2020 marks 140 years since Ned Kelly’s last stand and subsequent execution on the 11th of November 1880. Producer and guitarist Thor Phillips and drummer Marcus Schintler deliver a sharp edge of Australian rock to this colonial tale, with Watling & Bates shackled to the past. Such Is Life 2020 will be released to radio and streaming services on Melbourne Cup Day, Tuesday 3rd November 2020.

It's 2020 and the world we knew has been replaced by a flat-pack version with screws loose and several parts missing.

What should you do when your dreams are spent?  Will you be remembered for the things you have not done?  Plenty of questions with no answers for a life that’s not quite running to plan. 

Thor Phillips pits a full-house of Dobro against Christopher Ridgway‘s hand of chicken-pickin’ guitar. Watling crashes the saloon with a harmonica while Bates keeps a safe distance and thoughtfully nurses his beer. 

Wondering About My Time is from the duo’s Small Town Tales album, produced by Thor Phillips. 

Celebrating the launch of our new independent local newspaper, the Richmond River Independent, filmed by ABC Backroads for their Kyogle episode. Photo by our local MP Janelle Saffin. 

We're back in the studio with Thor Phillips working on our next album. Can't wait to see where the road will lead us.

We've been social isolating for a while now, time to put some spring in our step. Old Times is fitting for our locked-down lives, where we have turned back the clock to discover joys of simpler times. Old Times was released to radio on 5th May by CRS Publicity.

The global arrival of COVID-19 forced us all off the road. The music industry, like many others, is shifting its feet in the prevailing conditions, so we're hunkering down in Unumgar to work on material for our next album. We'll make the best of the situation and enjoy a rest from the road.

How exciting to take our place on the famous Toyota Fanzone Stage at the 2020 Tamworth Country Music Festival. Thanks so much Jeannie Kleynhans for this fabulous pic!

We greatly enjoyed our afternoon at the TSA Showcase at the Tamworth City Bowling Club!  Many thanks to Kerry Nethery for this wonderful photo with radio legends Ian Crombie (centre) and Mike Stewart (far right), with host Becci Nethery (centre) and Northern Rivers comadre Wendy Joy Ford (right).

A memorable day at the ICMA Awards at the South Tamworth Bowling Club, where we were nominated for Most Popular Duo. Congratulations to Destiny Band Oz for taking out the gong, and many thanks to Gayle O'Neill for this legendary photo!