English multi-instrumentalist Emma-Jean Thackray today announces her debut Australia and New Zealand tour.
This September the producer will bring her dancefloor-angled jazz to Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory, followed by The Night Cat in Melbourne, Wellington’s San Fran and The Tuning Fork in Auckland.
Emma-Jean Thackray has emerged as a standard-bearer of jazz that stands out from the broader UK scene. Following multiple successful EPs in 2020, 2021 saw the release of her critically lauded debut album Yellow – 14 tracks that bloom with brass, strings, choral segments, and ecstatic chants.
Emma-Jean Thackray: Australia and New Zealand 2022 tour
- Oxford Art Factory, Sydney: Thursday 8 September
- The Night Cat, Melbourne: Friday 9 September
- San Fran, Wellington: Sunday 11 September
- The Tuning Fork, Auckland: Monday 12 September
Check out Melbourne’s most comprehensive gig guide here.
It’s an album that sounds like a live performance. Referencing auteur figures like Brian Wilson or Madlib, Thackray straddles instrumentation, arrangement, and production to bring the sound in her head to fruition.
“The groove is the most important thing,” says Thackray. “Even if it’s a tune that’s really mad and free, all kinds of crazy shit happening, there’s usually a groove there – an anchor, locking it down.”
Thackray’s long-term band – drummer Dougal Taylor, pianist Lyle Barton and bassist Matt Gedrych – will join her on the road for four performances across Australasia. Expect wild compositions, striking arrangements and dancefloor-focused tunes that make it difficult to stand still.
Tickets and more info here.
