The Preatures are back.
The hook-laden pop-rock group reunites for the 10th anniversary of their breakthrough album Blue Planet Eyes, which they will support next week with an intimate show.
The resurrected lineup will perform for one night on Tuesday, December 10th, at Sydney’s The Lansdowne, the hometown venue where they played their very first gig.
The classic lineup will be on show, featuring frontwoman Isabella Manfredi, guitarist Jack Moffitt, bassist Thomas Champion and drummer Luke Davison, and welcomes back guitarist Gideon Bensen, who had left the band in 2013.
“We dedicated our entire young lives to this group and to the music we made, falling in love with playing to crowds, however big and brash or small and sweaty. It was insane and we loved it all,” reads a statement from the band.
The Landsdowne gig will mark the band’s first show in five years.
“Our decision to break up was never because of the music. Sometimes you really need to let go of everything to realise and appreciate what you have,” the statement continues.
Dropping in 2014, Blue Planet Eyes was a critical and commercial success. Opening at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart, the LP made a splash at several awards ceremonies, including four ARIA Award nominations and a J Award nod, and two of its cuts cracking triple j’s Hottest 100 in the year of their release.
The breakthrough hit ‘Is This How You Feel’ hit No. 9 on the triple j countdown in 2013 and was shortlisted for song of the year at the APRA Music Awards. Followup album Girlhood arrived in 2017.
That flying start came crashing down, thanks a combination of personal relationships, the stresses of touring and financial difficulties, among other factors. The split was expedited by the breakup of Manfredi and Moffitt
By 2019, the band had called time.
During the pandemic, Manfredi, now a mother, dropped her debut solo record, izzi, while her bandmates Jack, Thomas, Luke and Gideon forged ahead with their own careers, families were started.
Time, as we’re often told, heals all wounds.
Manfredi and Moffitt have moved ahead, the hatchet is well-and-truly buried.
“For us,” the band statement reads, “it’s about recognising and letting go of mistakes, allowing adversity to strengthen us, and trusting our game. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but the idea of a comeback has an almost mystical ability to capture our imagination in a cynical world, and we can’t wait to relight that fire and remind ourselves what a privilege it is to play for you.”
The Preatures will return to The Lansdowne for a concert Tuesday, December 10th, tickets for which go on sale Tuesday, December 3rd.
The special 10th anniversary vinyl edition of Blue Planet Eyes is available here.
