One of the true mavericks of Australian music, Mikelangelo is the alter-ego of Michael Simic. From the legendary Sandringham Hotel to the Sydney Opera House to London’s West End, he has packed houses and garnered accolades as a solo performer and with his long-term group Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, releasing 15 independent albums and building a worldwide following.
Simic’s new band, Mikelangelo & the Long Lost Friends is based in his adopted hometown of Braidwood where he and his wife are raising their young family. Nestled by the wild and winding Shoalhaven river and under the benevolent shadow of Mount Gillamatong, Braidwood is a town teeming with artists, poets, musicians and myriad creative folks. From this creative confluence, Mikelangelo & the Long Lost Friends have emerged, featuring Jake Annetts on bass, Steve Maher on keyboard and guitar, Bruce Rose on guitar, Ben Willson on drums and Michael Simic on vocals and guitar. Together they have worked up a set of powerful and emotive new material alongside a bunch of Mikelangelo classics from his various bands and projects. The Long Lost Friends play an eclectic mix of roots rock, driving pop and turbo charged Euro folk, all delivered with Mikelangelo’s trademark charm, energy, theatrics and off-the-cuff banter.
For his debut Sydney show with the Long Lost Friends, Simic has pressed a limited run of the first Mikelangelo solo album – Lost Recordings – recorded in 1999 by Matt Hills at Happy Valley studios in Melbourne. The album has been unavailable for some years, and this collector’s edition will be hand numbered, with each cover featuring hand inked original artwork by Simic. He will perform songs from Lost Recordings at the PBC alongside cherished Mikelangelo tunes and new material.
