The Black Keys launched their tour of Australia with a performance at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in New South Wales Sunday night, with Sydney natives Royal Headache opening. The tour continues with two nights at the Sydney Entertainment Centre (the limited-edition poster for which, designed by Ken Taylor, can be seen at left), followed by shows in Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, and two nights at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne. The Black Keys head to New Zealand next for tour stops in Auckland and Wellington. The band tours Europe and the UK in late November and into December, returning to the States to close out the year with two shows at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, December 30 and 31. See below or all of the currently scheduled 2012 tour dates; for additional details and ticket links, go to nonesuch.com/on-tour.
Tour Rehearsal Tapes, a new digital EP from The Black Keys, which was recently made available on iTunes, is now available in the Nonesuch Store as both MP3 and FLAC files. The EP features six songs recorded live in the studio during December 2011. The tracks "underscore the explosive musical energy between guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney," says the Independent's Andy Gill in a four-star review of the EP. "Auerbach’s guitar riffs are stripped to the bone, while Carney is a massive engine driving sporty little riffs ... The Keys here display a ruthless combination of punch and stridency currently unparalleled in the live arena."
The EP comes as the duo’s acclaimed 2011 full-length album, El Camino, is officially certified RIAA Platinum in the US. It is also Platinum in Ireland and UK; double Platinum in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand; and Gold in Belgium and France. Released December 6, 2011, on Nonesuch Records, El Camino was produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys and was recorded in the band’s new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. The record debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200. The band’s 2010 breakthrough album, Brothers, is also certified RIAA Platinum.
THE BLACK KEYS ON TOUR 2012
Oct 21 |
Newcastle Entertainment Centre |
Broadmeadow, AUSTRALIA
|
Oct 22&23 |
Sydney Entertainment Centre |
Sydney, AUSTRALIA
|
Oct 26 |
Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
|
Oct 28 |
Rock It Festival |
Perth, AUSTRALIA
|
Oct 30 |
Adelaide Entertainment Centre |
Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
|
Oct 31–Nov 1 |
Sidney Myer Music Bowl |
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
|
Nov 3 |
Vector Arena |
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
|
Nov 5 |
TSB Bank Arena |
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
|
Nov 27 |
Atlántico |
Lisbon, PORTUGAL
|
Nov 28 |
Palacio de Deportes |
Madrid, SPAIN
|
Nov 30 |
Halle Tony Garnier |
Lyon, FRANCE
|
Dec 1 |
Palaolimpico |
Turin, ITALY
|
Dec 3 |
Ziggo Dome |
Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS
|
Dec 4 |
Olympiahalle |
Munich, GERMANY
|
Dec 5 |
ISS Dome |
Dusseldorf, GERMANY
|
Dec 7 |
Metro Radio Arena |
Newcastle, UK
|
Dec 11 |
Areba |
Manchester, UK
|
Dec 12&13 |
O2 Arena |
London, UK
|
Dec 30&31 |
Hard Rock Hotel |
Las Vegas, NV
|