The Red Eyes have firmly established their position as one of Australia’s leading original Dub/Reggae acts. They have received critical acclaim for ‘Red Army’ (2010), including a nomination for ‘Best Blues & Roots Album’ at the 2010 Australian Independent Record Label Awards.
Founded in 2002, The Red Eyes brings together 7 multi-instrumentalist musicians who deliver an explosive live sound that combines masterful beats and shake the house dub rhythms with heartfelt lyrics that provide unique antipodean spin on the broad Reggae genre. The band is led on stage by enigmatic front man El Witeri (2011 APRA Songwriter Award Finalist) who draws on his Maori heritage for inspiration.Read more about me »
March 22nd, 2012 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
The Red Eyes are doing a final Vic show at Ferntree Gully Hotel on Fri 23 March before the lock down for the rest of Autumn & Winter.
With 2012 marking 10 years for the band, the wider Red Eyes family are rumoured to be celebrating later this year by taking to the stage in the official birthday celebration featuring the entire back catalogue of Red Eyes talent!
Expect the stage to be overflowing… a stay tuned for the gig date announcement.
January 2nd, 2012 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
Happy 2012! The Red Eyes are now officially celebrating their 10th year!
Back from some crazy shows at Woodford Folk Festival and with just a few shows in hometown Melbourne (Fri 6 Jan, The Espy w Grandmaster Flash; and Wed 18 Jan, Queen Victoria Night Market), the band are making way to head over to NZ for their first tour, aptly named the ‘Homecoming Tour’!
Kicking off at Revolver, Queenstown on Jan 26, before taking in venues in Dunedin, Wellington, Leigh, Hamilton and Auckland, they will also appear at the inaugural Winchfestwakeboard and music festival onJan 28 performing alongside Katchafire and Cornerstone Roots.
The Red Eyes ‘NZ Homecoming Tour’ heralds the prodigal return of NZ’s long lost sons El Witeri and Damien Charles. Born and bred in Auckland, the two musicians’ musical roots were developed touring around NZ throughout the 90’s before they re-met in OZ and honed their alternative Dub/Reggae style for an appreciative Australian audience. Over 10 years their fan base has grown exponentially, as has their lineup of past and present musical hotshots. The wider Red Eyes family are rumoured to later this year take to the stage in the official birthday celebration featuring the entire back catalogue of Red Eyes talent! Expect the stage to be overflowing!
Exploding onto the NZ turf with a string of club dates through Jan and Feb 2012, The Red Eyes are touring their new track Circles, the first single release from their anticipated third album.
NZ Tour Dates
Thu 26 Jan: Mint Bar (Wanaka)
With guest The Nomad
Fri 27 Jan: XIIB/12 Below (Dunedin)
With guests Skull Dubbery and DJ Jungle Far I
Sat 28 Jan: Bodega (Wellington)
With guests Newtown Sound feat Israel Starr
Sun 29 Jan: Winchfest (New Plymouth)
Also feat. Katchafire and Cornerstone Roots
Fri 3 Feb: Sawmill Cafe (Leigh)
With guests DJ Dubhead
Sat 4 Feb: Flow Bar (Hamilton)
With guest DJ Captain Nemo
Sun 5 Feb: Kings Arms (Auckland)
With Guest Dam Native & DJ Dubhead
December 11th, 2011 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
The Red Eyes in QLD, Byron and full CIRCLE back to QLD this Dec!
With just three shows left before the year comes to a mad halt, it’s all about getting hot up North, with The Red Eyes taking their brand new single CIRCLES to Coolum and Byron this weekend. Its then time to get back to QLD to Woodford Folk Festival on 30 & 31 Dec to celebrate the eve of their 10th birthday…
In such exciting times we’d like to shout out to Father Xmas to please bring no monsoon to Woodford this year (as well as peace and prosperity for everywhere else).
NZ ‘Homecoming’ Tour Jan/Feb 2012 Queenstown, Wellington, New Plymouth, Auckland + more Jan 26 – Feb 5 2012
Tour details soon to be announced we promise, as we tweak a few finer details! Join our Facebook event here for up to date info on The Red Eyes 1st NZ tour, + subscribe to win FREE tickets! (a double pass to each show up for grabs so write on the event page to go in the draw!)
Heading over the ditch for the first time, The Red Eyes NZ ‘Homecoming’ Tour is a return to their roots for singer El Witeri and guitarist/producer King Charlie. Bassist Pat is looking forward to getting closer to his native Tonga, new keyboard player Zac wants to feel his native Samoa in the breeze, and the rest of the guys just really want to hang out at waterfalls, play to awesome NZ audiences and drive up and down the countryside in a tour van.
Kicking off in Queenstown on Thu 26 Jan, with shows in Wellington, at the inaugural Winchfest in New Plymouth, in Auckland and more, this is your chance to see The Red Eyes do what they do best all over New Zealand for an audience that is sure to fall in love with their unique blend of dub/reggae if they haven’t already seen them in Oz, Vanuatu or New Caledonia!
