MIKELANGELO & THE LONG LOST FRIENDS
SAT 22 MARCH 2025 - 6PM
THE SERVO

Lost Recordings tour

"A charismatic maestro...vivid storytelling" The Age

One of the true mavericks of Australian music, Mikelangelo is the alter-ego of locally

celebrated singer and performer Michael Simic. Coming to Wollongong fresh from

Canberra at 18 to study Creative Arts at Wollongong Uni, the Illawarra has been a

second home for him ever since. From playing his first gigs at house parties and

pubs like the Oxford Hotel and the North Gong, Simic taught himself guitar and

learned how to write songs and take them to the stage in Wollongong. He has gone

on to play packed headline shows from the Sydney Opera House to London’s West

End, garnering accolades as a solo performer and with his long-term group

Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, releasing 15 independent albums and

building a worldwide following.

"Part Elvis, part New Romantic, part storyteller" **** Time Out (UK)

Simic’s new band, Mikelangelo & the Long Lost Friends is based in his adopted

hometown of Braidwood where he and his wife are raising their young family.

Nestled by the wild and winding Shoalhaven river and under the benevolent shadow

of Mount Gillamatong, Braidwood is a town teeming with artists, poets, musicians

and myriad creative folks. From this creative confluence, Mikelangelo & the Long

Lost Friends have emerged, featuring Jake Annetts on bass, Steve Maher on

keyboard and guitar, Bruce Rose on guitar, Ben Willson on drums and Michael Simic

on vocals and guitar. Together they have worked up a set of powerful and emotive

new material alongside a bunch of Mikelangelo classics from his various bands and

projects. The Long Lost Friends play an eclectic mix of roots rock, driving pop and

turbo charged Euro folk, all delivered with Mikelangelo's trademark charm, energy,

theatrics and off-the-cuff banter.

"Gloriously hilarious, musically astonishing and emotionally heart-punching"

**** Arts Hub

For this tour, Simic has pressed a limited run of the first Mikelangelo solo album -

Lost Recordings - recorded in 1999 by Matt Hills at Happy Valley studios in

Melbourne. The album has been unavailable for some years, and this collector’s

edition will be hand numbered, with each cover featuring hand inked original artwork

by Simic. He will perform songs from Lost Recordings at The Servo alongside

cherished Mikelangelo tunes and new material.

"Mikelangelo weaves a seductive spell around the audience...loved every minute”

**** The List (UK)

**All ages gig but u/18's must be accompanied and supervised by a parent / guardian**