![Magic Dirt, Macy Gray and Jebediah have upcoming shows in Wollongong. Magic Dirt, Macy Gray and Jebediah have upcoming shows in Wollongong.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/054825e8-edaa-47a5-b6c6-42a222d9a10b.jpg/r0_0_1600_900_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Get ready to party like it's 1999, with a host of nostalgic bands and singers heading to Wollongong.
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US crooner Macy Gray will perform in Thirroul as part of her anniversary tour (it's been 25 years since I Try took over the airwaves!), while Aussie faves Nick Cave, Magic Dirt, the Whitlams, Alex Lloyd and the Dirty Three also have local gigs lined up.
And with alt-rockers Regurgitator and Jebediah in Wollongong to promote their new albums, we can't help but ask - will we like their old stuff better than their new stuff?
Nick Cave at the WEC, May 9
![Nick Cave points his finger at the crowd as he leans over a microphone. Nick Cave points his finger at the crowd as he leans over a microphone.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/d4345398-328a-4403-af88-0fb77cc69d25.jpg/r0_190_3727_2294_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Nick Cave is set to return to Australia for a special run of solo shows - and Wollongong's on the tour schedule.
Accompanied by Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on bass, the Birthday Party/Bad Seeds/Grinderman frontman is set to perform pared-back versions of songs from his extensive catalogue.
"It is a great privilege to share the songs with an audience in this way - stripped back and unadorned, revealing their essential nature," Cave said.
Thursday, May 9, at WIN Entertainment Centre. Tickets available here.
Whitlams Black Stump Duo at Resin Brewery, May 23
![Tim Freedman and Ollie Thorpe of the new Americana act Whitlams Black Stump Duo. Tim Freedman and Ollie Thorpe of the new Americana act Whitlams Black Stump Duo.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/d7334c87-721b-426c-8a05-33570c303f61.jpg/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Pianist Tim Freedman and guitarist Ollie Thorpe strip back the Whitlams repertoire to deliver classics like No Aphrodisiac and Blow Up the Pokies, the songs that made the band a household name in the '90s.
They'll also be playing new material from their new album Kookaburra.
See the acclaimed piano and pedal steel duo on Thursday May 23 at Resin Brewing in Bulli.
Regurgitator at Waves, May 30
![Three-piece alt-rock band Regurgitator perform in Wollongong in 2022. Three-piece alt-rock band Regurgitator perform in Wollongong in 2022.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/e51d18f2-556e-4765-99a1-38f758c68904.jpg/r0_233_4558_2806_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Regurgitator is hitting the road to celebrate the release of their 10th album, Invader, on April 26.
The It's So invasive tour will feature the new tracks This Is Not A Pop Song (featuring Peaches) and Cocaine Runway, as well as the classic hits Kong Foo Sing, Polyester Girl, ! (The Song Formerly Known As) - and some other non-PG song titles you may recall.
Supported by Party Dozen and Monster Zoku Onsomb, the three-piece will play at Waves in Towradgi on Thursday, May 30. Tickets available here.
Alex Lloyd at Crooked River Estate, June 8-9
![An early promotional shot of singer songwriter Alex Lloyd. An early promotional shot of singer songwriter Alex Lloyd.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/e2ad0a80-9415-419d-a8de-55902f56a6c5.jpg/r0_155_709_554_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Alex Lloyd will join Icehouse, Ash Grunwald, the Rubens and more when the Winter Wine Festival returns to Crooked River Estate in Gerringong in June.
The Australian singer songwriter made it big in the early noughties with the soaring post-grunge hit Amazing.
The festival will take place on the June long weekend, Saturday 8 and Sunday 9. Tickets available here.
Dirty Three at Anita's Theatre, June 19
![The Dirty Three perform in front of a packed crowd at the Sydney Opera House as part of the VIVID Festival in 2019. The Dirty Three perform in front of a packed crowd at the Sydney Opera House as part of the VIVID Festival in 2019.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/8fced564-4ba2-4072-8f02-5fd23ae59d95.jpg/r0_49_960_591_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
If you didn't get to see the Dirty Three play at the Sydney Opera House five years ago, here's your chance to experience "one of the world's greatest living bands".
The instrumental rock trio will play Thirroul as part of a national tour to coinicide with the release of their long-awaited new album, Love Changes Everything.
The band - made up of Warren Ellis (violin), Mick Turner (guitar) and Jim White (drums) - gained global recognition in the mid-90s with the release of their epic album Sad & Dangerous.
"Their songs, you know, maybe saved someone's life," Australian musician Jen Cloher said. "They're one of the world's greatest living bands without a shadow of a doubt ... It speaks straight to your heart."
With Melbourne singer-songwriter Laura Jean as support, the Dirty Three will play Anita's Theatre on Wednesday, June 19. Tickets available here.
Macy Gray at Anita's Theatre, July 12
![American R&B and soul singer Macy Gray. American R&B and soul singer Macy Gray.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/a1b582cf-a854-48ae-8530-9110de7152fe.jpg/r0_11_1024_682_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I try to say goodbye and I choke, try to walk away and I stumble, though I try to hide it, it's clear ..."
Well, you know the rest. I Try was the hit song on high rotation on every radio station in 1999.
Twenty-five years later, the legendary Macy Gray will perform this and more from her debut album On How Life Is at Anita's Theatre in Thirroul on July 12.
Tickets here.
Jebediah and Magic Dirt at Unibar, Aug 22
![Jebediah performs to a packed out crowd in Wollongong in 2022. Jebediah performs to a packed out crowd in Wollongong in 2022.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/6dbb08c1-93c4-4337-8e73-657a2baab3e1.jpg/r0_184_3604_2218_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
After dropping their first new release in 11 years, Jebediah is bringing their OIKS tour to Wollongong.
The band behind the classic hits Jerks of Attention and Harpoon will play alongside Magic Dirt, another major player in the '90s Australian rock scene.
"We are positively giddy to be heading out on the road to celebrate OIKS with our dear friends Magic Dirt, who we last toured the nation with 24 years ago," the band said. "Can you believe it? This will be one for the ages!"
UOW Unibar on Thursday, August 22. Tickets available here.