Full tour dates soon to be announced. Coming soon to a place in NZ near YOU!!
October 25th, 2011 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
The Red Eyes brand new single Circles is out now on iTunes and the Melbourne launch at Northcote Social Club on 15 October saw the start of their national Circles launch tour. The single reflects on the winding road that is the music industry and the crazy endless touring for live musicians. In true celebration The Red Eyes will follow their home town launch with dates in Tasmantia, Vanuatu, regional Vic, Western Australia, Queensland and Byron Bay, in that order. more details below and even more details on the gig page, and scroll to the next post to hear the new track if you want to check it out!
Where to:
Tasmania’s Republic Bar in North Hobart has been a regular stop for The Red Eyes and with two nights of shows (Fri 4 / Sat 5 Nov) The Red Eyes will be there to fill your whole weekend with their unique Dub/Reggae sound including 2 massive sets over both nights and much new material.
The band then head on out to Fest Napuan in Vanuatu (Fri 11 / Sat 12 Nov) before coming back home to Victoria for Shine On Festival (20 Nov) and Queenscliff Music Festival (26 / 27 Nov).
WA is the next stop with shows at Settler’s Tavern, Margaret River (Fri 9 Dec), Life’s a Beach festival (Sat 10 Dec) with a massive line up including The Beautiful Girls and Salmonella Dub; and wrapping up WA at the Newport Hotel, Fremantle (Sun 11 Dec).
Heading back to beautiful QLD and Byron in that order, The Red Eyes will play the Coolum Civic Centre (Fri 16 Dec) with Oka and Bobby Alu; The Royal Mail Hotel, Brisbane (Sat 17 Dec) with Paua and One Sound; and then head down the coast to their favourite northern NSW venue The Beach Hotel, Byron for a sunday afternoon session (Sun 18 Dec).
The Red Eyes are circling and hope to see you somewhere over the coming months…
Stay tuned for the NYE announcement to come SOON!
+ For 2012 planners, The Red Eyes will play Winchfest, New Plymouth, on Anniversary Weekend in NZ along with Katchafire and many more at the inaugeral Winchboarding and Music Festival, part of The Red Eyes first New Zealand tour… more info to come.
July 25th, 2011 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
THE RED EYES RELEASE NEW SINGLE : CIRCLES // OUT SEPTEMBER 2011 (DIGITAL RELEASE ONLY)
LAUNCH PARTY 15 OCTOBER // NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, MELBOURNE (TIX ON SALE HERE)
Circles by The Red Eyes The Red Eyes are set to bring their alternative blend of Dub/Reggae to the masses with the release of new single ‘Circles’ this October. This first single from their anticipated third album will be launched in Melbourne for The Red Eyes hometown crowd at Northcote Social Club on Saturday 15 October with a line up of Red Eyes past and present taking to the stage along with some very special guests to support the show including Jess Harlen and DJ Sista Itations.
Mixed at the Andy Baldwin Studio in Brooklyn, ‘Circles’ took The Red Eyes producer King Charlie to the US to make the most of the strong Aussie dollar and NY talent with the production of this single.
The lyrics of the new track allude to the relentless touring and winding road that is the music industry, where artists are increasingly at the bottom of the recording industry food chain. For independent bands like The Red Eyes, creating a path outside the mainstream label structure has become more of a reality, particularly with the explosion of social media driven possibilities to reach new audiences.
It may be ‘a winding road… full of hoops and loops and circles’, but The Red Eyes are proving that the road is paved with dub/reggae gold that is theirs for the taking.
News/Upcoming Events:
The band’s successful 2nd album ‘Red Army’ was a finalist for Best Blues and Roots Album at the Australian Independent Record Label Awards and lead singer El Witeri was a finalist for APRA songwriter of the year. 2011 has seen The Red Eyes continue to tour around the country bringing their high energy show and unique style to fans far and wide, with festival appearances including Byron Bay Bluesfest and the Australian Raggamuffin tour with Jimmy Cliff and Mary J Blige.
Following their Melbourne single launch, they will take the new single to WA, QLD, Northern NSW and Tas before kick-starting their summer festival circuit in November at Vanuatu’s Fest Napuan, followed by Victoria’s Queenscliff Music Festival and Shine On Festival, and WA’s Life’s A Beach Festival …with more festival spots to be announced soon.
Jan 2012 will see The Red Eyes head over to NZ for the first time for a long awaited Homecoming Tour which brings Red Eyes original members El Witeri and Damien Charles back to their birth place, and includes two special festival appearances including performances at Anniversary Weekend Festival at Matakana at the inaugural Winchfestin New Plymouth.
*The Red Eyes ‘Circles’ Single Launch (Melbourne) Northcote Social Club High Street, Northcote, VIC Saturday 15 October, doors from 9pm
June 18th, 2011 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
New Festival Appearances Announced… as The Red Eyes prepare to release the first single from their new album.
