put simply, the parlotones are potentially south africa’s

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Put simply, The Parlotones are potentially South Africa’s biggest selling pop/rock act ever with 700,000+ albums sales worldwide. All the more impressive when you consider this has been achieved via independent record labels in just a few key markets. Double Platinum, Platinum and Gold Records saturate the band’s discography. Their live story is even more humbling having played live to over 2 million people in their career to date. Add to that the 1 Billion people that watched the band on TV as they opened the 2010 FIFA soccer World Cup, and you get a sense of this band’s success so far. When The Parlotones first met in 1998 in Johannesburg, little did they know that they would go on to write one of the greatest Rock ‘n Roll stories South Africa had ever seen. Their hard working, humble attitude, dedication and commitment to their music has seen them enjoy a career that has spanned over 15 years, achieved multi platinum selling status and accumulated numerous awards. In 2003, The Parlotones self-released their first album, the raw Indie tinged 'Episoda’, an album which quickly compared their sound to bands like The Smiths and Coldplay. This Indie sound was the first of its kind in South Africa and quickly labeled The Parlotones as one of the freshest sounding bands on the scene, paving the way for their sophomore (and breakthrough album), which would cement their success and catapult them to the stars they are today. ‘RadioControlledRobot’ was released under the Sovereign Entertainment label in 2005 and spawned the hits ‘Here Comes The Man’, ‘Colourful,’ ‘Dragonflies & Astronauts’, ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Overexposed’. The music video for ‘Overexposed’ won 2 Awards for Best Video and Best Animation at the 2009 MK (TV) Awards. ‘RadioControlledRobot’ showcased The Parlotones as top songwriters in their game and was an upbeat, yet eerie, post-apocalyptic album about the state of a slave race. The album won the 2006 SAMA (South African Music Award) for ‘Best Rock Album’ and spawned numerous Top 40 hits, making it one of the most important albums of their career; shifting them from indie status to full blown, fan-adored stars. In the years following this release, the band toured addictively and won South Africa and the world over, tiny step by tiny step. They walked away with well- deserved awards for ‘Best Band’ at the You Magazine Awards and FHM Readers' Choice Awards, in 2007. The single ‘Beautiful’ was used in a FujiFilmTV ad in Ireland, which exposed the band to their first International audience and secured them a worldwide licensing deal with the International division of Universal Music, covering the territories of Ireland, the UK, France, Japan, Germany and Holland. A 12-track version of the album was released internationally in 2007, making it the first international album released by the band. ‘RadioControlledRobot’ is now an incredible 2 x Platinum. The Parlotones are consistently known for their groundbreaking attitude and genre crunching attention given to their music videos, making them leaders in visual audio expression and winning them a multitude of awards. Their first major music video for ‘Dragonflies & Astronauts’ was created over 9 months and was entirely animated. This video went on to win an award for ‘Best Music Video’ at the MK Awards 2007 and proved that The Parlotones were adamant to push boundaries in all aspects of their art.

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Put simply, The

Parlotones are potentially

South Africa’s biggest

selling pop/rock act ever

with 700,000+ albums

sales worldwide.

All the more impressive when you

consider this has been achieved via

independent record labels in just a few

key markets. Double Platinum, Platinum

and Gold Records saturate the band’s

discography. Their live story is even

more humbling having played live to over

2 million people in their career to date.

Add to that the 1 Billion people that

watched the band on TV as they opened

the 2010 FIFA soccer World Cup, and

you get a sense of this band’s success

so far.

When The Parlotones first met in 1998 in

Johannesburg, little did they know that

they would go on to write one of the

greatest Rock ‘n Roll stories South Africa

had ever seen. Their hard working,

humble attitude, dedication and

commitment to their music has seen

them enjoy a career that has spanned

over 15 years, achieved multi platinum

selling status and accumulated numerous

awards.

In 2003, The Parlotones self-released

their first album, the raw Indie tinged

'Episoda’, an album which quickly

compared their sound to bands like The

Smiths and Coldplay. This Indie sound

was the first of its kind in South Africa

and quickly labeled The Parlotones as

one of the freshest sounding bands on

the scene, paving the way for their

sophomore (and breakthrough album),

which would cement their success and

catapult them to the stars they are today.

