To celebrate the release of their new album, ‘Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung’, Hilltop Hoods be undertaking their biggest and most adventurous domestic tour to date playing arenas in five capital cities including Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. The Restrung Tour, which will see the only Hilltop Hoods headline performances in 2016, promises to be an extraordinary event as it brings to life the music from ‘Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung’ with Australia’s best orchestras and choirs. Once again, Hilltop Hoods continue to rewrite the Hip Hop rule-book.
“We’re pretty excited to be hitting the road backed by an orchestra and a choir. The songs are going to take on a whole new life with fifty plus musicians joining us on stage.” - Suffa
Special guest on the national tour is London-born, rural Ireland- raised singing star Maverick Sabre, who has already collaborated with Hilltop Hoods on hits ‘Won’t Let You Down’ & ‘Live and Let Go’. With a short career already producing UK gold-selling 2012 debut album – ‘Lonely Are The Brave’ – Maverick’s keenly-observed lyrics and superb soul vocals will be the first time Australian audiences experience the class that is Maverick Sabre.
Also performing with Hilltop Hoods and the State Orchestras and Choirs will be New Zealand born conductor Hamish McKeich. Hamish has forged an impressive international conducting career working regularly in Europe, Australia and with New Zealand’s major orchestras – he has also performed in places as far flung as China to Armenia, Lebanon to Italy. Hamish has established an acclaimed partnership with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and served as the Orchestra’s Associate Conductor from 2002-2006 and performs and records continually with them to this day. Hamish also possesses a passionate loyalty for developing the repertoire of contemporary and experimental music and has worked with acts as diverse as Salmonella Dub, Marlena Show, and Serj Tankian (System Of A Down) and The Pointer Sisters.
Hilltop Hoods have today announced that their special recording project, ‘Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung’, is set to drop through their label Golden Era Records/UMA on Friday February 19th 2016.
This surprise announcement has also seen new track ‘Higher’ featuring James Chatburn premiered this morning on triple j. The song will be officially released Friday December 4th 2015.
“This song is about living life at an unsustainable pace." - Pressure
The track features vocals by emerging singer/songwriter James Chatburn, who the band discovered as an entrant of the Hilltop Hoods/APRA Initiative earlier this year and who has been a featured triple j unearthed artist.
Recorded 2 years apart but as companion pieces, the project ties together the band’s two previous ARIA #1, double platinum albums, ‘Walking Under Stars’ and ‘Drinking From The Sun’. Featuring a selection of tracks from each album, the songs have been rerecorded, remixed, and restructured with the 32-piece Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, plus the 20 piece Adelaide Chamber Singers Choir. Composer Jamie Messenger handled the orchestral arrangements on the album, with the whole project coming together under the guidance of the Hilltop Hoods and NZ conductor Hamish McKeich.
The collaboration of two of Australia's most critically acclaimed hip-hop artists, Briggs and Trials, known as A.B. Original will be supporting Hilltop Hoods throughout the tour.
The album will be available for pre-order from December 8.