The Red Eyes will head overseas in November for Fest Napuan in Vanuatu and then to New Zealand to tour around the country including a special appearance at the inaugral WinchFest in January 2012.
In between, they’ll play some summer festivals in Oz, but not before they launch their newest track – the first single off their forthcoming album.
To be the first to hear the new track, to get details about the official ITunes release, or to win tickets to the Melbourne-only launch in October, email redeyes@thered-eyes.com
We will be giving away 10 limited edition copies of the single and a hand ful of double passes to see the show, so make sure you title your email ‘We want CD’s and tickets!’ and you’ll go into the running to win.
April 11th, 2011 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
It’s been almost 12 months since The Red Eyes released Red Army to rave reviews including a nomination for best Blues & Roots album at the 2010 Australian Independent Record Label Awards, as well as Album of the Week on Radio Australia and PBS FM.
The band is going from strength to strength as they tour the nation and pick up coveted festival spots, including this years’ Raggamuffin Festival where they joined multiple Grammy Award winning Mary J Blige and veteran Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff for a nationwide tour.
Now for The Red Eyes it’s on to another stellar line-up, with Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, BB King, Ben Harper… and the list goes on, and on, and on, reading like a wish-list for Australia’s most star studded music festival of all time. But it’s actually real, and all these acts (over 100 and counting) and thousands of punters will converge in little old Byron Bay later this month for 6 days of pure Easter Long Weekend Bluesfest bliss. The Bluesfest website reads, “People, the word is out – The Red Eyes are definitely on the next big thing list. Melbourne’s dub/reggae superstars, The Red Eyes, will bring their unique sound, masterfully produced beats, and soulful lyrics to Bluesfest 2011 – and we can’t wait to have them!” …and The Red Eyes can’t wait to be there.
You can catch their explosive set of skank-inspiring dub/reggae/soul goodness on:
// Saturday 23 April
2:30-3:30PM – Juke Joint Stage
// Sunday 24 April
8:30-10PM – Juke Joint Stage www.bluesfest.com.au
In other recent news:
• Jeremy Sole from KCRW FM, California visited Australia and captured an intimate interview and impromptu recording with The Red Eyes. Watch live video footage of The Red Eyes performing an acapella version of ‘Titokowaru’s War’ (Red Army, 2010) here. Check out Jeremy’s show on KCRW (March 31) featuring both the acapella and album versions of ‘Titokowaru’s War’ here.
• The Red Eyes lead singer El Witeri was selected as a finalist at the 2011 APRA Performance Development awards.
• The Red Eyes have been invited to perform at Fest Napuan, Vanuatu in November 2011. From Vanuatu, the band will sweep through the Pacific Islands, with gigs soon to be announced in Fiji, New Caledonia and New Zealand.
• The Red Eyes joined the barefootprints crew for the inaugral ‘Fest la Frog’ – a sustainable music and art festival held at Melbourne’s CERES Environmental Park on Sat 9 April. Despite the late rain the crowd rocked to The Red Eyes and made a stand for sustainable living.
March 27th, 2011 by The Red Eyes received Comments Off
The Red Eyes will join an incredible line up at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Easter Weekend 2011. The fest will be held over 6 days from Thurs 21 – Tues 26 April, with The Red Eyes performing on Sat 23 & Sun 24. More info from the Bluesfest website!
Now if you can’t wait til the end of April or you can’t make it to Byron, head to CERES Environmental Park in Melbourne for a sustainable festival headlined by The Red Eyes. A local version of Fest la Frog (originally designed to be held on French Island) will run from 10.30am-10pm on Saturday 9 April, on the Village Green at CERES Environment Park in Brunswick East. The Red Eyes will perform alongside 14 other acts including Rapskallion, Rosie Burgess Trio, Hugo (Rap News), Baron Samadhi, Love Lawrence Teskey, The Adventure Spirit and more. The festival will include vego discounts, sustainability workshops, solar brewed & other eco bevwahs, sticking to the zero waste policies & encouraging locals to come by pushy’s or public transport. Entry is FREE before midday, $20 pp otherwise, $15 conc., with a $2 discount for vegetarians. This is a family friendly event and kids 12 and under are free all day. More info at www.festlafrog.com/ceres
The Red Eyes have firmly established their position as one of Australia’s leading original Dub/Reggae acts. They have received critical acclaim for ‘Red Army’ (2010), including a nomination for ‘Best Blues & Roots Album’ at the 2010 Australian Independent Record Label Awards.
Founded in 2002, The Red Eyes brings together 7 multi-instrumentalist musicians who deliver an explosive live sound that combines masterful beats and shake the house dub rhythms with heartfelt lyrics that provide unique antipodean spin on the broad Reggae genre. The band is led on stage by enigmatic front man El Witeri (2011 APRA Songwriter Award Finalist) who draws on his Maori heritage for inspiration.
The Red Eyes brand new single Circles is out now on 
