Hyperbole alert: alt-J arecoming to Australia

Hold onto your hyperbole: alt-J, the band tipped most likely to take home the Mercury Award and current topper of ‘what’s hot’ lists the world over, will play two preview shows in Melbourne and Sydney this October.

The bespectacled Cambridge four-piece named after the keystrokes required to make a mathematical triangular symbol on a Mac computer, first sprung to attention in late 2011 with their genre blending take on indie rock. Packaging electronica, folk and trip-hop into radio-friendly pop songs alt-J have the critics crying “Saviours!” and The Guardian fapping: “At a time when guitar music is in the doldrums, they have come from nowhere to buck the trend.”

Reviewing the band’s debut album – which has spawned singles ‘Tessalate’ and ‘Breezeblocks’, FL concluded “ An Awesome Wave is one of the most interesting albums released this year, and whilst many of Alt-J’s influences can be named quite easily, this band can go in any direction with their music, and you won’t want to miss a minute of it.”

A likely contender for Laneway Festival, or a larger stand alone tour in 2013, these gigs at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney and Ding Dong in Melbourne may be your last chance to see Joe, Gwil, Thom and
Gus in such intimate surrounds.

alt-J tour dates:
Thursday, October 18 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Saturday, October 20 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne

Tickets on sale Thursday, September 13.