate audiences with their sophisticated and high-energy brand of pop.

JOHN PAUL YOUNG, OAM, is undoubtedly one of the most popular Australian artists of the 70s, with a string of national and international hits including I Hate The Music, Yesterday’s Hero, Standing in the Rain and, of course, Love is in the Air, resulting in over 4 million record sales and cementing him a place in our music history. JPY was a Countdown regular, as both guest presenter, co-host and performer and his music became the soundtrack to the Countdown generation, launching a career spanning more than 40 years. Along with performing, John has had equal successes in radio, television and theatre, including a Helpmann Award nomination for best supporting artist. In 2009, John was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and in 2012, his 40th year in the industry, John was honoured with an Order of Australia for his services to charity and the music industry.

SHANE HOWARD is one of Australia’s most important and influential writers and singers – he combines a deep understanding of poetic and musical folk traditions, as well as capturing something essential of the spirit of Australia, through his words and music. Shane was the founding member of legendary band, Goanna, who released three albums. Spirit Of Place, released in 1982, was the first Australian album to go to the top of the charts in its first week of release. The album spawned the powerful and iconic hit song, Solid Rock, which to this day, still continues to be heard across the airwaves. SHANE HOWARD went on to release solo albums and has gained an incredible amount of accolades for his contribution to the folk & indigenous communities, as well as human right campaigns across the country. He was awarded a Fellowship by the Australian Council for the Arts in 2000, in recognition for his contribution to Australian musical life.

WENDY MATTHEWS originally from Montreal Canada, joined her first band and left home as a teenager, busking her way across the USA to Los Angeles where she met Glenn Shorrock and moved to Australia to sing back-up vocals at the invitation of Glenn Shorrock for his 1983 Australian tour. That 6 week visit became rather extended as Wendy found herself in demand as a session vocalist and singing jingles. She sang on albums by Jimmy Barnes, Richard Clapton, Tim Finn and ICEHOUSE. After singing backing vocals on Models' 1985 album Out of Mind, Out of Sight, she became a regular vocalist for the band. Wendy, along with The Models’ Sean Kelly and James Valentine, Garry Gary Beers of INXS, Roger Mason and Mick King formed the all-star Absent Friends and Wendy featured as lead vocalist on I Don't Wanna Be with Nobody but You which reached No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Her soulful sound and crystal clear vocals helped make tracks like Token Angels, Let’s Kiss (Like Angels Do) and The Day You Went Away become huge hits for this multiple ARIA Award winner.

Originally formed for a one off show in 1986, THE CHANTOOZIES amassed quite the following and went on to tour Australia extensively. They achieved great success with their original material Wanna Be Up, Kiss And Tell, Walk On and covers of Witch Queen, He’s Gonna Step on You, Love the One You’re With and I’ll Be There; all top 20 hits reaching platinum and gold sales. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s they shared the stage with many of Australia’s biggest acts and supported international act Billy Joel for an Australia wide 38 show tour. After taking time out to pursue their individual careers the girls reunited for ‘The 25 years of Mushroom Music’ in 1998, the ‘Countdown Spectacular’ tour in 2006 and again in 2012 when they supported Rick Astley on his Australian tour. THE CHANTOOZIES released their first new recording in 23 years in 2014, a cover of the Promises hit Baby It's You.

ROSE TATTOO, led by Angry Anderson, was formed in Sydney in 1976 and were renowned as "one of the most revered bands of all time” with their “peerless, street-level heavy blues’ with the emphasis on slide guitar and strident lyric statements". Rose Tattoo’s first four albums were produced by the legendary team of Harry Vanda and George Young who also worked with AC/DC, and spawned songs including Bad Boy for Love, Rock 'n' Roll Outlaw, Nice Boys, We Can't Be Beaten and Scarred for Life through the late 70s early 80s before disbanding in 1987.

Rose Tattoo subsequently reformed briefly in 1993 to support Guns N' Roses on an Australian tour and again from 1998 and have since released two more studio albums.

“Compu-PU-pu-PU-pu-PU Computer Games”! If that chorus from the MI-SEX hit isn’t familiar to you then you didn’t live through the early 80’s. This international hit single preceded the glut of similar-sounding British chart entrants by a year or more and became one of the defining pop-rock songs of the Australasian music-scape. It ascended to #1 on the Australian charts during November ’79 and hit the top five in New Zealand. By April 1980 Computer Games had charted in more than 20 countries, and had peaked inside the top ten in Canada, France, Austria, Italy, West Germany and South Africa. It took lead singer, Steve Gilpin’s unfortunate death in 1992 to force MI-SEX underground for 20 years and the simple acceptance of an invitation by Steve Balbi to front MI-SEX at a private party and the Christchurch Quake Relief Concert to confirm the right chemistry that would once again ignite their passion for "live performance" and we couldn’t be happier.

DYNAMIC HEPNOTICS formed in 1979 and disbanded in 1986. Mainstay, lead vocalist and front man, "Continental" Robert Susz formed the group in Sydney. They had chart success on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with a top 5 single, Soul Kind of Feeling in 1984. It was followed by Gotta Be Wrong (Way to Love) which reached the top 20 in 1985. Their album, Take You Higher, reached the top 20 on Albums Chart in June. In 1986, Soul Kind of Feeling won the APRA Music Award for 'Most Performed Australasian Popular Work'. In November 1998 Susz reformed The DYNAMIC HEPNOTICS to perform at the Mushroom 25 Live concert, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Mushroom Records. 

John ‘SWANEE’ Swan is a blue blood of the Australian rock scene. In 1978 he released his first album ‘Into the Night’ but his first major chart success was a rendition of Tim Hardin’s If I Were a Carpenter from the album This Time It’s Different. Success with the next two singles from the album immediately followed. Lady What’s Your Name and Temporary Heartache both screamed up the charts. SWANEE played all over the country, winning new fans wherever he went. He built a reputation as one of the best and most respected rock n roll singers in the country. Along came the Party Boys self-titled album which went number one in 3 weeks due to the success of the number one single He’s Gonna Step On You Again and top 10 hits Hold Your Head Up and Gloria.

REAL LIFE formed in Melbourne during the early 80’s. After working six nights a week, building a local following for a couple of years, they released their first record Send Me An Angel, from their first album, Heartland. The song was a big hit in most parts of the world. Other singles from that album were Openhearted, Catch Me I’m Falling and Always. REAL LIFE released their second and final album with the original line-up in 1985 titled Flame, which spawned some hits including Face To Face.