‘RadioControlledRobot’ was released

under the Sovereign Entertainment label

in 2005 and spawned the hits ‘Here

Comes The Man’, ‘Colourful,’

‘Dragonflies & Astronauts’, ‘Beautiful’

and ‘Overexposed’. The music video for

‘Overexposed’ won 2 Awards for Best

Video and Best Animation at the 2009

MK (TV) Awards.

‘RadioControlledRobot’ showcased The

Parlotones as top songwriters in their

game and was an upbeat, yet eerie,

post-apocalyptic album about the state

of a slave race. The album won the 2006

SAMA (South African Music Award) for

‘Best Rock Album’ and spawned

numerous Top 40 hits, making it one of

the most important albums of their

career; shifting them from indie status

to full blown, fan-adored stars. In the

years following this release, the band

toured addictively and won South Africa

and the world over, tiny step by tiny

step. They walked away with well-

deserved awards for ‘Best Band’ at the

You Magazine Awards and FHM

Readers' Choice Awards, in 2007.

The single ‘Beautiful’ was used in a

FujiFilmTV ad in Ireland, which exposed

the band to their first International

audience and secured them a worldwide

licensing deal with the International

division of Universal Music, covering the

territories of Ireland, the UK, France,

Japan, Germany and Holland. A 12-track

version of the album was released

internationally in 2007, making it the first

international album released by the band.

‘RadioControlledRobot’ is now an

incredible 2 x Platinum.

The Parlotones are consistently known for

their groundbreaking attitude and genre

crunching attention given to their music

videos, making them leaders in visual

audio expression and winning them a

multitude of awards. Their first major

music video for ‘Dragonflies & Astronauts’

was created over 9 months and was

entirely animated. This video went on to

win an award for ‘Best Music Video’ at the

MK Awards 2007 and proved that The

Parlotones were adamant to push

boundaries in all aspects of their art.

Constantly pushing the

envelope of their artistry and

setting the stage for being

named one of the hardest

working bands in the industry,

The Parlotones entered the

studio for their third album ‘A

World Next Door To Yours’,

which was released in 2007.

The first South African single release was ‘A Giant Mistake’ which reached #1. In the UK the song "Dragonflies & Astronauts" became

their debut single.

In the years following this release the band toured addictively and won South Africa and

the world over, tiny step by tiny step. In June 2007,The Parlotones were selected

to perform at The Live Earth concert, the largest festival ever staged. MSN named

The Parlotones as “one of the 10 most memorable performances at Live Earth” and likened seeing the Parlotones at this early stage of the career to “seeing The

Police in the late 70’s”.

Constantly pushing the envelope of their

artistry and setting the stage for being named one of the hardest working bands in

the industry,The Parlotones entered the studio for their second studio album ‘A World Next Door To Yours’, which was

released in 2007.The first South African single release was ‘A Giant Mistake’ which

reached #1 on S.A’s No 1 Hit Station 5FM's Top 40 and the Hi5@5 chart shows. In the UK the song "Dragonflies & Astronauts"

became their debut UK single.

‘A World Next Door To Yours’, an

album which is often considered the

band’s “Magnum Opus”, was certified

Gold in South Africa 3 months after its

release and platinum 3 months

later.The album remained one of

South Africa's top 20 selling albums

for more than 12 months and became

the biggest selling album of the

decade 2000-2010 in South Africa.

Other singles that had incredible

success were the fairytale indie pop

song ‘I’ll Be There,’ and ‘I’m Only

Human.’

The endearing music video release for

‘‘I'll Be There’ which involved a forlorn

tinfoil Knight looking for love won 3

awards at the MK Music Awards 2009

Best Video, Best Animation and Best

Serenade and set the bar for music

video animation. The video also won the

‘Loerie Kraft Award’, marking the first

time a music video had won a

Loerie.The song was also nominated for

SAMA 2009 — ‘MTN Record Of The Year’

for ‘I'll Be There.’

The band embarked on a 2 month, 3 continent International ‘A World Next Door To Yours’ tour to support the album

release, which began in North America, ending in Canada and then continuing across the Atlantic for a UK show with

Starsailor.The unrivalled success of this album was beyond expectation and testament to the rock giants The Parlotones had

become.

