We are witnessing music history in the making; despite “growing up” in the same scene Social Distortion & Bad Religion have never toured together! Both bands have been excited about the possibility and have worked towards this end for YEARS. Last week the Los Angeles Punk and Orange County Rock n’ Roll legends Bad Religion & Social Distortion announced an Australia & New Zealand co-headlining tour. The tour will kick off on February 15 in Auckland and wrap Wednesday 22 in Perth.
General tickets are on sale now.
“I’ve been a huge Social Distortion fan for over 40 years, and I guarantee you no one is more excited about this tour than I am. Sick Digital Boys 2023!” – Brian Baker, Bad Religion
“We are really looking forward to this incredible tour with our good friends Bad Religion. It’s been years since we’ve played a show together and it’s about time we take it on the road. Not only are we excited for this reunion, but to also return to Australia and finally hit New Zealand!!! See you all soon!” – Mike Ness, Social Distortion
SOCIAL DISTORTION & BAD RELIGION
TOUR DATES:
WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2023 – TRUSTS ARENA, AUCKLAND
FRIDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2023 – RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE
SATURDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2023 – HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY
SUNDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2023 – MARGARET COURT ARENA, MELBOURNE
WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2023 – RED HILL AUDITORIUM, PERTH
General tickets on sale now from destroyalllines.com.
ABOUT BAD RELIGION
Aside from essentially defining the California half-pipe punk blueprint, Bad Religion has defied the usual trend shifts or values-ditched ubiquities of the typical punk band storyline. The band morphed along with challenging album after album amid astoundingly consistent touring, retaining their core audience while roping in subsequent generations of anxiously energetic kids.
The band has long settled into the current lineup who have arguably enacted to most muscular Bad Religion ever to grace a stage: Greg Graffin (vocals) and Jay Bentley (bass) join Brian Baker (guitarist since ’94), guitarist Mike Dimkich (9 years in), and drummer Jamie Miller, who’s already been with the band for seven years.
Bad Religion is in an almost singular position in the history of punk. Having formed right on the heels of the original explosion, they led the west coast arm of hardcore’s birth, adding their melodic riffs, zooming harmonies, and viciously verbose lyrical punch to the basic bash of hardcore. Then the band continued to expand their template through the ‘80s and into the indebted “neo-punk” sound of the early ‘90s and weathered the questionable dichotomies of the “alternative rock” era by doing what they’ve always done – releasing explosive album after album to consistent acclaim from fans and critics. They’ve continued to throw songwriting and production wrenches into the works so’s not to bore themselves or their never-diminishing following. Their catalog of releases is extensive, including 17 studio albums, eight full decade-specific performances in their bio-documentary series Decades, and releasing a biographical accounting of their history in 2020 Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion.
The band’s rep, as socially aware thought-provokers, can’t obscure the fact they’ve remained one of the most viscerally powerful live bands on the planet, remembering the beats and riffs that get your ass off the couch in the first place.
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ABOUT SOCIAL DISTORTION
Mike Ness (Guitar, Vocals) Jonny Wickersham (Guitar) Brent Harding (Bass) Dave Hidalgo Jr. (Drums)
Here’s how you know you’ve made it in the music business: You’ve stayed strong for four decades on your own terms, on your own time, by your own rules, and over that time your influence has only grown. Each of your albums has been stronger than your last. You’ve been brought onstage by Bruce Springsteen, because he wanted to play one of your songs. You’ve seen high times and low ones, good days and tragic days, but every night you give 100%, and every morning you wake up still swinging.
This is the short version of the Social Distortion bio — the long version could be a 10-part mini-series. But over the past 40 years, the punk godfathers in the band have all but trademarked their sound, a brand of hard rockabilly/punk that’s cut with the melodic, road-tested lyrics of frontman Mike Ness. Their searing guitars and a locomotive rhythm section sound as alive today as they did in ’82, as do Ness’ hard-luck tales of love, loss and lessons learned. “The most common thing I hear is, ‘Man, your music got me through some hard times,'” Ness says. “And I just say, ‘Me too.'”
Now in their fourth decade, Ness and Social Distortion have officially done one of the most non-punk things possible: They’ve failed to burn out.
Mixing Springsteen’s factory-overalls ethic with Southern California punk energy and black leather, Social Distortion formed with Ness and high school buddy, the late Dennis Danell, in the late 1970s; the group broke in 1983 with the thrashing plate of punk and displeasure “Mommy’s Little Monster.” Their 1988 follow-up, “Prison Bound,” hinted at a sonic change to come, and by the band’s self-titled 1990 record and 1992’s “Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell,” their sound had solidified into the instantly recognizable brand of rock n’ roll that’s defined them since.
Now, Social Distortion consists of Ness and longtime guitarist Jonny Wickersham, along with bassist Brent Harding and drummer David Hidalgo, Jr.
These days the band is rarely off the road for long, and continues to grip fans who have been around since “Mommy’s Little Monster” while drawing new ones who discover the band through hand-shot YouTube clips. “I see people bringing their kids to shows,” Ness says. “And I see kids bringing their parents.”
Social Distortion is a mix of potent power, appeal across all age brackets and a genuine satisfaction at reaching as many people as they have. “I write songs for myself, and I hope that other people will like them too,” Ness says. “I think every record you make is showing people what you’ve learned over the past few years. It’s showing people, ‘This is what I know.’ “
“Ness is one of the most underrated pure songwriters in rock.” – Los Angeles Times
FOLLOW SOCIAL DISTORTION:
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