Rock and Pop

Rogue Traders Tickets

Rogue Traders Tickets and Concert Dates

Biography

Short Biography

‘Disco, rock n roll, it's all the same to me!' is the wry claim at the heart of Rogue Traders' new single, ‘Would You Raise Your Hands?', a sly commentary on the business of music appreciation. But it's another line that perhaps has most significance in the song.

The band's lynchpin James Ash explains the genesis of ‘Would You Raise Your Hands?': "We were listening to a lot of glam at the time - T. Rex, Bolan, Slade - and felt that this was a musical area that we wanted to explore and try mixing with electro. The line, ‘Unplug the jukebox, do us all a favour' (from the classic Adam & the Ants track ‘Ant Music') kept popping up - we couldn't ...

Short Biography

Kicking off with a blustering riff, ‘Would You Raise Your Hands?' ploughs straight into a rumbling drum pattern that gives the track a classic glam flavour. Buoyed by swaggering guitars and chunky synths, ‘Would You Raise Your Hands?' bounds relentlessly towards its addictive sing-a-long chorus refrain, the song's breathless energy and addictive melodies setting the tone for the upcoming Rogues album Night Of The Living Drums.

And as if the original wasn't enough to get people moving, mixes from Chardy, Chris Fraser (One Love) and Chew Fu are starting to light up the nation's dance floors.

The third chapter in the band's rich history is well underway - a history that has seen Rogue Traders evolve from ARIA Award-winning DJs/producers to chart-topping pop stars and beyond - and the future looks bright. With Night Of The Living Drums - the 4th album from the Rogues - in the can, James Ash has a spring in his step and an enthusiasm in his voice that attests to the excitement and determination of a man with musical opportunity lying wide open before him. "I can't quite believe it's all happening again - it's really exciting! The future is open, and there's a huge energy and hunger for it!"

Joining the band as their new singer is Ms. Mindi Jackson, a tall, lithe bundle of energy, who brings her own vocal and visual talents to the band's make-up, and sounds as effortless tearing through the new numbers, many of which she co-wrote with Ash, as she does wrapping her vocal interpretation around Rogues classics such as ‘Voodoo Child' and ‘Don't You Wanna Feel'.

When former singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte departed to pursue her own solo journey, James Ash launched straight back into the familiar world of DJing in clubs as he started to write new Rogues material and consider the band's next step.

"It was very edifying to return to the world of dance music, and this defined what the next [Rogue Traders] record would be like... Better In The Dark was more electro-rock; the essence of this record is more dance-based. At its heart, it's still pop music, [but] with a dance music edge".

Luckily, MySpace soon provided him with a talented new vocalist. "Nothing really stopped when Nat left," says James. "I continued to write music, and looked around for a new singer, and didn't settle until I found the right one. Mindi was that right singer." For her part, Mindi couldn't believe her luck, and describes hearing from James as a "massive shock".

The new songs immediately flowed, emerging from a songwriting process that James describes as being "less calculated and less self-conscious with a looser feel than previous work."

‘Would You Raise Your Hands?' is the next step in the Rogue Traders' never-ending evolution, part of a new collection of music that marks a move back to the group's club roots, yet loses none of the pop smarts that have seen the band sell over 1 million records worldwide.

Rogue Traders have released three previous albums - We Know What You're Up To, Here Come the Drums, and Better in the Dark - yielding numerous hit singles, an ARIA Award, multiple APRA Awards and an MTV Award.

In-depth Biography
Taking their name from Rogue Trader, the 1998 psychological drama featuring Ewan McGregor, the electro-rock group Rogue Traders was formed in the early 2000s by longtime friends and collaborators James Ash and Steve Davis. The musicians had first met in 1989 while DJing in London, and they achieved their biggest successes under the dance moniker Union State. Upon the group's relocation to Melbourne in 1992, Union State scored two international hits with "Out to Get You" and "Retrosexual." A decade later, however, Ash and Davis' decided to reinvent their sound.

Their dance-tastic new project made its debut in 2003 with We Know What You're Up To, and the leadoff single "Need You to Show Me" peaked at number 16 on Australia's Top 40 Club Chart. A second single, "Give In to Me," wasn't nearly as successful, but Rogue Traders earned their biggest props with their cover remix of INXS' "Need You Tonight." Retitled "One of My Kind," the song charted at number ten in Australia and became a club hit across the U.K. Ash and Davis also went on to win an ARIA Award for Best Dance Single for "One of My Kind" before 2003 came to a close.

Aussie soap starlet Natalie Bassingthwaighte joined Rogue Traders' ranks in 2005. Best known for her portrayal of Isabelle "Izzy" Hoyland on the long-running Australian soap opera Neighbours -- the same drama that brought fame to actress-turned-singers Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia -- Bassingthwaighte had met Ash and Davis in winter 2004 when she auditioned for the group. Her foxy, vampy performance was more than enough to make her frontwoman. Around this time, Davis went behind the scenes to focus on Rogue Traders' songwriting. Tim Henwood (guitar) and Cameron McGlinchey (drums) climbed on board, completing the band's touring lineup with Bassingthwaighte on vocals and Ash on keyboards.

The new group returned with a sophomore effort entitled Here Come the Drums in 2005, and first single "Voodoo Child" became an international club smash. Combining a rhythmic attack and Bassingthwaighte's sultry vocals with samples from Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up," "Voodoo Child" earned a number four spot on the Australian singles chart. Rogue Traders also earned three ARIA nominations for the song: Best Dance Release, Best Video, and Engineer of the Year. By December, Here Come the Drums had gone platinum in Australia and earned the Rogue Traders an opening slot on Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway Tour. Here Come the Drums found its way to the U.K. in July 2006. Two years later, however, Bassingthwaighte left the group to pursue a solo career, followed one month later by the departure of McGlinchey. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi

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Rogue Traders Tickets