Bob Evans Plots 20th Anniversary Tour Of ‘Suburban Songbook’
Bob Evans will play his seminal album in full on the tour.
Image Sophie Howarth
Two decades on since the release of Bob Evans’ (aka Kevin Mitchell) sophomore solo album Suburban Songbook, the acclaimed songwriter is returning to the road to celebrate the record’s release.
Evans will perform the album in full with a band across the country this September and October, while also releasing a special 20th Anniversary Edition of Suburban Songbook available digitally and on vinyl on Friday 4 September.
The album followed his debut Suburban Kid and was recorded in Nashville with producer Brad Jones. “When I think back to going to Nashville in 2005 to make the record and the whole two years that followed the album's release, it does feel like a whole other life almost,” Evans muses, looking back at Suburban Songbook two decades after its release.
“I was coming fresh out of 10 years with Jebediah and even though I had been working on the Bob Evans thing for a while, it was always a side project that was never very serious. But with Suburban Songbook things were getting much more serious, both creatively and professionally. I guess when I think back to that time, I see a someone who is still a kid but not for very much longer. It was very much a transitional time of my life. I feel way older now!”
Fans excited to hear Evans perform the album in full can catch him in Perth at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday 5 September, Melbourne’s Howler on Friday 16 October, Adelaide’s Lion Arts Factory on Thursday 22 October, Brisbane’s Crowbar on Friday 23 October and finally, Sydney’s Crowbar on Saturday 24 October.
Tickets on sale now via bobevans.com.au.
Released in June 2006, Suburban Songbook climbed as high as #16 on the AIRA Albums Chart, spawned the breakthrough single ‘Don’t You Think It’s Time’ and took home the 2006 ARIA Music Award for Best Adult Contemporary Album.
“It was a really special time in my life,” shares Bob of the making of Suburban Songbook. “I was writing and demoing songs kind of in secret for a couple of years and was feeling hugely inspired, but the music was quite different to what had come before, both for Bob and definitely for Jebs.”
“I felt so free and like anything was possible,” Bob continues, “which is an amazing mindset to be in when you are trying to create stuff. I remember feeling ambitious on a creative level, not a professional one. I was listening to a lot of Beatles and Beach Boys records and thinking, these guys wrote their masterpieces before they turned 30 and I was in my mid to late 20's. I felt like I needed to push myself and really reach for the stars because I was at an age where all my heroes were doing their best stuff. I'm not suggesting anything other than that is just where my head was at. I wasn't trying to emulate Brian Wilson or John Lennon or anything. I just felt inspired to push myself as far as I could and see what I was capable of. The more I sort of went down that road the more exciting it was and I was enjoying the process so much and felt like what I was doing might be special, but I didn't really know what other people would think.”
Along with touring the album, Evans is releasing a special 20th anniversary edition of Suburban Songbook set for release on Friday 4 September. Pre-sales for the vinyl and digital editions are on sale now via bobevans.com.au, with the vinyl version pressed in a limited edition “gold nugget” colour. Additionally, the digital version will be remastered and include several never-before-released demos.
Speaking on the new edition, Evans says, “One thing that might interest some people is that with the digital streaming version of the anniversary re-release, I am putting up all the demos of songs that never made the record. These are the authentic 4-track versions made in the back sunroom of my little Perth rental between 2003 and 2006. They are raw to say the least!!”
Catch Bob Evans performing at Lion Arts Factory on Thursday 22 October. Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
Bob Evans 20th Anniversary Suburban Songbook TOUR 2026
Saturday 5 September – Rosemount Hotel, Perth, WA
Friday 16 October – Howler, Melbourne, VIC
Thursday 22 October – Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide, SA
Friday 23 October – Crowbar, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday 24 October – Crowbar, Sydney, NSW