After relentless years of touring, performance and writing and with no signs of slowing down,The Parlotones released their

third official studio album ‘Stardust Galaxies’ in 2009.The album spawned the hits ‘Life Design’, ‘Push Me To The Floor’ and

‘We Call This Dancing’ and reached Gold Status (20 000 copies) in its first week of release.The Music Video for ‘Push Me To

The Floor’ won MK Award for Best Music Video 2010 and SAMA for Best Music Video 2010

‘Stardust Galaxies’ was launched during the 2009 world tour, which culminated in sell out headlining gigs at the Coca Cola

Dome in Johannesburg and Grand West Arena in Cape Town.This was a feat never ever achieved before by a South African

rock band. In 2010 the band played on stage to a local and International live broadcast audience of over a billion at the

opening of the FIFA World Cup Kick-off Celebration Concert.

KAHN MORBEE - LEAD

SINGER, GUITAR

NEIL PAUW -

DRUMMER

nd girls in Africa

Always willing to expand their horizons and unleash their creativity, The Parlotones expressed their love of wine by collaborating with a local South African vineyard and producing three different ‘Parlotones’ wines, blended and created by the band during 2009 and 2010. These wines were named after some of their most popular songs: ‘Giant Mistake’, ‘Push Me to the Floor’ and ‘We Call This Dancing’.

Keeping themselves busy with a non stop-

touring itinerary, the band have toured

internationally since 2007, spending

months on the road in the UK, Germany,

Austria, Switzerland and North

America.They have also toured in South

America, Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia

and have shared the stage with Coldplay,

Starsailor, Snow Patrol, Live, Ash,

Razorlight, Blue October, Violent Femmes,

Imagine Dragons & many more.Their Live

Concert circuit has included festivals like T

in the Park, V fest, St Gallan Switzerland,

SXSWDeluna Fest, Canadian Music Week,

Midem and more.

The Parlotones have always aspired not

only to have fun making music, but also to

give back to their community. Over the

years, they have raised funds and

awareness for a variety of social &

environmental organizations, lending their

high profile to initiatives such as Live Earth,

Earth Hour, The SABC’s Carbon Free

campaign, Nelson Mandela’s 46664, & Live

Earth’s Run for Water, among others.

They are also ambassadors for the anti-

poaching organization Rhino Force, United

Against Malaria, The Smile Fundation, and

several other non- profits that combat problems

that acutely affect South Africa.

In March 2012, they joined with Africa Unites to

climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise global

awareness about ending violence against

women & children.

“People in the public eye have the ability to spread a message very quickly and effectively,” Morbee says. “So we try to do so when it

concerns issues we feel strongly about. South Africa is our home and home to our families and our friends.We certainly want to make

sure they have a bright future. If we can get involved and encourage people to get involved, it can only have positive effects.”

Just before the release of the band’s 4th Studio album ‘Journey Through the Shadows’ (2012) the band embarked on a US club tour

and were met with media fanfare and praise.The Boston Herald predicted,“The Parlotones could become huge here. Killers huge,

Muse huge, Coldplay huge.” Filter magazine reckoned that “their earnestness, work ethic, and charm may be their biggest weapons.”

Not only praised for their songwriting and melodies,The Parlotones are adored for their expressive live performances, their iconic face

make up and their willingness to interact and touch their audience. In 2012 the band performed a rock opera called ‘Dragonflies and

Astronauts’ which was broadcast live around the world in 3D via DIRECT TV and in 2D live on Facebook, and performed live at various

theatres around S.A.

On ‘Journey Through The Shadows’The Parlotones have crafted the kind of melody-minded arena-filling songs that transcend language

and culture barriers.The first single “Save Your Best Bits,” with its theme of not allowing negative things from the past to affect the

good parts of your soul, and the celebratory “I Am Alive” are about catharsis.

PARLOTONES

GLEN HODGSON - BASS,

KEYBOARDS, BACKING VOCALS

PAUL HODGSON, LEAD GUITAR

IN 2014, AFTER 12 SUCCESSFUL

YEARS ALONGSIDE RECORD/

MANAGEMENT LABEL; THE

PARLOTONES AND SOVEREIGN

ENTERTAINMENT SPLIT WAYS AND

THE BAND TOOK OVER THE REINS,

REINFORCING THEMSELVES AS A

TRUE “INDIE” BAND.

