The Countrytown & KIX Country Centre Stage Artist is McAlister Kemp

Countrytown in partnership with KIX Country is proud to announce McAlister Kemp as this week’s ‘Centre Stage’ artist. Every week we'll be shining a light on a single artist every week across all platforms including online features, airplay, and social support. 

McAlister Kemp remains one of the most successful Australian country acts of the last decade. From the immediate, breakout success in 2010 (which saw them take home the award for ‘New Talent of the Year’ at the 2011 Golden Guitars) through to 2015, the duo earned their stripes as one of the highest selling and most loved touring acts in Australian country music.

Their three highly acclaimed albums – All Kinds of Tough (2010), ARIA Award-nominated Country Proud (2012) and Harder to Tame (2014) – produced number one video and airplay hits including Country Proud, Hell Yeah, It Don’t Buy You Love, Harder to Tame, Fight Me and All Kinds of Tough. They have toured extensively, playing to big crowds on large festival stages, and opening for the likes of Adam Brand and international acts Alan Jackson and Big & Rich.

The duo reunited in 2020 to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of McAlister Kemp’s debut album, All Kinds Of Tough. Originally announced as a one-off special concert for the Tamworth Country Music Festival, they broke a new record at the Longyard Hotel when their show sold-out within four days, leading to a second show announced for the following day.

Both members have also had lucrative solo careers. Drew McAlister released two albums, 2015’s Black Sky and 2017’s Coming Your Way and was one-fifth of Adam Brand and The Outlaws, the super group who took home the 2017 ARIA award for ‘Highest Selling Australian Artist’. His latest solo track, When This Is All Over is an upbeat song about the positives coming away from an event or tragedy, and was the first release since his 2019 singles.

Troy Kemp released his debut solo album Against The Grain in 2015, which features the #1 singles How We Roll Around Here and Small Town Girl. He picked up a Rob Potts ‘New Talent Of The Year’ Award at the 2018 CMC Awards for his duo project Tailgate Drive with Damien Baguley from The Viper Creek Band and his duet of Hung Up On You with Jayne Denham was nominated for ‘Vocal Collaboration Of The Year’ at the 2019 Golden Guitar Awards.

Kemp, who now calls Nashville home, released a handful of solo singles too, including Needles On The Vinyl, Like A Hit To Me, Takin’ Me Back and Before Summer Starts To Fall with Katrina Burgoyne, Rainstorm with Denham and Will Day’s Bro’s alongside Col Finley. He also features on the patriotic 2022 Golden Guitar-nominated track, I Still Call Australia Home with KristyCox, O’Shea, Travis List, Camille and Stuie, Jedd Hughes, Burgoyne and Sam Hawksley.

The powerhouse duo’s long-awaited fourth studio album, We Roll On, is due for release on August 19. Recorded between Nashville and Sydney, the album features the lead track, After The Breakdown, and current single, Paid For Drinking Beer – their first new releases in over 7 years.

McAlister Kemp will hit the road for their first tour in seven years this August and September on the We Roll On tour, taking to stages from QLD, through NSW, and into Victoria, playing their much-loved hits plus a stack of brand-new music!

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Keep up to date with McAlister Kemp on their Facebook page here.