Setting the stage: Voyager performed at Eurovision this year after many years of hard work. Photo by Michael Dann
Photo by
MICHAEL DANN
Having formed in 1999 in Perth, electro-prog-metal group Voyager have been one of the hardest working bands in the country. Recently they enjoyed a welcome and well-deserved boost to their profile, after their appearance representing Australia at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, where they came in at ninth place.
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“We dedicated the entire year to Eurovision and have made so many sacrifices for it to happen; I’m so stoked we got in the top 10,” Voyager bass player and vocalist Alex Canion told this column last week.
“Eurovision was watched live by 163 million people this year, and thankfully it’s really boosted our profile.
“Ultimately as a band our main goal is to gain more exposure, and while touring non-stop for so many years certainly achieved that, nothing can compare to Eurovision in that department.”
The band are about to release their eighth studio album, Fearless In Love, next month which showcases their musical cocktail of ’80s synthpop and modern progressive metal.
“Expect to hear the catchy earworm-laden compositions you’ve come to expect from us, with epic production to boot,” Canion said.
“The album itself is a powerful, melancholic and uplifting journey from start to finish but also charts our entire Eurovision journey, with the inclusion of our songs Dreamer and Promise, which we performed on both Australia Decides and Eurovision 2023 respectively.
“Voyager has a lot to offer to people with varied music tastes.
“We’re so proud of this album and think it’s definitely some of our best work, so I’d encourage everyone to check it out.”
Earlier this month the band kicked off a national tour and in October will head off overseas for an extensive set of dates.
“We’ll head to Europe and the UK for our first ever headliner tour, which is really exciting!” Canion said.
“No plans for the regional touring circuit this time round, unfortunately, but it’s something we’d love to do in the future.”
Heavy metal legends Iron Maiden are the latest in a line of music icons to receive their own edition of the popular game board Monopoly. The edition is titled Iron Maiden Somewhere On Tour Monopoly and follows Queen and Metallica, who have also received their own editions of the game.
• More music doco flicks are heading our way. Eighties popsters Wham! hit Netflix next month, while the story of infamous pop duo Milli Vanilli is also scheduled for release on streaming platforms later this year.
• A fan-produced book on one of Australia’s most loved bands, INXS, is set for publication in October. Titled Calling All Nations — A Fan History Of INXS, it details the band’s story from INXS fans’ perspectives.
• In its five-year run, Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which kicked off in September 2018 and will end next month, has become the biggest grossing tour in history, having generated close to $900 million.
Joe’s industry editorial
The vinyl record has enjoyed a revival of popularity in recent years. Last year sales of vinyl albums outsold CDs for the first time since 1987. The huge demand for vinyl has seen waiting times for vinyl pressing steadily increase, so much so that pressing plants can’t keep up, causing delays of up to 12 months. So, will cassettes be the next revival?
The delays have caused a vacuum where now the humble cassette is finding favour again. While the cassette has mainly been a small niche market for DIY labels and indie bands, and with vinyl records providing a healthy income stream for artists and labels alike, the bigger acts and labels are now hoping to reap similar benefits from cassette sales. Artists from Harry Styles and Lady Gaga to Billie Eilish, Metallica and Lana Del Rey have put out cassette releases alongside their normal vinyl and CD counterparts.
While Australia is yet to catch up, I’ve personally seen this trend slowly developing over the past decade, especially while on tour in Europe. While I was touring Poland in 2014, cassettes were still being sold and advertised on public billboards, as my photo shows. And in 2016, I self-released a limited run of Live In London cassettes in Europe, which quickly sold out.
Record Store Day has also given a huge boost to cassettes, with special cassette releases the order of the day. So, will cassette demand go the same way as vinyl? If so, it points clearly to the fact that music consumers are wanting more than to stream or download music. Are they seeking more of an experience of music, like the days of old, where both the visual and aural aspects of music were all-encompassing? Are they wanting a tangible piece of art in their hands that gives them this experience, something that the digitalisation of music does not provide? Only time will tell.
Vintage: This Polish building features a mural dedicated to the classic cassette.
Fun fact
Did you know ’60s pop idols and TV stars The Monkees performed at the GV Hotel on October 5, 1988? Three original members, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Davy Jones, comprised the line-up, while the fourth original member, Michael Nesmith, was not part of the tour.
Readers can send feedback, suggestions, their music-related stories, music news items and more to: MusicalMusings@mmg.com.au
