Australia has had a love affair with rockers The Angels for more than 40 years.
But with the band’s rebirth in the last five years – which features two new albums and three new members, including lead singer and Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson – it seems The Angels are also winning over a younger generation, abroad as well as at home.
Guitarist Rick Brewster, one of the band’s founding members, was overwhelmed by the positive reception they received on last year’s European tour.
“We did a London show which was great, and there were a lot of young members in the audience,” he said.
“The Paris show went off in a huge way too. The audience, who were singing the guitar solos, were actually louder than the band – I’ve never experienced that before.”
The Angels are hoping for a similarly warm welcome when they head out on the road for their Hardwired Tour this July, which will kick off at Rooty Hill RSL on Friday, July 1.
The band will be joined by New Zealander rockers Mi-Sex, who reformed in 2011 with ex-Noiseworks member Steve Balbi taking on the role of frontman.
The Angels and Mi-Sex have run in the same musical crowd since the early days, and Rick admits they’re keen to get on the road, not just for the music but also for the camaraderie.
“When you’re touring it really helps if they’re a good bunch of guys, which they are,” he said.
While his passion for the classic tracks may have waxed and waned at various points over the decades, for Rick the last five years with Dave at the helm have brought a new sense of life to the band.
“I’m not going to pretend that there haven’t been gigs or even periods of touring where I’ve felt like I was just going through the motions, or the band was going through the motions, that does happen but it hasn’t happened in the last five years,” he said.
Though the familiar pull of new melodies is never far from their mind, for the time being the band’s primary focus is on their upcoming tour.
The Angels and Mi-Sex will be performing at Rooty Hill RSL on Friday, July 1 at 8pm. Tickets are $45. For more information or to purchase tickets to the concert, visit www.rootyhillrsl.com.au or call 9677 4916.
