THE WHITLAMS First new single in 14 years ‘Ballad of Bertie Kidd’ released today

Oct 30

The Whitlams 2 photo credit Scott Gelston.jpg

Beloved Australian band The Whitlams’ first new song since 2006, ‘Ballad of Bertie Kidd’, is released today with the crime caper fitting immediately alongside the classics of the band’s six album repertoire.

Reunited with producer Daniel Denholm (‘Blow Up The Pokies’), the band has created a dark, alternative folk palette, with Jak Housden’s menacing guitar and singer Tim Freedman’s piano sitting up in front.

‘Ballad of Bertie Kidd’ adds an anecdotal chapter to the real crime history of one Australia’s most infamous criminals.

Tim Freedman said, “I’m glad to be back in the songwriting ring with a long narrative, which I find the most challenging and rewarding of styles. Bertie’s biographer didn’t know about this episode, but he sure does now. I hope we do the slapstick and tension of the real events the justice they deserve.”.

As the song begins, Freedman is cornered by a Rabbitohs fan at the pub who tells a tale of a heist so deliciously ill-fated that only the patron saint of hapless criminals could have dreamt it up.

It’s Gosford, 1988. Our protagonist is roped into a robbery by the notorious Bertie Kidd, who orders the crew to put their balaclavas on a little too early. Looking suspicious in their stolen Sigma, they’re spotted by the cops, and thwarted in their ambition to possess a fine collection of Pro Hart and Ken Done masterpieces.

The Whitlams’ 2020 national tour sold out multiple shows soon after going on sale, and all dates have been rescheduled to August and September 2021. The time off has allowed the band to write a new album, due for release in mid-2021.

In the meantime, Tim Freedman is undertaking a rare solo tour during Nov/Dec 2020 which includes some shows as part of Great Southern Nights and covers an extensive area of NSW and Queensland, as well as shows in Adelaide and the Barossa Valley. New December shows for Queensland have just been added, with tickets on sale now from www.thewhitlams.com