Electronic music duo PNAU will bring its Nirvana Tour to Newcastle next month, with band members Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes set to transform King Street Hotel.
Known for hits including Chameleon, Go Bang and the global smash Cold Heart, PNAU will perform on 3 July as part of a regional odyssey through Queensland and NSW.
For Littlemore, Newcastle remains one of the band’s favourite places to play.
“Pretty much our best shows are in Newcastle,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.
“Newie is probably the biggest show that we’re playing on this run, too.”
While the King Street Hotel offers a more intimate setting than the major festival stages PNAU regularly commands, Littlemore said the goal was always the same.
“We want to give that experience of something larger than life,” he explained.
“Whether it’s 20,000 people at Splendour in the Grass or 15 people at a bar in Bondi, we want to take you out of whatever space you’re in.”
Fans can expect a mix of PNAU favourites and fresh material, with the duo reworking older tracks through remixes and mash-ups while introducing new music.
“We always pull songs from our catalogue, but we make them new again,” Littlemore said.
“Every PNAU record has to have that feeling of a joy machine.”
The tour comes as the group continues its run of high-profile releases, including Tu Corazón (Your Heart), a collaboration with Mexican rockers The Warning.
PNAU first met the trio while filming in Mexico more than a decade ago, with the connection eventually leading to the release of the upbeat track.
“We had so much fun making it,” Littlemore said.
“It was this wild experience where I’d sing something in English and they’d instantly sing it back in Spanish.
“It was very cool.”
The duo is also preparing to debut a new single, Your Chemistry, during the tour.
Beyond the music itself, PNAU has become known for its colourful and surreal visual world, from psychedelic music videos to ambitious live productions.
Littlemore said many of the band’s ideas begin in dreams.
“We’ve always tried to do things that feel extra-dimensional,” he stated.
“The ideas come from dreams.”
That creative philosophy has helped PNAU carve out a unique place in Australian music, often attracting labels such as “wonky pop” to describe its genre-bending sound.
Littlemore, however, prefers not to define it.
“I’ve always found it tricky with titles,” he said.
“I don’t really like to define it.
“I just like to think we make warm songs.”
As live music continues to compete with increasingly screen-focused lifestyles, Littlemore believes the simple act of dancing remains as important as ever.
“The thing about dancing is it’s not about judging other people,” he said.
“It’s really about exploring yourself and your relationship to life.”
With new music, surprise guests and a catalogue of dancefloor favourites, PNAU is promising a memorable night for Newcastle audiences.
“It’s going to be a really special show,” Littlemore said.
“If you’re on the fence about coming down, just take a chance.
“Life is all about the unexpected.”
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