Australia's Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore, aka Empire Of The Sun, have been creating futuristic dreamscapes for over a decade now. The release of their debut album, Walking On A Dream, teleported their unique blend of electro-pop and glam-rock—and overall otherworldly aesthetic—to the states in 2009.
Now, a decade later, the duo is celebrating their golden year with a 16-date Decade Anniversary Tour, following the release of a special-edition Walking On A Dream vinyl reissue, which includes a previously-unreleased song, "Crysalis."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Extremely excited to announce our Decade Anniversary Tour - celebrating Walking On A Dream. Hear some of the favorites from the album re-imagined with the Emperor. Tickets on sale Friday. Complete dates: <a href="https://t.co/xxgG5p69ee">https://t.co/xxgG5p69ee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WalkingOnADream10?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WalkingOnADream10</a> <a href="https://t.co/YL2CoyUr3p">pic.twitter.com/YL2CoyUr3p</a></p>— Empire of the Sun (@EmpireOfTheSun) <a href="https://twitter.com/EmpireOfTheSun/status/1097875591087321088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As a press release highlights, the tour will bring the duo to "intimate venues across the country, with two-night stands in numerous cities, including Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles." Following a headline spot at the M3F music fest in Phoenix, Ariz. on March 2, the tour will kick off on May 30 with two nights at the Metro Chicago, a 1,100-capacity indie-favorite concert spot.
The duo will also bring their opulent costumes and theater-worthy stage design to Boston and Dallas, as well as Seattle, Wash., and Denver which will have two shows each. The U.S. portion of the tour will close out at the historic 1,200-capacity Fonda Theatre in L.A. on June 30. Two Europe dates have also been announced, in London on July 9 and Paris on July 10.
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The Aussie's debut single, also titled "Walking On A Dream," was released in their home market in Aug. 2008, with the album following in Oct. 2008. The single and album made its way to the North American market in March and April of 2009. The upbeat, anthem song and cinematic music video were a perfect introduction to Empire Of The Sun.
The reissue of the album features "Crysalis," a previously-unreleased track recorded during the time of the first-album, with a synth-pop beat and empowering lyrics that take you back to the group's beginnings; "And we all rise/From the shadows, from the slumber, sun rise./Each and everyone/It's gonna be alright if we stick together for all time." A special-edition 10th anniversary vinyl of the album is available on the group's merch site, and includes the track.
Tickets for the Decade Anniversary Tour go on sale this Friday, Feb. 22, at 10:00 a.m. local time, find more info on the duo's website.
