Luciferian inspired dark neo-folk artist, King Dude, will be in Australia in April for a series of captivating performances.
Over the past decade TJ Cowgill has released 7 albums under the King Dude moniker, each more striking, darker and epic than the last. Tackling subjects, with piercing poetry, ambition instrumentation and a sinister, atmospheric undertone. Pulling together the biblical sound and isolation of the bygone days of revelation with an air of hope and salvation, King Dude has woven his own brand of American music.
Beginning the King Dude project in 2010 with the barren and eerie acoustic tracks of My Beloved Ghost. Cowgill’s sound has seen a staggering evolution, strapping his plaintive songs with bombastic ‘80s sheen as seen on the albums Fear (2014) and Sex (2016) while still dabbling in heart stringing Luciferian balladry as demonstrated on 2015’s Songs of Flesh & Blood — In The Key of Light.
His latest release, Music To Make War To (Ván Records) is a ten-song chronicle of war in all its iterations—within families, between hearts, across borders and beyond and finds the King Dude persona at its most poised and fully realized.
The album features a blues-inflected duet with Josephine Olivia (of dark wave duo Blacksage) entitled Good & Bad. the video for which, completes a trilogy of clips produced for the album
Watch the intoxicating video here
The galloping siren song Velvet Rope and the grim hymn Time To Go To War round out the trio of videos.
“Music To Make War To is an effort to explore what living in a perpetual state of conflict means to humanity,” Cowgill says of the album’s intent. “It represents an attempt to find war in less conventional places and explain those findings through allegory and rock n’ roll. Now more than ever, in times like these when it appears that some invisible yet inevitable war is on the horizon, -it is crucial to recall the past and the total reality of war.”
Everything from British Folk, Americana, Country and Blues can be heard in King Dude songs. Even tinges of metal tend to sneak and slither their way into the King Dude canon. The resulting songs are much more of a modern day hymn than your average pop song. King Dude’s music beg’s the soul to lift itself up from the darkness of ignorance, towards the ever shining glorious “Light” that exists outside of all of us yet that which we are eternally connected to and at once connects everyone on Earth.
This tour marks the very first time King Dude will be performing on mainland Australia!
These shows will also feature some of Australia’s best purveyors of musical darkness including Spire, Volkmar, Euphorbia, Greytomb, Dandelion Wine and Burden Man.
Do not miss this incredible evening of Nick Cave meets Twin Peaks inspired darkness.
TOUR DATES
Friday, April 5: Enigma Bar, Adelaide
with Spire, Volkmar & Euphorbia
Tickets here
Saturday, April 6: The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne
with Spire, Volkmar, Greytomb and Dandelion Wine
Tickets here
Friday, April 12: Crowbar, Brisbane
with Spire, Volkmar & Burden Man
Tickets here
Saturday, April 13: The Vanguard, Sydney
with Spire, Volkmar & Euphorbia
Tickets here
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