BRISBANE VINYL LAUNCH TONIGHT! /// MELBOURNE DATES‏

Tonight we will be joined by friends Quiet Steps for a very special show at The Zoo celebrating the launch of our latest respective releases on vinyl:

NIKKO & QUIET STEPS - Dual LP Launch, The Zoo, Brisbane 
w/ O & Pale Earth

Saturday, November 24
http://www.facebook.com/events/185241994934318/?fref=ts

Tickets are $12+bf for pre-sales or $15 on the door
Grab em here: http://zoo.oztix.com.au/default.aspx?Event=30354

We will be launching the deluxe vinyl version of Gold & Red (available on the night as a gatefold double LP featuring gold and red coloured vinyl pressed at 45rpm) alongside label-mates Quiet Steps, who will also be launching their latest full-length Dying Livers on vinyl.

Rounding out the evening will be two side-projects of Brisbane indie-rock veterans The Rational Academy; Pale Earth (Ben Thompson solo) & O (grim post-black metal featuring Thom Roche on drums), making for an extremely eclectic, electric and epic line-up. 

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Our Brisbane vinyl launch will be immediately followed by dates in Castlemaine and Melbourne next weekend:

Thurs, Nov 29th: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine

Fri, Nov 30th: The Public Bar, North Melbourne 
w/ Spinning Rooms & Jimmy Tait
http://www.facebook.com/events/520829701280526/?fref=ts

Sat, Dec 1st: The Reverence Hotel, Footscray
w/ Epithets (QLD), Ballads & On Sierra

http://www.facebook.com/events/451284188255818/?fref=ts

These will be our last interstate shows for some time as many of us will be off travelling the world over the summer break, after which we will take some time off touring to work on writing and recording.

Hope to see you there!

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To celebrate his recent tour announcement and as a tribute to the Old Man, here's a clip of us covering Neil Young's "Running Dry (Requiem For The Rockets)" live in Radelaide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EQNLgFAwS8o

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As part of Unconvention Brisbane, we will be involved in an experiment that will see us write and record a new track over a two-day session which will be simulcast to attendees of the music industry convention as-it-happens. The session will take place in a makeshift studio at The Edge in Southbank over the course of the event (November 24th & 25th) with our good friend Cameron Smith masterminding the whole thing. 

For more info, visit the UnConvention web-page: http://www.unconventionbrisbane.com/see-nikko-in-the-studio-at-unconvention-2012/

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You can stream Gold & Red in full here, and purchase it as a deluxe gatefold double LP featuring gold and red coloured vinyl, a CD digipak, or a stand-alone digital download here.

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Gold & Red has been receiving high praise throughout the Australian music press.

Here are a few highlights: 

If it takes a certain kind of bravery to be truly sincere, then Brisbane’s Nikko are dangerously unafraid... 

Gold & Red is the kind of record that sits readily alongside its contemporaries (Hoodlum Shouts, Charge Group) as much as the acts it takes inspiration from (The Church, Dirty Three). Yet the songs are so strong and delivered with so much conviction that the context is largely unimportant. This is a frighteningly destructive record. - Mess+Noise
Nikko have crafted a resolute grower, and one of 2012’s top Australian albums – somewhere, Rowland S. Howard is smiling. ****1/2 - The Brag

Nikko continue to carve a unique path across the Australian musical landscape, and Gold & Red is further proof that such rustic post-rock mysticism is warranted - nay, vital - to our Australian musical landscape. - Sonic Masala

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See you all soon!

Cheers,

Sam, Jackson, Blair and Ryan

NIKKO

Website: http://nikkoband.com/

Music & Downloads: http://nikko.bandcamp.com/

Video: http://www.vimeo.com/nikkoband 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NikkoBand 

Merch: http://nikko.bigcartel.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/NikkoBand

NATIONAL TOUR /// 'Gold & Red' VINYL RELEASE‏

Our national Gold & Red LP Launch Tour kicks off next week with dates in Canberra, Newcastle & Sydney, followed shortly by Melbourne & Adelaide:

SEPTEMBER
Thurs, 6th: The Phoenix, Canberra
w/ Mornings & Killing Birds
http://www.facebook.com/events/273938906041367/

Fri, 7th: The Lass O'Gowrie, Newcastle
w/ Lander Configurations & Hopes
http://www.facebook.com/events/418862254827223/

Sat, 8th: FBi Social, Sydney
w/ Solkyri, Day Ravies & Sucks
http://www.facebook.com/events/142814392524771/

