Party Dozen is a sonic partnership loosely based on improvisation between saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet. Their debut LP, The Living Man, earned critical acclaim in 2017, including ‘Album of The Week’ honours at Sydney’s FBi Radio amidst national airplay from JJJ, Double J, and communities.
They’ve toured relentlessly ever since – each performance a trial of physicality and an expression of maximalism. Like the legendary Dirty Three, the members seem to meld into one mind, oblivious to the viewer. Tickle effortlessly navigates Boulet’s ever-shortening attention span and wild tempo changes; form gradually materialises from chaos.
Second album Pray For Party Dozen was released in May 2020 and cemented their place amongst the nation’s foremost sonic adventurers. Again the album scored Feature Album at Fbi, and gained support both domestically and internationally, most notably from KCRW and BBC 6 Music. Singles “Auto Loser” and “Scheiße Kunst” were remixed by Scottish post-rock legends Mogwai and US/Dutch psychedelic dub duo Peaking Lights respectively.
With touring plans stymied, in September 2020, the band went to Sydney Opera House to perform a blistering version of “Play The Truth”, filmed immaculately in the empty Drama Studio. Later in the year, they collaborated with noted Sydney art gallery Phoenix Central Park for another lockdown masterpiece in “The Worker”.
