SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC SETTING THE STAGE FOR WORLD CUP CRICKET FINAL

Steve Louw and his band Big Sky are playing a special, one-off Johannesburg concert on 22nd March 2003 at Carnival City – the night before the World Cup Cricket Final at the Wanderers.

It will be the culmination of a national tour to promote their latest album Beyond The Blue. The tour kicks off in Cape Town this month, before moving to Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Durban and then Johannesburg. Louw and Big Sky will be performing material from the new album together with previous hits such as Waiting for the Dawn, Strange Room, Going Down with Mr Green, and One Cut With A Knife on the forthcoming dates. Beyond the Blue looks set to become another hit for the band with the first two singles, The Road Ahead and Carry Me To You, already getting extensive radio airplay.

Steve Louw has been one of the biggest names on the South Africa rock scene for more than 15 years. The title track of his first album with Big Sky – Waiting for the Dawn – spent 2 weeks at number one and established a new standard in anthemic rock in South Africa. The follow-up album, Horizon, earned an SAMA for Best Rock Album. He has also played and recorded with members of The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Springsteen’s E Street Band, Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers and The Pretenders.

Live is Life
Recent live successes for Louw and Big Sky include opening for Rodriguez and backing him on his first sold out South African tour and two sell-out charity performances at Kirstenbosch last year.

“Playing live is the real deal for us” says Louw. “And it’s fantastic to be back performing in Johannesburg showcasing new material that we’re proud of. It’s been a while. Let’s hope we’re getting people in the mood for a famous SA victory”.

For this tour and it’s culmination at Carnival City, Louw will be joined on stage by Willem Moller (guitar), Peter Cohen (drums), Schalk Joubert (bass) and Simon Orange (keyboards). These talented musicians have played in bands such as Mango Groove, The Gereformeerde Blues Band and The Blues Broers.

Some History
Louw debuted in 1984 with All Night Radio’s “The Heart’s the Best Part” before teaming up with producer Kevin Shirley for his next two albums. Shirley went on to work in New York, producing for some of rock’s biggest names (including Iron Maiden, Bryan Adams and, currently, Led Zeppelin). After producing his next two albums himself, Louw returned to New York and Shirley in April 2002. Not only a reunion with the legendary producer, the trip also meant getting together again with ex-South Africans Blondie Chaplin (lead guitar, backing vocals), Keith Lentin (bass) and Anton Fig (drums). They were joined by Pat Thrall (guitars) and Beyond the Blue – Louw’s 7th album – was conceived and born a few weeks later.

Louw describes it as a “black and blue rock album” ranging as it does from classic 12-bar blues through folk rock to more ambient, reflective material.

“There’s plenty of heart running through every track – I was writing at a particularly emotional time in my life and I think that comes through” he says.

Tickets for all dates on the tour are available now through Computicket – online www.computicket.com or at outlets. Phone 083 915 1234 for information and 083 915 8000 for bookings. Prices range from R75 – R100.

For more information on Steve Louw and Big Sky: www.stevelouw.com.

Steve Louw is available for interview. To arrange this or for any further information please contact:
Sandra Briar
Total Exposure
(011) 788 8725 / 082 604 5 604
sandra@total-exposure.co.za
(011) 880 1205 (fax)