Thurs, 20th: The Empress, Melbourne (acoustic)
w/ Nathan Hollywood & Kathryn Rollins
http://www.facebook.com/events/433118130060324/

Fri, 21st: The Old Bar, Melbourne
w/ Hoodlum Shouts, Bodies & On Sierra
http://www.facebook.com/events/452079804832201/

Sat, 22nd: The Metro, Adelaide
w/ Gold Bloom (EP launch) & Sparkspitter
http://www.facebook.com/events/119586121519936/

Here's a clip of 'Dark Eyes' live at The Old Bar to get you primed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs5N4SQtb-M

Full tour details here:
http://www.facebook.com/events/257743430996842/

We are incredibly excited to be playing with some of Australia's finest bands on this tour and can't wait to hit the road again.

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You can stream Gold & Red in full here, and purchase it as a deluxe gatefold double LP featuring gold and red coloured vinyl, a CD digipak, or a stand-alone digital download here.

Here are a few NSFW pics of 'Wacko' Jacko modelling the new double LP. Not for the faint of heart.

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Gold & Red has been receiving high praise throughout the Australian music press.

Here are a few highlights: 

If it takes a certain kind of bravery to be truly sincere, then Brisbane’s Nikko are dangerously unafraid... 

Gold & Red is the kind of record that sits readily alongside its contemporaries (Hoodlum Shouts, Charge Group) as much as the acts it takes inspiration from (The Church, Dirty Three). Yet the songs are so strong and delivered with so much conviction that the context is largely unimportant. This is a frighteningly destructive record. - Mess+Noise
Nikko have crafted a resolute grower, and one of 2012’s top Australian albums – somewhere, Rowland S. Howard is smiling. ****1/2 - The Brag

The desire, it seems, is to make sounds of a certain way of being, a certain mode of living, one that is slow and hot and cloying, or grating and loud and confusing... 

It’s a vivid record excellently executed, a thing both of artistry and feeling. - The Breakdown

...an apocalyptic country record that weds post rock’s dark, epic scope with country music’s narrative melodrama. - theMusic.com.au

Their sophomore album, Gold & Red, is proving one of the most exciting releases of the year. ****1/2 - ArtsHub

Nikko have created another elegiac yet iconic gem. **** - Time Off Magazine

Nikko’s sophomore album, Gold & Red, offers the kind of sugar-stabbing love songs that are as grand as they are honest. - The Thousands

Nikko continue to carve a unique path across the Australian musical landscape, and Gold & Red is further proof that such rustic post-rock mysticism is warranted - nay, vital - to our Australian musical landscape. - Sonic Masala

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Ryan recently shared his thoughts on the new album in a Track by Track commentary published on Mess+Noise.

The newly released double LP vinyl version of Gold & Red also got a write-up on US-based blog RecordFlipper.

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Finally, our ballad 'Smoke Alarms' is now streaming on triple J Unearthed.
The video-clip for the track can be viewed here.

Do us a favour by giving it a rating and review, eh?

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See you all soon!

Cheers,

Sam, Jackson, Blair and Ryan

Powerhouse Residency, Tym's In-Store, National Launch Tour + More News

Following last Friday's double drummer explosion, our residency at the Brisbane Powerhouse continues with a very special show that will see us performing Gold & Red in its entirety.

Kicking off at 6pm this Friday on the Turbine Platform, witness us tear through our new album joined on-stage by special guests Adam Cadell (violin) and Elanor Khan (cello).

Entry is free and all are welcome.

You can stream the album in full here, and purchase it as a deluxe gatefold double LP featuring gold and red coloured vinyl, a CD digipak, or a stand-alone digital download here.

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This Friday's show will be followed by a free in-store performance at Tym's Guitars (5E Winn Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane) on Saturday afternoon from 2pm. 

We will be performing a casual set of jams, and possibly even a request or two.

There will also hopefully be a sausage sizzle out the front (veggie options too), provided everything goes to plan. 

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Gold & Red has been receiving high praise throughout the Australian music press.

