Agnes Obel

With her keenly awaited debut Australian tour kicking off on Tuesday, Frontier Touring can confirm that joining Agnes Obel on-stage for her debut Australian shows will be Melbourne’s favourite dream-pop duo Slow Galo.

After touring and recording with contemporary folk 6-piece, HOY, Liam Linely and Felicity Cripps have stripped everything back for their latest project – Slow Galo. A mesmerising mix of minimalist indietronica and percussive folk saturated with harmonies, warm synths and electronic beats, Slow Galo is the culmination of years of song writing, performing and travelling together.

Like Agnes herself the duo block out the noise and perform with minimal fuss - mostly two electric guitars balanced with heart-stirring boy/girl vocals. Referencing diverse musical influences ranging from Vashti Bunyan to The Go-Betweens, Slow Galo have created a rollicking, dreamy set of original material with their debut self-titled EP (listen on soundcloud here). The EP was produced by Tim Harvey (Sally Seltmann, Super Hooper) and features some of Melbourne’s finest including Tim Harvey, Jimmy Saunders (Colour Bomb, Gotye) and Daniel Twomey (Lower Plenty).

Agnes Obel’s debut album Philharmonics (out now through [PIAS] Australia) sold over 450,000 copies across Europe, achieving Platinum status in France and Belgium. It was also certified five times platinum in her native Denmark where it spent seven consecutive weeks at #1. Her live performances have been lauded as a captivating display of remarkable talent:

‘Many were in tears throughout the near 90 minute set… In all, one of the finest performances you'll find a concert hall worldwide. If Agnes Obel comes to town in the future, make sure you buy tickets now.’ – LADeli ????1/2

‘As this bewitching show proved, Obel excels at the poignant end of the spectrum. At the close, the audience’s reverent attention exploded into rapturous acclaim’ – The Financial Times 

Sophomore album Aventine, (out now through [PIAS] Australia, watch the clip for single The Curse here) has been equally celebrated as a powerful follow-up to her debut with music tastemakers The Quietus exclaiming “Aventine is a triumph of carefully sustained mood; of a sadness that is not so much overbearing as it beautiful, and one that lingers in the silences between listens of this unusual, unusually compelling record.”

Agnes’ shows will see the Danish composer perform at the Old Museum in Brisbane, City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney and Elisabeth Murdoch Hall in Melbourne. These utterly unique venues combined with Slow Galo as special guests make for a series of performances unlike any other. With only limited tickets remaining make sure you don’t miss out!

Frontier Touring can confirm that Danish singer/songwriter Agnes Obel will bring her masterful skills behind the piano and in front of the mic to audiences in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this November.

Marking the first time the talented songstress will tour Australia, Agnes will perform in the unique setting of The Old Museum in Brisbane, City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney and Elisabeth Murdoch Hall in Melbourne for a series of shows that promise to be utterly unforgettable.

With her mother a brilliant musician and her father a collector of instruments, it’s only natural that Agnes mastered the piano from a very young age. By the release of debut album Philharmonics (Out now through [PIAS] Australia, watch the clip for single ‘Riverside’ here) in 2010 Agnes was announced as a force to be reckoned with. Drawing comparisons to Joni Mitchell, Carole King and admitted influence French composer Erik Satie, Philharmonics sold over 450,000 copies across Europe. It achieved Platinum status in France and Belgium, Gold in Holland and five times platinum in her native Denmark, where it spent seven consecutive weeks at #1. Philharmonics saw Agnes picked up five Danish Music Awards (the Danish Brits) in 2011 for Best Album Of The Year, Best Pop Release Of The Year, Best Debut Artist Of The Year, Best Female Artist Of The Year and Best Songwriter Of The Year.

Second album Aventine (out now through [PIAS] Australia, watch the clip for single The Curse here) cemented Agnes’ place as a masterful composer, perfectly framing her piano and vocals with cello for a deeper, richer sound that never compromised the delicate intimacy that had made her debut so unique. Agnes said of Aventine "I recorded everything quite closely, miking everything closely in a small room, with voices here, the piano here – everything is close to you. So it's sparse, but by varying the dynamic range of the songs I could create almost soundscapes. I was able to make something feel big with just these few instruments”. Aventine once again scored Agnes a #1 in her homeland and reached top ten albums charts all through Europe, also soaring to #28 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. If critics weren’t already paying attention to Agnes, they were now, as Aventine collected near universal acclaim.

‘The lyrics are impressionistic sketches, suggesting she saved the real firepower for the exquisite arrangements: sculpting strings and piano into beautifully melancholy ripples. Like Ane Brun and Seventh Tree-era Alison Goldfrapp, Obel is exceedingly good at conveying weariness and disorientation through sound… A wonderful autumn album.’ – The Guardian ????

‘This album is simply stunning and, if possible, even more captivating than her first album. 'Aventine' is nothing short of mesmerising and it is clear that this 'difficult second album' will live up to expectation and could quite possibly surpass the success of its predecessor.’
– Contact Music 5/5

But Agnes is as adept a performer as she is a composer and once on-stage can translate the intimacy and tension of her harmonies into a spellbinding display of raw talent and a master class of live performance:

 ‘Tonight was more than just a concert, it was a near religious experience. Agnes is a rare mythical creature; a beautifully tormented creative soul living in a world of magical fairytale who I feel is worthy of all the great successes that will surely continue to come her way.’ – Bristol Live Magazine

‘At the close, the audience’s reverent attention exploded into rapturous acclaim.’  – Financial Times ????

‘The UK is slowly figuring out what northern Europe has known for a while – that Copenhagen-born, Berlin-based classically trained pianist and singer Agnes Obel is a master of her craft with a bright future ahead of her.’ – The Guardian ????

Agnes also recently returned to SXSW this year to perform a celebrated showcase that the Austin Chronicle called “both fiercely feminine and deeply powerful”.

Having mesmerised audiences throughout Europe, Agnes Obel’s Australian performances are a rare opportunity to see a remarkable talent in an exceptional venue.