Published November 11, 2021

The hard-working prodigal sons of Sydney, Gang Of Youths, are returning home after a few years living over in London to smash out a massive national tour. Their biggest Aussie shows to date are a part of their extensive 2022 world tour to promote their long-thirsted-after third studio album, angels in realtime, which is finally landing with us in February.

Hitting Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand in July and August, the five-piece will kick things off in Perth on July 30th, before flicking over to Adelaide and then swinging around to Sydney and Melbourne. The band will then head down to Hobart for the band’s yet-to-be-announced A More Perfect Union festival, before popping over to Wellington and Auckland, and then back to Brisbane for another festival date that’s just as mysterious as the Tassie one.

Tickets for all the shows bar Brisbane and Hobart are on sale from 9am local time on Friday, November 19th from the Handsome Tours website, with a cheeky Aussie presale happening on the Telstra website from 3pm local time on Tuesday, November 16.

It’s not lost on me that the boys are playing their first Aussie date just days after a certain major music festival on the NSW north coast, nor the fact the US leg of the world tour wraps up at the end of May. Just a casual couple of months break there at a wonderfully convenient time, hey lads? Yeah, I’m watching you.

Not only have they announced the massive world tour including a string of homecoming shows and a brand new album, Gang Of Youths have also blessed us with a chill new song.

The new track ‘tend the garden’ dropped today and is perfect for this weirdly crisp spring morning, it’s all chill and sax-heavy while still feeling delightfully uplifting. Inspired by the late father of singer Dave Le’aupepe – who held a passion for gardening – the new song explores his journey from Samoa to New Zealand to Australia, and the time he spent tending to the beautiful surroundings he raised Dave in.

“My dad was a gifted and passionate gardener. It’s where he funnelled a lot of his energy and sensitivity, and despite our humble economic status, we were always surrounded by beauty,” Dave said.

“The journey he made from Samoa to NZ to Australia was a difficult and inspiring one, but also fraught with mistakes, regret and terrible choices. I like to think he was building something beautiful, and pondering what life had given him in spite of his mistakes and concealment.

“We never knew his story until after he died, so this is the most poetic interpretation of his affinity for gardening that I could think of.”

The whole album, angels in realtime, is about Dave’s dad’s life and legacy, and also touches on elements of Indigenous identity, death, grief, and faith.

Not only does it instil that Gang Of Youths big alternative rock energy we know and love, the album largely features samples of recorded Indigenous music from the Polynesian islands and South Pacific region, and a host of features from Pasifika and Māori musicians and singers. February 25 can’t come fast enough, this one’s going to be truly special.