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The Chats release new single and international tour dates

Aussie punk rock trio, The Chats, launch their new single Struck By Lightning ahead of their upcoming European tour.

Mere days after being announced as supporting acts for the upcoming Foo Fighters Australian tour, Sunshine Coast’s punk rockers, The Chats have launched their first single of the year, Struck By Lightning.

A follow-up to their last original release, AC/DC CD in late 2020, this bold, exhilarating, high-voltage punk tune is short, sharp, and fiercely addictive.

The Chats
Credit: The Chats Facebook

Possessing an anthemic hook, blared by vocalist and bassist Eamon Sandwith, Struck By Lightning came to fruition during a jam session.

“I was on the drums, and I just started playing this little pattern, like, ‘struck-by – LIGHT-NIN’!’ I thought, ‘Hmm, that could work’, so I went home and wrote a song about getting struck by lightning, like how you would feel, and what would happen,” explained Sandwith.

The Chats Live
Eamon Sandwith of The Chats. Credit: YouTube

Coupled with an energetic, riotous music video directed by Matt Weston, Struck By Lightning debuts the band’s newest member, Josh Hardy, who replaced former guitarist and founder of The Chats, Josh “Pricey” Price.

After his departure in 2020, the band stated, “unfortunately, Pricey is no longer in The Chats…he has gone on to do his own thing, and we wish him all the best.

New member, Josh Hardy belongs to a fellow Sunshine Coast-hailing punk group, The Unknowns. According to Sandwith, “he fucking rips, man…he’s been a good friend of ours for years.”

He added, “his band The Unknowns were the first band that were our age on the Sunny Coast – before we’d even formed The Chats. In the early days, they were a full-on rockabilly band, and he had the quiff. He’d comb his hair back and stuff, and we just thought he was the fucking coolest guy ever.”

Credit: Luke Henery via Musicfeeds

In this brand-new single, guitarist Josh Hardy strikingly unveils his presence in the band, with high-octane, lightning-fast shreds that supercharge the entire track.

With their first release of 2022 done and dusted, the trio is gearing up for a massive year ahead. This week, they’ll be kicking off a major European and North American tour, starting in Belgium and ending in the US. Following their return to Aussie shores in October, the boys will be getting ready to play shows in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney, as support acts for Foo Fighters in November and December.

See a full list of tour dates/locations, click here.

Listen to Struck By Lightning below.