Michael Waugh Tour Dates

On September 6th, Michael Waugh releases his third album, The Weir – a record about growing up Australian, with songs from the dried cracked heart of Gippsland's irrigation reservoir, Lake Glenmaggie. To launch The Weir, Waugh releases the second single from the album – 'Big Things'.

'Big Things' takes us on a family car trip to see the 'big things' of Australia. It's meeting our country from the backseat of a car, dad trying to do a u-turn with a caravan in tow, and mum trying to read a road map upside down. It is fires that rip through Newry, the Macalister river bursting its banks, the casserole dishes brought by neighbours and a big sky rocket at the Lion's Park. It is about the things which you don't realise are big until you see them from a different perspective.

Waugh's two critically acclaimed albums to date, What We Might Be and The Asphalt & The Oval drew on his experiences growing up in an East Gippsland dairy farming community. They resonated with audiences and connected him to a community of peers. He performed at major festivals from The Port Fairy Folk Festival to The Gympie Muster, won awards and earned lofty praise from some heavyweight critics. Andrew McMillen wrote in The Australian "When Michael Waugh Opens his mouth, you should listen". Iconic singer songwriter Eric Bogle says of The Weir "In all its humour, cruelty, compassion, casual racism, love, loss, grief, and sheer mundanity, these songs have few equals in the current Australian music scene.

Waugh's insightful tributes to friends, family and parenthood are simultaneously deeply personal and nationally recognisable; audiences see their own brothers, parents, pubs, rivers, struggles and joys reflected in the faces of those characters who live large in Michael's songs.

On the making of the video Michael says: "Big Things is about family – and the making of this video was a real family affair. My good friend Miguel Rios shot and directed - assisted by his partner, Meredith O'Shea. Though, the real stars are Meredith and Miguel's kids. My favourite moment in the shoot was when Meredith gave them the direction to 'look sad like an orphan for mummy'. I was rolling around on the ground laughing too much for the kids to adopt the required look of abandonment.

"The concept was about these kids recreating the family car trip to see the big things of Australia. They use whatever is at hand – coat hangers become the harbour bridge, the fruit bowl raided to create the big banana, teddies duct taped onto the couch to be back seat passengers. Like the goldfish, temporarily displaced so the bowl can be used as an astronaut helmet, two little kids swim around the house – playing out the memory of that family trip. Because in another part of the house there are other big things happening."

'Big Things' the new single from Michael Waugh's forthcoming third album, produced by multi ARIA and Golden Guitar winning producer Shane Nicholson, is out now on Compass Bros Records / UMA.

Upcoming Show Dates:
Saturday 7th Sept – MELBOURNE LAUNCH SHOW - The Spotted Mallard – Melbourne, VIC
Sunday 8th September – Maffra Memorial Hall - Gippsland, VIC
Saturday 14th September – The Palais (w/ Shane Nicholson) – Hepburn Springs, VIC
Saturday 21st September – Sandy Point Music Club (with Gretta Ziller) – Sandy Point, VIC
Friday 4th October – Oodies Café (w/ Scott Cook) – Bundaberg, QLD
Saturday 12th – Saturday 19th October – Cruisin Country 2019
Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd November – Maldon Folk Festival – Maldon, VIC
Saturday 16th November – Humph Hall (w/ Gretta Ziller) - Allambie Heights, NSW
Sunday 17th November – Illawarra Folk Club show (w/Gretta Ziller) – Kiama, NSW
Saturday 23rd November – Burke and Wills Winery – Heathcote, VIC
Saturday 30th November – By the Banks Festival – Albury, VIC
Wednesday 11th December – The Lomond Hotel - East Brunswick, VIC