Here are a few highlights: 

If it takes a certain kind of bravery to be truly sincere, then Brisbane’s Nikko are dangerously unafraid... Gold & Red is the kind of record that sits readily alongside its contemporaries (Hoodlum Shouts, Charge Group) as much as the acts it takes inspiration from (The Church, Dirty Three). Yet the songs are so strong and delivered with so much conviction that the context is largely unimportant. This is a frighteningly destructive record. - Mess+Noise

The desire, it seems, is to make sounds of a certain way of being, a certain mode of living, one that is slow and hot and cloying, or grating and loud and confusing... It’s a vivid record excellently executed, a thing both of artistry and feeling. - The Breakdown

...an apocalyptic country record that weds post rock’s dark, epic scope with country music’s narrative melodrama. - theMusic.com.au

Their sophomore album, Gold & Red, is proving one of the most exciting releases of the year. ****1/2 - ArtsHub

Nikko have created another elegiac yet iconic gem. **** - Time Off Magazine

Nikko’s sophomore album, Gold & Red, offers the kind of sugar-stabbing love songs that are as grand as they are honest. - The Thousands

Nikko continue to carve a unique path across the Australian musical landscape, and Gold & Red is further proof that such rustic post-rock mysticism is warranted - nay, vital - to our Australian musical landscape. - Sonic Masala

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Supports for the majority of our September tour dates have been confirmed:

JULY*

 Fri, 6th: Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse (6pm start)
Sat, 7th: In-store at The Time Machine, Nambour (3pm)
Fri, 13th: Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse (6pm start)
Sat, 14th: Waxing Lyrical, Brisbane Powerhouse (acoustic, 5pm start)
Fri, 20th: Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse (6pm start)
Sat, 21st: In-store at Tyms Guitars, Brisbane (afternoon)
Fri, 27th: Turbine Platform, Brisbane Powerhouse (6pm start)

SEPTEMBER

 Thurs, 6th: The Phoenix, Canberra w/ Mornings & Killing Birds

Fri, 7th: The Lass O'Gowrie, Newcastle w/ Lander Configurations & more TBC

Sat, 8th: FBi Social, Sydney w/ Solkyri, Sucks & more TBC

Thurs, 20th: The Empress, Melbourne (acoustic) w/ special guests

Fri, 21st: The Old Bar, Melbourne w/ Hoodlum Shouts, Bodies & On Sierra

Sat, 22nd: The Metro, Adelaide w/ special guests

* All July dates are free entry

Here's a clip of 'Gold & Red' live at the Judith Wright Centre to get you primed: http://vimeo.com/25700137

More info here.

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Our apocalyptic 8-minute epic 'The Child' was featured on last week's Tone Deaf mixtape. That's little ole us, second from the top in-between Tame Impala and Bloc Party... 

"It’s not too often that a young Australian band is incomparable to their contemporaries but Brisbane-based four-piece Nikko tick that box."

We've also uploaded 'The Child' to triple J Unearthed. They'll never play it, but it'd be cool if you could help us force their hand by giving it a rating and review.

'The Child' also made the top 3 in the Amrap AirIt charts a couple of weeks ago. We love community radio!

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An extensive interview with Ryan, Sam & Blair is up now on Weirdo Wasteland: "The sound created over the past few years by Nikko’s four members somewhat reflects the modern condition of life and finally combines it with an oppressive slow-burn of intrinsic instrumentation that I have been longing to hear."

Another warts-and-all interview was published in Time Off Magazine a few weeks ago if you're interested to know the truth behind last December's debaucherous southern sojourn.

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Looking forward to seeing you all again this weekend.

These residency dates and our in-store at Tym's will be our last shows in Brisbane for more than a couple of months, so don't miss out.

Cheers,

Sam, Jackson, Blair and Ryan

ALBUM LAUNCH///NATIONAL TOUR

This Saturday we launch our new album, Gold & Red, at The Waiting Room (11 Browning Street, West End, Brisbane) with mates The Rational Academy, IDYLLS and Sucks (Syd).

BYO and all-ages, tickets to the launch are strictly limited to 80 people and are available at $15 each here.

Doors at 7.30pm, first band on at 8. More info here.

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We will embark on a national tour to celebrate the release of Gold & Red. 

Witness us in the flesh at the following locations:

Sat, June 23^rd: The Waiting Room, Brisbane (album launch)

Sat, July 7^th: In-store at The Time Machine, Nambour (midday)

Sat, July 14^th: Waxing Lyrical, Brisbane Powerhouse (acoustic)

Sat, July 21^st: In-store at Tyms Guitars, Brisbane (afternoon)

Thurs, September 6^th: The Phoenix, Canberra

Fri, September 7^th: The Lass O'Gowrie, Newcastle

Sat, September 8^th: FBi Social, Sydney

Thurs, September 20^th: The Empress, Melbourne (acoustic)

Fri, September 21^st: The Old Bar, Melbourne

Sat, September 22^nd: The Metro, Adelaide

Here's a clip of 'Dark Eyes' (track #3 on Gold & Red) live at The Old Bar to get you primed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs5N4SQtb-M

Can't wait to hit the road again!

