Aussie rockers Kingswood adds Townsville date to epic national tour

Looking to rebuild post-Covid, Aussie rockers Kingswood are returning to Townsville. Find out why their new album is sitting at #1 on the country music chart.

Kingswood playing at the 5 Spot in Nashville, which has influenced their sound over the years. Picture: Supplied.

Rising from the ashes of the pandemic-devastated live music scene, an Aussie band has rebuilt a tour bus, and locked in a Townsville gig for an epic national tour to rebuild their fan base.

Formed in Melbourne in 2009, rock band Kingswood has struck the right chord with music fans, with their first three albums peaking on the ARIA charts at #6, #10, and #14.

After visiting Townsville several times over the years, where local audiences were “warm, joyous, and amazing”, lead guitarist Alex Laska said they missed touring, which had been “decimated over the last three years”.

“Music suffered huge setbacks, and a huge decay and diminishing of the industry and we were not immune from that,” Laska said.

“So we’re taking it upon ourselves to grow the band again, basically from the ground up in support of our new album and come out of Covid really firing.”

At the start of the year, the band’s members downed their instruments and got on the tools.

They spent six weeks upgrading the sleeping quarters on their tour bus in preparation for an ambitious 120+ stop national tour.

Kingswood at their home away from home in Nashville. Picture: Supplied.

Never afraid to evolve and expand their sound between albums, Laska said their new album Home was southern rock, heavily inspired by the country music legends he listened to during the pandemic.

From George Jones, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, through to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kingswood has embraced an alt-country style that is popular in Nashville, Tennessee – their home away from home.

Kingswood's Jack, Fergus, Alex and Josh in Nashville on the eve of their European tour. Picture: Supplied.

“I always loved westerns and cowboy culture and all that stuff when I was a kid,” he said.

“It was always something that was hanging around the back of my mind wanting to put something like this together.”

Since Home’s release on February 24, Kingswood has experienced tremendous success on the ARIA’s Australian Country Albums chart, holding tightly to the #1 position for the past fortnight.

When the tour reaches Townsville’s Dalrymple Hotel on April 28, Laska says locals should expect “the best version of Kingswood they’ve ever seen. The most dynamic, the most musically intimate, the most considered”.

Over the coming months, NQ music fans will also be treated to the Deja Vu music festival at Cluden Park on March 25, and the Tropic Sounds music festival at Reid Park, on May 27.

For more information and tickets, visit: www.kingswoodband.com

Originally published as Aussie rockers Kingswood adds Townsville date to epic national tour