Bad//DreemsThey’ve been a staple of Adelaide's music scene for close to 15 years now, and with a new album on the way (but a suspiciously South Australian-shaped hole in their tour schedule), Bad//Dreems have announced the launch of their own Gather Sounds festival.
Set to take place across the Adelaide Uni Cloisters and Unibar, the two-night affair will kick off on April 10th with Bad//Dreems launching their new album, Ultra Dundee. They'll be joined by good friends West Thebarton, The Empty Threats, and Jon Ann.
Meanwhile, the next day will be a two-stage festival headlined by Beddy Rays, Grinspoon's Phil Jamieson, and Bad//Dreems themselves, who will be joined by a number of special guests.
The rest of the fest will be rounded out by acts such as Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys, Dr Piffle & The Burlap Band, Don't Thank Me Spank Me, The Gnomes, Placement, Kurralta Park, Ricky Albeck, and Jack Griffith.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
Inspired by the band’s love of local football and their very own hometown, the event had been programmed to coincide with the AFL Gather Round, which sees more than 50,000 footy fans from around the country descending upon the City of Churches.
“Gather Round has been great for Adelaide and we saw it as a unique opportunity to spotlight and celebrate local and independent music,” says guitarist Alex Cameron.
News of the band’s festival also coincides with the release of their latest single, Irish Airman, the third single taken from their forthcoming album, Ultra Dundee, which officially releases on March 20th.
The track follows on from recent singles Shadowland and Ultra Dundee, with its accompanying clip (directed by Kaius Potter) being the third in a four-part film series based around the titular character Ultra Dundee, played by vocalist Ben Marwe.
“Irish Airman is inspired by the WB Yeats poem An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” Cameron explains. “An initial recording was made during the Lockdown with John Lee, an amazing producer who has made great albums with artists like Lost Animal and Laura Jean.
“As is often the case we found it hard to replicate what was captured on this recording, so we ended up using many elements of it, in addition to what we recorded in Adelaide at Mixmasters.”
Bad//Dreems will embark upon a run of national tour dates in promotion of their new album in April, with a second date in Sydney being announced following a recent sell-out. Tickets to those shows are on sale now, while Ultra Dundee is available for pre-order.
Bad//Dreems Presents Ultra Dundee – Australian Tour 2025
With The Pretty Littles
Friday, April 10th – Saturday, April 11th – Gather Sounds, Adelaide, SA
Friday, April 18th – Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne, VIC
Thursday, April 30th – Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney, NSW
Friday, May 1st – Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney, NSW (Sold Out)
Saturday, May 2nd – Brightside Outdoors, Brisbane, QLD
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