Special guests to be announced. 

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Gold & Red will be available as a deluxe gatefold double LP featuring gold and red coloured vinyl (includes digital download), a CD digipak and a stand-alone digital download from nikkoband.com and tenzenmen.com from July 3rd, and will be distributed nationally via Music-Fix/MGM from July 6th.

The album has been doing the rounds on blogs and community radio, having just entered the 4ZZZ charts at #1. 

Here's what Sonic Masala had to say about it:

Nikko continue to carve a unique path across the Australian musical landscape, and Gold & Red is further proof that such rustic post-rock mysticism is warranted - nay, vital - to our Australian musical landscape (Full review here).

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For those of you who haven't seen it yet, our video clip for 'Smoke Alarms' (track #4 on Gold & Red) is streaming here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFxrJ71I2uc

You can check out the story behind the clip here.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

Cheers,

Sam, Jackson, Blair and Ryan

NEW TRACK///ALBUM LAUNCH

Greetings friends, old & new,

'The Child', the opening track from our forthcoming second album 'Gold & Red', is now available as a free download via our Bandcamp page.

An 8-minute epic about the coming apocalypse, 'The Child' is indicative of the new album; its scale, orchestration and stylistic temperament.

'Gold & Red' will be released on the 3rd of July, 2012 via nikko.bandcamp.com

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In celebration of the release of 'The Child', we have just made all of our previous releases streamable via Bandcamp, which means you can listen to our entire back catalogue free-of-charge.

We have also discounted the limited-edition 'About the Spirit/Smoke Alarms' 7" for all those vinyl enthusiasts among you who are yet to pick it up.

Please enjoy, and feel free to share.

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Finally, we will be launching 'Gold & Red' on the 23rd of June at an extremely intimate show at The Waiting Room, 11 Browning Street, West End.

BYO and all-ages, tickets to the launch are strictly limited to 80 people and are available at $15 each here.

Once purchased, your name will go on a door-list along with the number of tickets that you have purchased.
All you will need to bring with you is your pretty face, some ID and any plus ones that you have purchased extra tickets for.

This show will sell-out, so we recommend that you pick-up your tickets as soon as possible.
Support acts will be announced very shortly, but we can assure you that we've got some excellent bands plucked from each corner of the Brisbane independent music scene.

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Further regional Queensland album launch dates are booked for July, with a national tour planned for September/October. These dates will be announced in the coming months.

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For those of you who haven't seen it yet, our video clip for 'Smoke Alarms' is streaming here.

You can check out the story behind the clip here.

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Hope to see you at the launch!

Cheers,

Sam, Jackson, Blair and Ryan

Back in Brissie supporting Boris, 'Smoke Alarms' Clip + New Album Announced‏

Hi all,

Well, having drunk ourselves into poverty after a month of living in Melbourne, the majority of Nikko have now returned to Brisbane where we will continue to be based. 

Welcome us home when we play The Hi-Fi alongside BORIS (JPN) and Melbourne's always incredible LAURA on March 23rd. 

More details here and here.

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Our video clip for 'Smoke Alarms' has been streaming on Mess+Noise for a few weeks now. 

You can check it out here.

Massive thanks to Luke James Smith for putting it together, and to Ben Challenor, Tom Noakes and Keefy the Goldfish for helping out. Legends!

You can check out the story behind the clip here.

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Our November/December National Tour ended with a bang on Boxing Day, 2011, with the final date of our month-long residency at Melbourne's Old Bar selling-out. 

Here's a clip of us playing 'Dark Eyes' (which will feature on our new record) to the capacity-audience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs5N4SQtb-M&feature=player_embedded 

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Finally, we're extremely pleased to announce that our forthcoming album will be titled Gold & Red. 

Recorded in the cavernous orchestral hall of Brisbane's Old Museum with Cameron Smith (No Anchor, Ghost Notes, pretty much every contemporary Brisbane band...) in June 2011, mixed by Aaron Cupples (The Drones, Dan Kelly, SNOWMAN) and mastered by Nao Anzai (Laura, Rat vs Possum), Gold & Red is the most expansive recorded work we have ever conceived, featuring a veritable orchestra of instruments over its nine tracks.    

We have an amazing Brisbane-based artist working on artwork for the album.

Once this is finalised we will begin working towards a release date.  

We plan on releasing the album on both vinyl and CD, as well as a digital online version.

We are incredibly happy to finally be on our way towards releasing this album.

Hope to see you all soon!

Cheers,

Sam, Jackson, Blair and Ryan