WA ICONS READY TO ROCK THE STAGE FOR X-PRESS MAGAZINE’S 40th BIRTHDAY
A rollcall of WA music royalty is set to grace the stage at the Astor Theatre on Wednesday March 18, to celebrate 40 years of X-Press Magazine.
Tickets are now on sale through Ticketek for this must-attend celebration for fans of WA music and culture. The Rewind – 40 Years of X-Press event will feature live performances and showcase stories, interviews, archival photos and footage from the past four decades of this iconic West Australian publication.
An impressive line-up of West Australian artists whose careers have been supported by X-Press Magazine will perform at the event, including Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe), Gyroscope, Donna Simpson (The Waifs), Cal Kramer (Southern River Band), Dave Hole, Dom Mariani (The Stems/ DM3), Katy Steele (Little Birdy), Dave Warner, Carla Geneve and Boox Kid.
Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley says that it’s hard to express what X-Press has meant to the Perth music community.
“In the 90s, Perth and WA felt cut off from the rest of Australia, bar the touring acts that would roll through town and the only way you’d even hear about those tours was through X-Press Magazine.
“Each week there’d be a new front cover, and if your band made it onto that cover and had a sold-out show at the Grosvenor Hotel, we called that ‘going gold’ in Perth. It was a huge deal in the local scene. If you landed the X-Press front cover, you were instantly world-famous in Perth.”
The Waif’s Donna Simpson has similar memories. “I remember when The Waifs were a super green band from the South West trying to make the slightest mark in the Perth music scene and being turned down gig after gig. Thursdays we would scour X-Press Magazine to read and learn everything we could about the venues and the city music scene.
“I still remember the day and the thrill when we were mentioned in the Gig Guide. I’ve still got the original carefully cut tiny newspaper print of it. After tons of hard yards, and many years later, we scored a really cool X-Press cover feature. We grabbed about 50 copies to send to mum. So I’m really looking forward to celebrating 40 years of X-Press at the Astor Theatre.”
Local blues legend, Dave Hole, says that X-Press Magazine has been the lifeblood of the West Australian music industry.
“I’m so pleased to be invited to take part in this celebration,” says Dave. “I remember just how important X-Press Magazine was to the thriving pub rock scene in Perth in the ‘80s and ‘90s – great times, happy memories!”
WAM Award-winning singer/songwriter, Carla Geneve, will also be performing on the night.
“The first time saw an X-Press Magazine I would have been 12 or 13,” reflects Carla. “I was up from Albany, probably for an orthodontic appointment. I felt like I was Alice peering down into the rabbit hole. I never knew there could be so many bands playing at once, all listed out neatly and completely unattainable for someone of my tender age.
“X-Press was the first time I glimpsed my future, and knew it was what I wanted. If you told 13-year-old me I would be here today, I would have smiled my braces clean off.”
A 200-page coffee table book is also currently in production and will be launched at the Astor Theatre event. Rewind – 40 Years of X-Press Magazine charts the gigs, artists and moments that defined Western Australia’s music, arts and culture from 1985 to 2025. Written and curated by three-time X-Press Editor, Bob Gordon, signed copies will be available for purchase on the night. To pre-order a copy of the commemorative coffee table book, head to xpressmag.com.au.
