The Whitlams Black Stump Band refashions Tim Freedman’s biggest hit as a three minute slice of banjo bliss – “No Aphrodisiac”, the ARIA Song of the Year in 1998, and JJJ Hottest 100 No. 1 has a new sound, as a seductive piece of Americana.
The single is released to celebrate the band’s impending baptism on the Country music festival circuit with its Saturday night main stage spot at the Deni Ute Muster in September, and its headline at the Darwin Festival in late August.
The band has been working on its debut album since mid 2021 and this is the last single before the long player’s release in February next year.
In August 2022 the band wound their way down the East Coast from Cairns to Queenscliff in a three week tour that cemented their musical bond. The five piece features Rod McCormack and Matt Fell, two CMAA Producers of the Year, on banjo and bass, and young gun Ollie Thorpe on electric and pedal steel guitar. Freedman is joined by long-time Whitlam, Terepai Richmond, on drums.
The 2022 singles “The Day John Sattler Broke His Jaw” and “Blow Up the Pokies” became staples on Country radio, and the latest track, “Kate Kelly” (featuring Felicity Urquhart), highlighted their ethos of telling Australian stories.
In 1999 The Whitlams shot the music video for “Blow Up the Pokies” at an empty, dilapidated theatre in Woolloongabba. That theatre has been recently restored and Brisbane is now blessed with the 500 seater hosting gigs once more.
The Whitlams Black Stump Band returned to the charming Princess Theatre to play its final show of the recent Big City Debut tour in April this year. The video for the single was filmed during that performance. It is a love song to the Princess Theatre, a love song to the joys of attending shows, and a snapshot of camaraderie on the road –
Once again, our erratic protagonist will grace festival stages and lament “There’s no aphrodisiac like loneliness – forty, shaved, sexy, wants to do it all day….”
TOUR DATES
Sunday, 27 August – Darwin Festival – Darwin, NT
Thursday, 28 September – The Victoria – Bathurst, NSW
Friday, 29 September – The Basement – Canberra, ACT
Saturday, 30 September – Deni Ute Muster (Main Stage) – Deniliquin, NSW
Thursday, 25 January 2024 – TCMF – Capitol Theatre – Tamworth, NSW
**Tickets are on sale now and available via https://thewhitlams.com/tour/
