Ups and Downs – Sleepless 40 Years On

Fri 2 Oct 7pm
Event's cover picture

Ups and Downs – Sleepless 40 Years On

Fri 2 Oct 7pm

Crowbar Brisbane, Brisbane

with The Double Happiness

Following last year’s sold out 40th anniversary tour, Australian jangle pop legends Ups and Downs are back with more things to celebrate. This time around, they are commemorating the 40th birthday of their acclaimed mini-album Sleepless, alongside a brand new EPRadio Is Dead.

At these four special shows, Ups and Downs will play Sleepless in its entirety for the very first time, along with a second set of their other hits and crowd favourites. Critics widely consider the 1986 Sleepless mini-album (featuring the indie hit single The Living Kind and their classic cover of Neil Diamond’s Solitary Man) to be a masterpiece of the 1980s Australian "paisley" and jangle pop eras.

Sleepless is routinely listed by music historians and critics as one of the essential underground Australian rock records, highlighting its moody, atmospheric guitar textures combined with glittering, harmony-drenched melodies.

At the same time, Ups and Downs are releasing a new EPRadio Is Dead–their first newmusic for over 10 years! From the sing-a-long angst of the title track, to the shimmering groove of the single Out Of Thin Air, where the band conjure pure guitar pop with a summery melody and classic harmonies-this is Ups and Downs at their sparkling best. Ups and Downs will play two sets on the night, guaranteeing you’ll hear all of Sleepless plus your favourites, somerare surprises from their back catalogue, and a sprinkling of new songs.

Since 2016, Brisbane’s The Double Happiness have been carving out their own corner of the underground with “surfgaze” — a hazy, twangy collision of surf guitar, spaghetti-western noir, post-punk attitude and shoegaze shimmer. Known for their suburban anthem ‘No Place Like Nundah’, the band now roll as a three-piece: Kristin Black (vocals/guitar), Peter Fergusson (vocals/lead guitar) and Simon Welchman (drums). Fresh from a sold-out Junk Bar show, The Double Happiness return with new songs, old favourites and plenty of reverb — soundtracking the strange, sun-bleached spaces between the suburbs, the coast and somewhere ever so slightly far out.

Get your tickets to one of these rare performances and pick up an exclusive Sleeplesst-shirt, available only at shows.