Melbourne Will See Shades Of Deep Purple

Legendary hard rock masters Deep Purple have announced an Australian tour this April/May, which will see them play Festival Hall on Sunday May 2.

There's no denying the band's iconic status: with classic hits such as Smoke On The Water, Black Night, Highway Star, Hush and many more, Deep Purple have sold in excess of 100 million albums and were once  listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as "the world's loudest band".

The bands current line-up boasts a vast wealth of experience: Don Airey has been a player on the rock scene for over 25 years, notching up almost 200 album credits and associations with 20 or more major bands including Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Jethro Tull and ELO; Ian Gillan joined the band in 1969 with his great vocal impact, notably the band's anthem Smoke On The Water which emphasised his ability to deliver a lyric with smouldering intensity and rock'n'roll exuberance; Roger Glover, the bass player and composer also joined the group in 1969; Steve Morse is a superb guitarist and bandleader in his own right.

He was named by readers of Guitar Player magazine as the "Best Guitarist" for five years in a row. He formed The Steve Morse Band in 1983 and joined Kansas before switching career to become an airline pilot. Drawn back to music, he joined Deep Purple as lead guitarist in 1994; and lastly, Ian Paice, the drummer who joined the band (age 19) in 1968. Armed with a dazzlingly fast technique, he also has worked with Garry Moore and Whitesnake. A highlight was guesting on Sir Paul McCartney's Run Devil Run album.
 
Deep Purple live in concert is an experience to be reckoned with, get your tickets through Ticketmaster.