By popular demand The Whitlams will return in their only Sydney shows of the year to reprise their Sydney Symphony collaboration at the Sydney Opera House. This time to mark twelve years since the release of their classic breakthrough album "Eternal Nightcap", The Whitlams and the Sydney Symphony will play "Eternal Nightcap" in its entirety in the first half of the show. "Eternal Nightcap" was their third album and led them to win Best Group at the 1998 ARIA Awards. Last year in ABC TV's vote for the nation's favourite 100 albums of all time it polled at No. 27. The Whitlams and the Sydney Symphony collaboration is considered the benchmark for rock and classical unions. The concerts of 2007 were described as:

"...an exciting and enriching musical experience" Rosalind Wadley -The West Australian
"...the kind of arrangements which assume intelligence not just on stage but in the audience.
It's wit and risk and flair." Bernard Zuel - Sydney Morning Herald

"...superbly orchestrated with a sophistication of sound rare in a pop gig." Andrew Murfett –
The Age

December 3 and 4 in the Concert Hall are the dates to remember for this special concert.

For more info check out our shows section

Tim Freedman has recently completed a sold out solo tour in which he combined archival images of his past loves with the songs he wrote about them, and also an explanation of why they were written. Tim enjoyed presenting these intimate shows so much he was inspired to seek out his closest friends for an evening of secret men’s business.

Pinky Beecroft (Machine Gun Fellatio & The White Russians), David McCormack (formerly of Custard, now David McCormack & The Polaroids) and Perry Keyes (chronicler of Sydney's inner city and winner of Radio National's Album Of The Year) were quizzed by Tim about their tales of love and lust - what we would have given to be a fly on the wall that night.

From there it was a hop, skip and a jump to the idea that yes, these four fine friends are all lovers of women and they like declaring such in song. Having sold over a million albums between them the boys have the war wounds, the one liners and the songs to fill a teenager's diary. Observe Beecroft’s "Pussytown" and "Unsent Letter" , Freedman's "No Aphrodisiac", McCormack’s new "A.V.O" and the old classic "Anatomically Correct", and Keyes' love song for "Fairfield Girls" (although generally he prefers to stick to single mothers on methadone wheeling prams).

For two special nights at the Basement, four of Australia's most interesting songwriters join forces for the first time with a hand- picked backing band to tell their tales of love won and lost, of spare parts for broken hearts, of lust and the lack, and of the stuff that wet dreams are made of. Urbane and slightly insane, these troublemakers can't wait to tell you how it is, of the women they've loved and the women they wished had loved them back.

Opening both nights: the Great Bernie Hayes.

Tickets $42 plus booking fee.

When: Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March
Where: The Basement, Reiby Place, Sydney
Tickets: Dinner and Show 02 9251 2797
General Admission online at www.thebasement.com.au

The Whitlams will be this weeks Footy Show house band, Thur 31 July on Channel 9. For those who are more of an early riser the band will also be performing 2 songs live at Sunrise with Mel & Kochie Fri 1 Aug. Check your local guides for times.

In the lead up to The Whilams release of their 'Best Of' album. Readers of The Australian in Victoria and The Mercury in Tasmainia will now get the chance to recieve the free Live In Concert album recorded with The Sydney Symphony, Sat 26th July. 

Be sure to get your hands on a copy this weekend as it is the last of the give away.

 ‘Truth, Beauty & A Picture of You – The Best of The Whitlams’ is a comprehensive look at the amazing journey of the ARIA award winning band, from scrappy beginnings and tragedy to the success and stability of recent years. Tim Freedman describes: "It's a mixture of the popular and the narrative. I decided to leave a few singles off because I wanted to tell the story of The Whitlams, and include more early songs and songs that describe the dramas in our history." A premium edition will include a DVD with documentaries on the making of the "Love This City" and "Torch the Moon", and footage of their concerts at the Sydney Opera House last year with the Sydney Symphony. The Whitlams "Best of" album is due in stores August 2 through Warner Music.



Be one of the first to get your hands on a signed copy by pre-ordering at JB HIFI today.

Tim was asked recently to help induct Rolf Harris into the ARIA Hall of Fame by singing a version of his 1969 hit "Two Little Boys". The event was held at the Melbourne Town Hall last Tuesday and will be telecast on VH1 this Saturday 5 July at 9pm, and on Sunday 6 July at 5pm. You will also see Jak playing guitar with Russell Morris in "The Real Thing".

There are five inductions - Dragon, Max Merritt, Russell Morris, The Triffids and Rolf Harris whose segment concludes the telecast.

THE Whitlams are giving away over 700 000 albums. 

Starting in NSW's The Sunday Telegraph and rolling out through Victoria in The Australian, and Tasmania in The Mercury, newspaper readers can receive a free Live in Concert CD of The Whitlams and The Sydney Symphony.

In September 2007 nine composers and 82 musicians from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra arranged and performed songs with iconic Australian band, The Whitlams over four nights at the Sydney Opera House. The result, a rich and delightful CD, is full of stirring moments from those concerts.  

The exercise is the first time in Australia an established band has given away a full album on this scale.

The Whitlams are looking to draw attention to their long-awaited "Best of" being released on Warner Music in August, and their national tour in support of that extensive 2 disc set.

Lead singer Tim Freedman said "We are proud of our orchestral shows  

and are very happy that so many people will get to hear them."

Music Editor of The Sunday Telegraph, Jonathan Moran said, “The quality of the sound is amazing. We know our readers are going to love it.”