The Ataris Won’t Fly For Hits & Pits, Announce Separate Perth Date

Kris Roe, frontman of pop punk mainstays The Ataris, has come clean about his fear of flying on the band's Facebook page today and confirmed that the band will be driving around Australia when they are here as a part of the Hits & Pits tour later this year.

It was a mid-air incident Roe lived through on a recent solo tour of Australia that rattled the frontman and, as such, he now prefers to stay on the ground as much as possible.

“A few years back, while on one of my acoustic tours in Australia, one of the planes I was on was struck by lightning upon take off during a monsoon,” he explained on Facebook. “We got caught in a huge microburst of air and the plane came very close to crashing. It even made the news in your country. Luckily everyone lived through the incident but since that point we do our best to fly as little as possible.”

The Hits & Pits team have arranged for the band to tour Australia the old school way, driving from show to show throughout the national tour.

“The promoters for the HIts & Pits Festival arranged a way where we can travel Australia by car while the rest of the tour will fly from show to show. Not to mention we actually get to experience each city we visit and see more of each place than just airports and the backstage of clubs. There is nothing I love more than experiencing each place like a local, backpacking around on trains, buses… etc. and I have always dreamed of driving across the outback. Taking photography along the way. Well, this time around that will finally get to happen. Everyone has been very accommodating!”

Unfortunately, this means they won't make it over to Perth in time for that city's Hits & Pits date.

“Because of the travel time, we wouldn't make it to Perth quick enough to do that specific Hits and Pits date with the rest of the tour so Collateral Manage Co. booked our band our own headlining show on Nov 29th at Amplifier Bar instead.”

So, The Ataris play Amplifier in Perth on Friday 29 November. Tickets are already on sale, so hop to it.