The Aristocrats
What happens after the world’s most raucous rock/fusion instrumental power trio releases a concept album about an Antarctic duck fleeing a penguin policeman all the way to New York City, where further misadventures and danger await? They launch the DUCK World Tour, of course.
The Aristocrats - Guthrie Govan (guitar), Bryan Beller (bass), Marco Minnemann (drums) - bring their trademark musical virtuosity and inherent absurdity to stages across AUSTRALIA, where they’ll be playing (and perhaps even explaining) a sizable chunk of their new album DUCK as well as classic cuts from their five-album catalogue. Coming off a wildly successful 9-week North American run, the DUCK Australian tour kicks off in Perth on Monday February 24 and visits Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne before concluding in Sydney on Sunday 2 March.
Of the new record The Aristocrats’ guitarist Guthrie Govan commented, “Our new concept album tells the tale of a Duck who travels thousands of miles from his home on a small island and ultimately finds himself in the US…”
The DUCK saga is being documented via The Aristocrats’ website…bassist Bryan Beller expounded,
"It's a novel concept, to be sure - an instrumental concept album about a wayward duck. The music gives some hints, but also leaves a lot to the imagination. So, for the curious who want to dig deeper into our duck's journey, we thought it would be fun to provide a nine-chapter novella, with each chapter correlating to a song on the album. Can he find his way home again?”
Click here to access the tale, which will publish episodically in the coming months.
“Additionally, it’s been eight long years since we last toured Australia, so we can’t wait to come back and bring our DUCK with us!”
Over the past 12 years, The Aristocrats – guitarist Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson, Hans Zimmer, Asia/GPS), bassist Bryan Beller (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Dethklok), and drummer Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, Joe Satriani, Steve Hackett) – have established themselves as one of the most musically original, refreshingly irreverent, and astoundingly entertaining instrumental rock-fusion acts on the planet. Global media have gushed with the UK’s Rhythm Magazine declaring them “More fun than fusion has a right to be…” and The San Diego Union Tribune avowing, “If there is a more accomplished, empathetic and versatile all-instrumental trio in rock than The Aristocrats, I’ve yet to hear them…”
Joining The Aristocrats on all shows as opening support will be Toehider performing in solo mode. Toehider is a collaboration between multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Mike Mills and illustrator Andrew Saltmarsh. Beginning in 2008, the project has become Australia’s most prolific progressive rock act, with over 30 releases spanning prog, metal, folk, pop, rock, funk, spoken word and more. Singer Mike Mills has also featured significantly in the Ayreon universe both in studio and on stage. Following a successful world tour in support of latest record ‘I Have Little To No Memory, Of These Memories’, Mills will perform solo sets on tour with The Aristocrats in February and March 2025.