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Photo by Taj O'Halloran

Individually, they’re two of the most beloved musicians to have ever graced the Australian music scene, but together… well, there’s a first time for everything! Now, Jebediah frontman Kevin Mitchell will be making Aussie music history today announcing a national anthology concert tour, When Kev Met Bob, which sees him teaming up with his own Bob Evans alter ego.

A veritable time machine of classic compositions and crowd favourites, When Kev Met Bob will see Kev and his sharper-dressed mate, Bob Evans, combining their myriad talents for an evening of music which encompasses almost 30 years. Beginning in Kev (and Bob's!) adopted home of Melbourne on Friday September 29, the nine-date When Kev Met Bob tour will travel all over the country, with shows in Daylesford, Archie’s Creek, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane, and finally Cairns, peppering the calendar until late November. Tickets are on sale now.

While Kev plucks from the storied Jebediah discography of the ‘90s until the present day, Bob will keep things a little more contemporary, offering up songs from his six-album catalogue from the last 20 years. Throughout it all though, a shared thread will keep it together, as never-before-told stories behind the songs turn the affair into an evening to remember. As Kev explains, the upcoming tour is a true first for him, with his near-30 years spent as the frontman of Jebediah having been kept separate from his work as Bob Evans, ever since the latter first appeared on the scene in the late ‘90s.

“It’s a little scary! I haven't really done a proper ‘tour’ in years, as my last album, Tomorrowland, came out during all the COVID lockdowns, so touring has been extremely sporadic ever since.  This is a show I have always had in the back of my mind though. I have always just kind of been sitting on it and waiting until it felt right to do so. For nearly 30 years I have kept my solo music and my Jebediah music separate, and that has been a very deliberate decision that was also an important one to me. I think I have reached the point now however where that separation has done its job. So I suppose it feels a little freeing and exciting to step into a new phase now; The Kevin Evans years!”

By now, Kev’s musical journey is pretty well-documented. First forming Jebediah as a teenager, it wasn’t long until his songs were radio staples, his albums were chart mainstays, and festival stages seemed empty without him. By the time Jebediah released second album, Of Someday Shambles in 1999, Kev was looking to spread his wings a little bit and explore a different musical direction. Thus, Bob Evans was born.

Removing the endearing alt-rock fuzz that characterised Jebediah, the Bob Evans sound was more acoustic, and folk-oriented, with debut album Suburban Kid arriving in 2003. Even while his main band took some time off from recording new albums, Bob kept the home fires burning, with his sixth album, Tomorrowland, arriving just two years ago. Now, the time has come for the lines to blur, and for the upcoming When Kev Met Bob tour set to become the musical photo album of Kev’s entire life.

“For me, personally, I think it will just be nice to finally present all this music I have written on one stage. There's a lot there when you combine it all together, and it's very much my adult life laid bare in song. The earliest songs I’ll be playing were written when I was 17, and the most recent are from my early 40s,” says Kev.

For diehard fans of both acts, the upcoming shows will be a celebration of what makes these two artists so special and revered by music fans across the country. Over the course of two sets, Kev will focus on a lifetime of musical brilliance: Beginning with a set full of classic material from the ‘90s and ‘00s, the chronological celebration will move onwards to the Bob Evans years, showcasing everything that came after. Of course, those looking for a unique experience need look no further, with a bunch of Jebediah rarities that are often absent from the band’s live shows also set to get a look-in. “I think the people who appreciate a few deep cuts will hopefully be happy,” notes Kev.

With decades of musical experience in Kev’s corner (and almost just as much in Bob’s), the upcoming When Kev Met Bob tour is bound to be a masterful celebration of one of the country’s finest songwriters and performers in a truly unique format. For Kev though, it’s another opportunity to do what he’s consistently loved doing for almost 30 years.

“I really think it's quite simple, there's no trick to it. I still love it and haven't quit. I suppose that begs the question why. My motivations in the very beginning were always just based around satisfying my own happiness and not really about achieving any sort of tangible markers of success.  So my love for it has never been reliant on anything else so it's never gone away,” says Kev.

When Kev Met Bob hits The Tanks Arts Centre on Saturday 25th of November Tickets are on sale now. BUY TIX