TOM Curtain is making tracks from some of the most remote parts of Australia to the coast with his We’re Still Here Tour from November 2019 to March 2020.
No tour of Tom’s would be complete without his team of Katherine Outback Experience horses and dogs. His shows comprise an hour of horse and working dog demonstrations followed by an hour of live music with special guests.
The We’re Still Here Tour is the follow-on from the Speak Up Tour that the Golden Guitar winner embarked on last summer from the Northern Territory, through western and central Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and back again.
This summer he is heading east again, however this time will continue into western Victoria, South Australia and central Northern Territory, before returning to Katherine, NT, with 60 per cent of the towns being places he hasn’t previously performed.
The tour will comprise 40 shows over three-and-a-half months, covering over 13,000 kilometres.
“We’ve had a lot of people come to our Katherine Outback Experience show in the NT and ask us to visit their town on tour, that’s how we planned a lot of the new places we are visiting,” Tom said.
“It’s an enormous buzz to see the people coming together and I love seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when they see the dogs.”
In addition to being entertaining, Tom’s shows are also educational in training horses and dogs for working life on the land. Being a show for all ages, it is a great opportunity for communities to get together.
“People love the interaction with the animals and feel like they get extra value from the training tips we share,” the singer-songwriter said.
“It’s a very hands-on experience for the kids but also an important opportunity to bring the community together and check-in on one another”
The We’re Still Here Tour is also about highlighting the resilience of people on the land.
“They’ve been through some tough times with droughts, fires and floods and they’re still getting back on their feet,” Tom said.
“That Aussie fighting spirit is very evident in a lot of isolated communities, so we go out of our way to visit these remote areas as we want to celebrate the fact they are still there and moving forward.”
The tour is named after Tom’s latest single, which recognises the hardships that country communities have battled and continue to face, but instead of focusing on the negatives, the track celebrates the way the regions deal with everything that is thrown their way.
“There is a great resilience among the people out there and We’re Still Here is a celebration of the people who are still there and a positive anthem for those people,” he said.
Following on from the Speak Up Tour, Tom and his team will again visit a number of schools, spreading the anti-bullying Dolly’s Dream message.
“I think the message really is getting out,” he said.
“We’ve met a lot of parents who have lost kids from bullying and suicide and they’ve come up and hugged us after the shows and broken down. I never thought writing a song would have that impact, but a lot of teenage kids have also come up to me to say thanks and that it has inspired them and to help other kids out, it’s pretty amazing.”
2019
- Thursday 14 November: Katherine, NT
- Friday 29 November: Cloncurry, QLD
- Saturday 30 November: Winton, QLD
- Sunday 1 December: Longreach, QLD
- Friday 6 December: Clermont, QLD
- Saturday 7 December: Rockhampton, QLD
- Sunday 8 December: Monto, QLD
- Thursday 12 December: Bundaberg, QLD
- Friday 13 December: Maryborough, QLD
- Saturday 14 December: Widgee, QLD
- Sunday 15 December: Samford, QLD
2020
- Friday 3 January: Kumbia, QLD
- Saturday 4 January: Toowoomba, QLD
- Sunday 5 January: Goondiwindi, QLD
- Friday 10 January: Warwick, QLD
- Saturday 11 January: Murwillumbah, NSW
- Saturday 12 January: Grafton, NSW
- Friday 17 January: Kempsey, NSW
- Saturday 18 January: Gloucester, NSW
- Monday 20 – Friday 24 January: Tamworth, NSW
- Wednesday 29 January: Coonabarabran, NSW
- Friday 31 January: Molong, NSW
- Saturday 1 February: Forbes, NSW
- Sunday 2 February: Hay, NSW
- Wednesday 5 February: Braidwood, NSW
- Friday 7 February: Bairnsdale, VIC
- Saturday 8 February: Boolarra, VIC
- Thursday 13 February: Mansfield, VIC
- Friday 14 February: Trentham, VIC
- Saturday 15 February: Moama, NSW
- Sunday 16 February: Camperdown, VIC
- Friday 21 February: Lucindale, SA
- Saturday 22 February: Horsham, VIC
- Sunday 23 February: Wentworth, VIC
- Friday 28 February: Lyndoch (Barossa Helicopters), SA
- Saturday 29 February: Crystal Brook (Port Pirie), SA
- Sunday 1 March: Quorn, SA
- Saturday 7 March: Alice Springs, NT
Further further information and tickets, head to www.tomcurtain.com.au.
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Media contact: Rebecca Gracie, The Country Journo
[email protected]
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