City Riots were an indie rock band from Adelaide, which formed in 2005 and active until about 2014. Their lead vocalist and front man was Ricky Kradolfer. They played in Australia, United States and the United Kingdom, touring with Smashing Pumpkins, Cobra Starship, Midnight Juggernauts and others

City Riots
OriginAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
GenresIndie rock
Years active2005–2016?
Labels
MembersRicky Kradolfer
Matt Edge
Matt Stadler
Dan Kradolfer
Past membersJohn de Michele

History

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The band formed in 2005.[1] Their 2008 single "Burning Me Out" received national airplay on Triple J,[2][3] were one of the station's Next Crop Acts[4] and were an Unearthed J Award nominee in 2008.[5]

They played in Australia, United States and the United Kingdom, touring with Smashing Pumpkins, The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, Midnight Juggernauts and Operator Please.[6][7][8][9]

In 2010 the band performed at South by Southwest, and the track "She Never Wants to Dance" later appeared on the band's debut album, Sea of Bright Lights, in 2012, and received high rotation on Triple J.[citation needed] The associated tour started with a gig supporting the Living End in November 2012.[10]

In 2013, Ricky Kradolfer won the Best Music Manager award in the Fowlers Live Awards (now South Australian Music Awards).[11]

The last post on their Facebook page dates from February 2016,[12] and by November 2016 the group had disbanded, with Ricky Kradolfer appearing with Sydney-based High Violet.[13]

Reviews

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Tess Ingram of The Music reviewed Sea of Bright Lights (22 October 2012) and observed, "With breathy vocals, soaring synths, jangly guitars and hook-laden pop tunes, [this release] is the perfect album for a summer road trip or a long day at the beach. The aforementioned sonic combination could come across as fake and irritating, but [the group] have found the perfect balance of indie rock and dream pop to make this a debut with enough variation to be an easy listen."[14]

Members

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  • Daniel Kradolfer: – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Ricky Kradolfer: – vocals, guitars, synthesiser, organ
  • Mark Seddon: – bass guitar
  • John de Michele: – bass guitar, percussion, backing vocals
  • Matt Stadler: – keyboards, synthesiser
  • Matthew Edge: – bass guitar, vocals, guitars, keyboards

Discography

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Albums

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  • Sea of Bright Lights (22 October 2012) – Inertia Music (CITRIOT12)[15]

Extended plays

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  • City Riots (6 November 2006) – MGM Distribution (CITYRIOT06)[16]
  • Socialize (2008) MGM Distribution[17]
  • Matchsticks (2011) MGM Distribution[18]

Singles

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  • "She Never Wants to Dance" (2010)
  • "In My Head" (2011)
  • "Matchsticks" (2011)
  • "Wait for You" (2012)
  • "Catch the Sun" (2012)

Awards and nominations

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Fowler's Live Music Awards

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The Fowler's Live Music Awards took place from 2012 to 2014 to "recognise success and achievement over the past 12 months [and] celebrate the great diversity of original live music" in South Australia. Since 2015 they're known as the South Australian Music Awards.[19]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2013 Ricky Kradolfer (City Riots) Best Music Manager Won

J Awards

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The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
J Awards of 2008[20] themselves Unearthed Artist of the Year Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Band's life a riot". The Advertiser. 11 May 2007. p. 24.
  2. ^ Watson, Callie (11 December 2008), "(Indie rock)", The Advertiser, p. 60
  3. ^ Smith, Jakeb (13 February 2007), "City Riots", Rave Magazine, archived from the original on 2 March 2012, retrieved 8 June 2010
  4. ^ "City Riots, Next Crop". Triple J. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Riots erupt", The Advertiser, p. 60, 4 November 2008
  6. ^ Kelton, Sam (13 October 2010), "Expect Smashing good fun", The Advertiser
  7. ^ Mickan, Kate (13 January 2008), "Big day for Riots", Sunday Mail, p. 97
  8. ^ "Riotous act to rock this city", The Advertiser, p. 20, 21 November 2007
  9. ^ Leo, Jessica (9 June 2008), "A hard day's night", The Advertiser, p. 20
  10. ^ Nxx (27 November 2012). "On the Road with City Riots". Daddy Issues. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  11. ^ "[Past winners]". South Australian Music Awards. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  12. ^ Archived FB page for City Riots
  13. ^ "When vs When Not to Give In Q & A: Ricky Kradolfer from High Violet". AAA Backstage. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Album Reviews: City Riots – Sea of Bright Lights". The Music. 1 November 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  15. ^ City Riots; Annison, Woody; Kradolfer, Ricky; Edge, Matthew; Kradolfer, Dan; Stadler, Matthew (2012), Bright Lights, The Band : Inertia Music [distributor], retrieved 27 January 2018
  16. ^ City Riots; Kradolfer, Ricky; Kradolfer, Dan; Seddon, Mark; de Michele, John (2006), City Riots, Adelaide, SA: City Riots/MGM Distribution, retrieved 27 January 2018
  17. ^ City Riots; Kradolfer, Ricky; de Michele, John; Kradolfer, Dan; Stadler, Matthew (2008), Socialize, The Band : MGM Distribution, retrieved 27 January 2018
  18. ^ City Riots; Thorsrud, Bjorn; Annison, Woody; Kradolfer, Ricky; Edge, Matthew; Kradolfer, Dan; Stadler, Matthew (2011), Matchsticks, The Band : MGM Distribution, retrieved 27 January 2018
  19. ^ "Past Winners". South Australian Music Awards. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  20. ^ "The J Award 2008". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2020.

Further reading

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