William Crighton performing at Flow Bar

William Crighton performing at Flow Bar

Past Event

Fri 27 Nov6pm - 10pm

Flow Bar
31 David St
Old Bar NSW 2430
Australia

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GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS...
a NSW Government initiative, delivered by Destination NSW in partnership with ARIA, presents... William Crighton

Friday 27th November | 6pm | $15 + booking fee

Raised where the fertile floodplains of the Riverina meet the Snowy Mountains in Wiradjuri Country —William Crighton has quickly established himself as one of Australia’s foremost contemporary songsmiths.

Crighton’s critically-acclaimed debut William Crighton (2016) garnered a nomination at the 2017 AIR Awards, and drew the praise of Rolling Stone, who celebrated Crighton’s “uniquely penetrating storytelling.” Darkly majestic follow-up Empire (2018) was named album of the year by Hoodoo Gurus’ Dave Faulkner in the Saturday Paper, while Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has sung the praises of Crighton’s deeply resonant, ineffably Australian vocal delivery.

With scorching new single ‘Your Country’, Crighton gives furious voice to country under siege with gripping feeling and conviction. Chiming perfectly with Crighton’s unparalleled dissecting of the Australian psyche and charting our unique landscape in song, ‘Your Country’ showcases a didgeridoo part courtesy of bandmate and ARIA Award-winning innovator William Barton.

“It’s that undercurrent, that pulse—it’s on those frequencies that are in tune with us, Crighton says of Barton’s contribution. “You feel it when he starts to play—everything around you starts moving.

”Decrying environmental degradation in the pursuit of profit and the moral bankruptcy of the politicians who facilitate it, ‘Your Country’ is a blistering shot across the bows.“

The land is just being sold off, killed, poisoned, damaged,” Crighton says of the fury that moved him to record ‘Your Country’. “The water’s being auctioned to the highest bidder or poisoned, the land’s being cleared constantly. I think everyone knows in their gut that it’s time for real change. We live on a special planet, obviously it’s our only home. Regardless of your history. It doesn’t belong to us, we belong to it. We have a responsibility to country, each and every one of us.”

‘Your Country’ is a timely entry in the songbook of a uniquely incisive artist at the peak of his powers and was released on the 25th of September. William Crighton has never been more urgent in his message—or more articulate in his delivery.

Great Southern Nights is a new event to kick-start the recovery of the live music industry – featuring 1,000 COVID-safe gigs across Sydney and Regional NSW, throughout November 2020 (Australian Music Month). Great Southern Nights is a NSW Government initiative, delivered by Destination NSW in partnership with ARIA.