Illy Announces 'The Swear Jar' Headline Tour Dates

Celebrated local rapper Illy has stormed back into the spotlight recently with new single Swear Jar, and now the veteran rhymesmith is looking to hit the road early next year for a series of headline performances in support of the fresh cut.

Illy will commence his Swear Jar national tour in Darwin, at Discovery, on Friday 12 February, heading to ellow far-flung stopover Perth, where he'll perform at Capitol on 13 February, along with national tour supports Dylan Joel and Citizen Kay. From there, Illy hits the east coast — starting in Melbourne (170 Russell, Friday 19 February), the roadshow heads through Sydney (Metro Theatre, 20 February), Brisbane (The Triffid, Friday 26 February), Coolangatta (Coolangatta Hotel, 27 February) and Canberra (Academy, Friday 4 March), ultimately ending up in Adelaide, where the run comes to a close at The Gov on Saturday 12 March.

Swear Jar marks the first new work from Illy since 2013's widely lauded album Cinematic, and showcases the songwriter's growth in more ways than one; as part of the song's release, Illy has collaborated with mental-wellness organisation beyondblue to create a virtual swear jar, where friends and fans can donate cash each time they drop an unnecessary curse in their everyday lives.

The song's themes are also incredibly timely, with Illy describing it as "a light-hearted take on two very serious issues: that rare breed of dickhead artist who thinks they're God's gift to the world, and the far more common breed of dickhead that you find dwelling online, hurling abuse at others".

"They both suck," Illy said in a statement. "I wanted to write a song for them, and here it is. I hope they don't like it."

(But we hope you do.)

Tickets for Illy's 2016 Swear Jar Tour go on sale from 9am local time this Friday, 11 December, via Illy's website.

See theGuide or check The Music App for more information.