31 Jan 2025 – Midnight Tea Party, Tim Bowen, Soul Messengers
Dynamic gypsy/rock/dub; The Voice finalist; soul/blues
Midnight Tea Party
Timothy Bowen
Soul Messengers
Midnight Tea Party blend the hypnotic melodies of the balkans with dub, jazz and rock. Now in their 12th year together as a band, their dynamic live sets are packed with irresistible energy, musical flair and party vibes.
“Midnight Tea Party dance through an infectious concoction of rock, gypsy and dub to craft a sound that belongs entirely to themselves.” Happy Mag
Since the release of their album “Massilia” in 2018 Midnight Tea Party have played festivals such as Woodford Folk Festival, Bellingen Winter Music and Gumball as well as touring up and down the east coast of Australia.
The quintet released their third EP “Electro Bazaar” in early 2023. From the wonky, circus like intro of the title track to the mesmerising sound of the Greek “tsoura” on Monsieur Ouzo, the dubbed out sounds of Hatter’s Hideout and the final assault of Glitterworm, this EP showcases the high energy, dance vibes that the group is renowned for, as well as the ingenuity of the band members and their mastery of the instruments.
Timothy James Bowen is a songwriter who has travelled the world over, and some would say has lived through more in the last few years than many would expect to in a lifetime.
2018 saw Bowen receive a People’s Choice nomination for Live Voice of the Year at the National Live Music Awards up against the likes of Harry James Angus (Cat Empire) and Amy Shark, where he performed one of his songs, ‘Warmth of You’ (co-written with and released by Brandon Robert Young), at the NLMA Gala event in Brisbane with Australian music icon, Katie Noonan.
During the next 18 months, Bowen embarked on U.S., U.K. & Australian tours with his sister, Clare Bowen, playing alongside The Striking Matches (USA) and Imogen Clark, as well as a national tour with Sam Buckingham supported by The Australian Council for the Arts. He received a top 40 placement out of over 3,500 entries in the Vanda & Young songwriting competition 2 years running in 2018/19 for his songs ‘Anchor’ & ‘Sing’ and after becoming a Cancer Council ambassador following his personal battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2015, he was awarded Cancer Council NSW High Profile Ambassador of the Year in 2019.
In years past, Bowen has released several EP’s, made multiple appearances at the Grand Ole Opry (USA) and has written songs for several US and Australian TV series’, including ‘Nashville’ (US), ‘Instinct’ (US) and Channel 7’s, ‘Winners & Losers’. Bowen has also written songs for Virgin Mobile Australia and Cancer Council. Bowen has shared the stage and studio with an incredible league of artists including The Milk Carton Kids, The Striking Matches, Colin Linden, Clare Bowen, Brandon Robert Young, Charles Esten, Katie Noonan, Ben Abraham, Jon Hume and Morgan Evans. His latest single ‘The Greatest Thing’ was produced by Grammy nominated artist and producer Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids. It was undertaken during COVID-19 isolation between continents from home studios around the world. It was written as a surprise for his wife Christina as part of their wedding speeches when they got married in October of last year.
Timothy was a Finalist on The Voice Australia.
Soul Messengers are a Sydney Soul and RnB band who have released 3 albums. Vision & Faith reached #5 on the Australian Blues and Roots Airplay chart and their previous albums also garnered great reviews and nationwide radio play. ‘Dirty Soul’ featured as Eastside Radio’s album of the week.
The bluesy-soul revivalists present a dynamic live show honed at over 150 shows since 2015 at The Basement, Lazybones, Butchers Brew and the Vanguard. In addition to performing regular shows Soul Messengers have played at Kiama Jazz Blues Festival, Double Bay Street Festival and The Northern Beaches Music Festival. With residencies at Vic on the Park, Gasoline Pony and Botany View Hotel, you have one of Sydney’s most booked originals bands.
Rich Aljinovic (vocals, guitar), Simon Morel (guitar), Dave Kirby (drums) and Michaela Davies (Bass).