2022 marks 40 years since the inaugural release of Icehouse’s legendary anthem 'Great Southern Land'
Icehouse’s unofficial Australian anthem, ‘Great Southern Land’, is turning 40 years young in 2022 and the band are heading to Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne to celebrate the song that’s been the soundtrack to everything from discussions about Mabo and the impassioned theme to the Australian cricket team walking on the field, to having a plane named after it.
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Four decades on, the special three-date concert series celebrating the song’s anniversary will see Icehouse joined by a number of acclaimed guests for performances at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on November 19, Brisbane Riverstage in Brisbane on November 26, and Sydney Opera House Forecourt in Sydney on December 12.
Special international guests The Psychedelic Furs will join the bill as the main support at both the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne and the Brisbane Riverstage. Bursting out of the English post punk music scene in the early eighties, the band had worldwide hits with the title track to the John Hughes seminal film ‘Pretty In Pink’ and their anthemic otherworldly ballad ‘Love My Way’. This is their first visit to Australia since 2006.
Legendary Australian musician Mark Seymour and his band The Undertow will also be performing in Melbourne, and on the final date of the tour at the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
‘Great Southern Land’ was first released in August 1982 as the lead single from Icehouse’s multi-platinum second studio album, Primitive Man. The song debuted at #5 on the Australian Singles Chart and made its debut on triple j (2JJJ as it was known then).
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‘Great Southern Land’ has been a part of almost every Australian summer soundtrack for the past 40 years and in 2014, it was inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry. It’s also been remixed a number of times, most notably Bill Laswell’s The Great Southern Mix, clocking in at almost 16 minutes, and the Byrralku Dhangudha remix from 1994 which features Indigenous musicians playing and singing the chorus in their own language. Its message is as current and relevant today as it was when it first appeared.
The writing of Great Southern Land was triggered when Davies became incredibly homesick during the first Icehouse overseas concert tour.
“I recall the lightbulb moment when I was flying from east coast Australia to the west, falling asleep over inland desert and waking several hours later still over desert — for the first time, the continent’s vastness really hit home,” Davies says.
Icehouse Great Southern Land 2022 Concert Series
Saturday November 19 – Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl VIC
Icehouse
The Psychedelic Furs
Mark Seymour & The Undertow
Motor Ace
Emma Donovan & The Putbacks
Saturday November 26 – Brisbane, Brisbane Riverstage QLD
Icehouse
The Psychedelic Furs
Alice Skye
Monday December 12 – Sydney, Sydney Opera House Forecourt NSW
Icehouse
Mark Seymour & The Undertow
William Barton
Karen Lee Andrews
Tickets for all shows go on sale Thursday 21 July, 9am (local time). My Live Nation members can secure tickets first during the exclusive pre-sale Wednesday 20 July, 10am – Thursday 21 July, 9am (local time). Head here for more info.
