Daniel Johns to Celebrate New Film with ‘In Conversation’ Events

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Daniel Johns is set to return to the stage for his first live appearances in over five years.

The Silverchair legend today announced four intimate conversation shows, set to take place across Australia this November, with Frontier Touring confirming the shows will take place in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Newcastle (see full dates below).

The performances, which will feature “storytelling, film and music,” will celebrate the worldwide premiere of What If the Future Never Happened?, his highly anticipated short film.

Each evening will feature an hour-long onstage conversation wrapped around a screening of the genre-bending film. Johns will delve into his creative process and early life, presenting never-before-seen photographs, archival footage, and unreleased recordings from his personal collection.

The intimate format promises access to rare material spanning Johns’ career, including four-track bedroom demos from Neon Ballroom, the original songwriting session for “Straight Lines” from Silverchair’s final album Young Modern, and unreleased ideas intended for a sixth Silverchair album that never materialised. Each show will also feature new music from his solo career and collaborative projects, with Johns ensuring no two nights will be identical.

“What If The Future Never Happened? is equal parts reality and fantasy and I’m as proud of it as anything I’ve ever done in my career,” Johns stated.

“To celebrate the release of the Featurette, I’ll be sitting on stage, telling stories, taking the aux chord and sharing tunes that nobody has heard and sharing random ideas that couldn’t be realised or released. Basically, turning theatres into giant living rooms… it would be great if some people showed up but I’m doing it anyway – you’re all invited!”s

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Directed by James Medlam, the sci-fi inspired film serves as a cinematic portal to the 1990s, following a teenage rockstar called Daniel on an ordinary day in regional Australia before his global conquest. Actor Rasmus King portrays the young Johns, while the narrative explores a chance interaction with a mysterious figure from the future. The featurette was shot in Newcastle on Awabakal Land in 2022, though Johns held its release to coincide with the 30th anniversary of frogstomp.

The film features a stunning orchestral soundtrack intertwining modern interpretations of Silverchair classics with sound design by Adam Alexander from Bamm Bamm Wolfgang. Fans first glimpsed the project through its trailer in 2022, coinciding with Johns’ chart-topping album FutureNever, which broke ARIA records by reaching No. 1 twice and spending seven weeks in the top ten.

Tickets for “Daniel Johns In Conversation: What If The Future Never Happened?” go on sale Thursday, September 25th at 1pm local time. Frontier Members will receive early access to the pre-sale beginning Wednesday, September 24th at 11am local time. Fans will also be invited to submit questions pre-event in each city, adding an interactive element to these rare live appearances.