The Belligerents Unveil New Single & Tour Dates

In-form Brissy crew The Belligerents are stacking their plate over the coming months as they prepare for the release of their eagerly awaited debut album, announcing a run of local shows today in support of just-released new single Before, I Am.

Kicking off at The Hills Are Alive, in South Gippsland, on Saturday 26 March, the band will make their way to the Hunter Valley's Gum Ball the following month, on Friday 22 April, getting under way proper from there to take in performances in Adelaide (Rocket Bar, 28 April), Melbourne (Gasometer, 29 April), Sydney (Brighton Up Bar, 30 April), Gold Coast (Elsewhere, 6 May), Sunshine Coast (Sol Bar, 7 May) and Brisbane, where they wrap up the tour with a show at The Foundry on Friday 13 May.

The boys are no doubt itching to hit the road, too, with the album's recording process taking place "in a remote location" off the country's east coast.

"To record the album, we set up a studio in a big farm house on Stradbroke Island," bassist/producer Konstantin Kersting said in a statement. "We hired and borrowed a heap of gear to make it work and it actually turned out to be the most fun recording session we've ever been a part of.

"Most of the recording was done in the living room, some of the guitars were recorded in the bedrooms and bathroom, and the control-room area was set up in the kitchen. We spent a total of two weeks there and walked away with a pretty much finished full-length album."

Before, I Am is the first taste of that album — not only as its initial single, but its opening track — and highlights the newfound freedom the band found in uprooting themselves to lay it down.

"Before, I Am is different from previous releases in the sense that we recorded in a totally different location which wasn't a 'real' recording studio," Kersting said. "That gave us the freedom to experiment with some different and unusual sounds and really push ourselves to explore new ground, both in terms of production and songwriting."

Give it a bash below. Tickets for all of The Belligerents' upcoming shows are available through a variety of outlets.

the belligerents - before, i am tour dates & tickets

Saturday 26 March - Hills Are Alive, South Gippsland (Tickets)
Friday 22 April - The Gum Ball, Hunter Valley NSW (Tickets)
Thursday 28 April - Rocket Bar, Adelaide (Tickets)
Friday 29 April - Gasometer, Melbourne (Tickets)
Saturday 30 April - Brighton Up Bar, Sydney (Tickets)
Friday 6 May - Elsewhere, Gold Coast (Tickets)
Saturday 7 May - Sol Bar, Sunshine Coast (Tickets)
Friday 13 May - The Foundry, Brisbane (Tickets)