In 2015,The Parlotones released their first Independent

album ‘Antiques & Artefacts. This was soon followed the

bands 20th anniversary year that saw a brand new studio

album titled 'CHINA' released both locally and

internationally. Working with the likes of two time Ivor

Novello Award winner and Grammy nominated songwriter

Sacha Skarbek (best known for writing James Blunt's hit

singles "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover" as well

having worked with artists such as Adele, Lana Del

Rey, Jason Mraz, Tears for Fears, and many more), Richard

Archer (singer-songwriter, and principal songwriter of indie

rock band Hard-Fi) and Get Cape, Wear Cape Fly's Sam

Duckworth to name a few.

2019 saw The Parlotones release their Unplugged(ish) album

'Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed,

Something Blue'. Recorded at High Seas Studios, the

recording is rich in acoustic renditions from the band's back

catalogue, as well as eerie takes of selected singles off

the recently released SAMA nominated album CHINA.

CONTACT:

MEDIA QUERIES

Gregg Forbes

[email protected]

BOOKINGS

Gregg Forbes

[email protected]

During the release of

‘Journey Through The

Shadows', The Parlotones

spent a year touring

abroad in the US and

their homeland, spreading

their musical message.

Having to juggle a home

life in South Africa and

abroad was a testing time

for the band and made

them realize that although

they are constantly willing

to travel the world, they

have always called South

Africa home. “The most

exciting part about

touring is doing the last

stretch returning home,”

says front man Kahn

Morbee.

In 2013,The Parlotones

released their fourth

studio album ‘Stand Like

Giants’ on Virgin Atlantic

flight VS602 from

Johannesburg to London.

Long standing friends of

Sir Richard Branson, this

was the worlds first ‘on

board’ album launch.The

album included the

critically acclaimed single

‘Sleepwalker’ featuring S.A

Hip Hop star Khuli

Chana.The song, which

was first featured as a 5fm

MashLab Colab climbed

the charts and was named

as one of the biggest S.A

collaborations.

DISCOGRAPHY

MUSIC VIDEOS

Here Comes The Man

Beautiful

Dragonflies & Astronauts

Colourful

Overexposed

Stars Fall Down

I’ll Be There

I’m Only Human Giant Mistake Push Me The Floor

Life Design Save Your Best Bits Sleepwalker Defy Gravity Can You Feel It Beautiful Life Antidote

AWARDS

South African Music Awards (SAMA) 2006 — Best Rock Album

You Magazine Awards 2007 / 2010— Best Band

MK Awards 2007 — Best Video

People’s Choice Awards 2008 — Best Music Act Best Band Award — Caxton’s "Best of JHB" - 9 years running

Loerie Kraft Award 2008 (the first time that a music video has won at the Loeries)

MTV Africa 2008 — Best Group nomination

MTV Africa 2008 — Best Alternative nomination

International Songwriting Competition (ISC) 2008 Music Video (first place) for

"Overexposed"

International Songwriting Competition (ISC) 2008 Performance (second place) for

"Giant Mistake"

MK Awards 2009 — Best Video for Overexposed.

MK Awards 2009 — Best Animation for Overexposed.

MK Awards 2009 — Best Serenade

SAMA Awards 2009 — MTN Record of the Year (nomination) for "I'll Be There"

SAMA Awards 2009 — Best Global Chart DVD (nomination) for Unplugged

SAMA Awards 2009 — Best Music Video of the Year for "Overexposed"

SAMA Awards 2010 — Best Rock album for Stardust Galaxies

SAMA Awards 2010 — Best Music Video for "Push Me to the Floor"

Nominations

MTV Africa Music Awards 2014 - Best Alternative SAMA Awards 2018 - Best Rock Album

STUDIO ALBUMS:

Episoda (2003)

Radiocontrolledrobot (2005)

A World Next Door to Yours

(2007)

Stardust Galaxies (2009)

Journey Through the Shadows

(2012)

Stand Like Giants (2013)

Antiques & Artefacts (2015)

“Trinkets, Relics & Heirlooms -

B Sides album. (2016)

CHINA. (2018)

LIVE / COMPILATION ALBUMS

Unplugged (CD, and DVD Live at

the Emperors Palace) (2008)

Live Design (Live CD and DVD

video compilation) (2010)

Eavesdropping on the Songs of

Whales ( 2011)

Dragonflies & Astronauts CD /