Pub Rock Vets X Announce 40th Anniversary Tour & Best-of Album

Veteran Sydney punk/pub-rock outfit X have announced a string of shows this July and August to celebrate their 40th anniversary, along with a best-of vinyl release focused on their heyday.

Founding member Steve Lucas will be joined by Kim Volkman (Love Addicts) and Doug Falconer (Hunters & Collectors) for the seven-date run, which kicks off at Melbourne's Prince Of Wales on Friday 14 July and screams through Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Fremantle, Perth and Adelaide, where they close out at The Gov on Saturday 5 August.

Lucas, the group's sole remaining living founder, has also announced that the tour will feature a limited-edition vinyl collector's album titled X-Citations: Best Of X, The Early Years 1977-82.

Formed in 1977, X's earliest stint burned as quickly as it did brightly, with the band's original line-up — Lucas, Ian Rilen, Ian Krahe and Steve Cafiero — having disbanded by 1980.

However, they left behind a seminal Australian album, X-Aspirations, that year, an album so notable that it earned a mention as one of the listed releases in Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell's 2010 book, The 100 Best Australian Albums.

The band reformed in 1983, with Canberra-based drummer Cathy Green stepping in on drums following Cafiero's untimely death. They released their second album, At Home With You, in 1985, and third effort X & More in 1989.

X-Spurts, a collection of demos by the original line-up, was released in 2011.

Tickets for all shows on X's 40th-anniversary tour are on sale now.

See theGuide for a full list of venues, dates and other booking details.