Swooping across Australia the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Charles Bradley is back to mesmerise audiences with His Extraordinaires, to celebrate his second album Victim Of Love.
Already a hero and a favourite of Australian audiences, Daptone/Dunham alumni Charles Bradley and his all-star band (comprising of members of The Dap Kings, The Menahan St Band, Budos Band and others) will blow away audiences in both live music clubs and festival settings across the country with their super-charged soul sweetness. Bradley’s remarkable, against-all- odds rise has been well-documented – how he transcended a bleak life on the streets and struggled through a series of ill-fitting jobs – most famously as a James Brown impersonator at Brooklyn clubs – before finally being discovered by Daptone’s Gabe Roth. The year following the release of the incredible long player No Time For Dreaming was one triumph after another: a stunning performance at South By Southwest that earned unanimous raves; similarly-gripping appearances at Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Newport Folk Festival and Outside Lands (to name just a few); and spots on Year-End Best Lists from Rolling Stone, SPIN, GQ, Paste and more.
Victim of Love is a continuation of that story, moving past the ‘heartache and pain’ and closer to the promise of hope. Where the last record opened with the apocalyptic “The World (is Going Up in Flames), Victim begins with the “Strictly Reserved for You,” a track where Bradley grabs his girl, jumps in a car and hits the highway for a romantic getaway. “You Put The Flame on It” sees Bradley backed by a horn chart that sounds like it was lifted from a lost Four Tops single. And on “Victim of Love,” the track that lent the album its name, Bradley sings over a gentle acoustic guitar, “I woke up this morning, I felt your love beside me.”
Most artists appreciate their audiences, just as many are grateful for them, but few artists love their fans as much and as sincerely as Charles Bradley. “I want them to know how much they have helped me grow,” notes Bradley when discussing Victim of Love, and after sell-out performances at the beginning of 2013, Charles Bradley and his band are set to bring back the love across Summer 2014 once again. Charles in recent times has performed at Glastonbury, Bumbershoot, Vienna Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival and was last seen in Australia at the triumphant Sydney Festival opening night Daptone Super Soul Revue.
Sun 02 March – The Basement, Sydney thebasement.com.au & moshtix.com.au
Tue 04 March – The Hifi, Brisbane thehifi.com.au & oztix.com.au
Thu 06 March – The Corner, Melbourne
Niche & Live Nation presales begin 10am Thursday 7th November General Public Onsale midday Friday 8th November
Links: www.thecharlesbradley.com www.facebook.com/thecharlesbradley
www.twitter.com/charles_bradley www.instagram.com/charlesbradley
