Billy Idol with Cheap Trick | Australia 2015

Billy Idol with Cheap Trick | Australia 2015

Rock icon BILLY IDOL is returning to Australia and New Zealand for his first concert tour of Australia since 2002.

Billy Idol’s tour announcement coincides with a flurry of new Idol projects that have fans around the globe in a heightened state of excitement!

Idol’s long-awaited and riveting self-written autobiography Dancing With Myself was released worldwide on October 7 via Touchstone/Simon and Schuster and his first album of new material since 2005, Kings & Queens of the Underground, is out on October 17 on BFI Records/Kobalt Label Services.

Written by Idol himself, in his inimitable, searingly honest voice, Dancing With Myself offers an all-access pass to Billy Idol’s journey to fame. 

His tale is an extraordinary one, from a transient childhood divided between the United States and England, to Idol’s time as a seminal member of the 1970s London punk scene fronting the band Generation X, to his meteoric rise to stardom, propelled by a distinctive sound combining punk’s energy and ethos with a danceable, driving beat.

Beyond adding his uniquely qualified perspective to the story of the evolution of rock, Idol is a brash, lively chronicler of his own career. Delivered with the same in-your-face attitude and fire his fans have embraced for decades, Dancing With Myself offers eye-opening anecdotes full of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll that only Billy Idol can tell.

Idol’s new album Kings & Queens Of The Underground was primarily produced by Trevor Horn, with Greg Kurstin also contributing as producer to two songs, including the anthemic lead single, ‘Can’t Break Me Down’.

Special guests are Cheap Trick.

Tour Dates

MARCH 14 (SAT)	PERTH, WA	AN EVENING ON THE GREEN KINGS PARK & BOTANIC GARDENS
MARCH 18 (WED)	WOLLONGONG, NSW	WIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
MARCH 19 (THU)	SYDNEY, NSW	QANTAS CREDIT UNION ARENA
MARCH 21 (SAT)	YARRA VALLEY, VIC	A DAY ON THE GREEN ROCHFORD WINES
MARCH 22 (SUN)	FLEURIEU PENINSULA, SA	A DAY ON THE GREEN LECONFIELD WINES
MARCH 24 (TUE)	MELBOURNE, VIC	MARGARET COURT ARENA
MARCH 28 (SAT)	HUNTER VALLEY, NSW	A DAY ON THE GREEN BIMBADGEN WINERY
MARCH 29 (SUN)	MT COTTON, QLD	A DAY ON THE GREEN SIRROMET WINES

Incubus Australia Tour With Special Guests Antemasque & Le Butcherettes

Iconic rock gods, Incubus are unparalleled in their ability to shift moods and textures at the drop of a dime, proving that they have become a rare thing: a modern rock band that actually grows and improves with each album.

Through their double decade-long rise to the top, Incubus have notched up over 13 million album sales and have amassed an arsenal of sing-a-long hits including Drive, Nice To Know You, Wish You Were Here, Are You In?, Pardon Me, Megalomaniac, A Certain Shade Of Green... come on, you know you're guilty of belting out any one of these tunes on a drunken Karaoke night!.

The musical genius of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala formerly of At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, needs no introduction! During the 90's, as members of At The Drive In, the pair raised the bar on the post hardcore genre with the release of their third (and final) album Relationship of Command to critical acclaim; an album now regarded as one of the most influential rock albums of the 90's.

In 2001 they teamed up again and the Prog-rock experimentation of The Mars Volta was unleashed! The band went on to release 6 studio albums with the single Wax Simulacra earning the band a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Fast forward to 2014 and the creative collaboration appears in its newest incarnation, ANTEMASQUE. With the release of their debut self-titled album mid 2014, ANTEMASQUE again proved themselves as the masters of musical diversity. The band spent the latter half of the year touring the US and Europe, bringing their unmistakable live intensity and a vibe that's virtually unmatchable!

"the performance thrived with punk energy like a bull in a china shop playing 70s prog." - consequenceofsound
"Like true rock stars, ANTEMASQUE left the stage with fans wanting more." - examiner.com

Mexican garage-punk trio Le Butcherettes are like the brilliant offspring of surrealist Luis Bunuel and intrepid rock icon PJ Harvey with the band's songs and wildly cathartic live shows often drawing comparisons to Karen-O, Patti Smith and Bikini Kill.

Renowned for their electrifying and anything goes live performances; they have toured the US with The Flaming Lips, Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Jane's Addiction and performed at countless festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Fun Fun Fun Fest and many more.

"Le Butcherettes are never to be missed and are heretofore not to be ignored. Utterly stunning." - sfweekly

Incubus Events:

28 Feb-01 March Soundwave Brisbane

28 Feb-01 March Soundwave Sydney

27 Feb The Enmore Theatre Sydney

25 Feb  Forum Melbourne Melbourne

21-22 Feb  Soundwave Adelaide 2015 Adelaide

21-22 Feb  Soundwave Melbourne 2015 Melbourne

Australian Open 2015 countdown: Rafa Nadal, Serena Williams and other big names fall to shock defeats and injuries

Lleyton Hewitt was thrashed by compatriot Sam Groth

by EMILY BENAMMAR - The Daily Telegraph

The Australian Open is still 11 days away yet the top seeds are dropping like flies. Early defeats and injury setbacks have blown the opening grand slam of the season wide open.

What’s going on at the top?

OK, let’s start with the ever-growing list of early round casualties in the lead-up tournaments ... get comfy.

World No 3 Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open preparations are in tatters after he was ousted in the first round of the Qatar Open overnight by Michael Berrer ... ‘Who?’ I hear you ask ... he’s a German player ranked 127th in the world and is due to retire at the end of this season, so we reckon this 1-6 6-3 6-4 win might just be the highlight of his year.

What did Rafa have to say about it?

Nadal lost his opener in Qatar

Williams was beaten by Bouchard

-

“These things happen after a long time without being on the road, being on rhythm, being in competition,” he said afterwards.

“I was playing with more nerves because after a long time away I wanted to win. My motivation and my hunger to keep doing things well is still the same.”
Also suffering a shock defeat was 18-time grand slam champion and current world No 1 Serena Williams who struggled to hold serve throughout her Hopman Cup clash with Eugenie Bouchard.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m so tired,” Williams said after the match. “It’s weird. I can’t get my body to move. I feel like I’ve got no energy.

“It’s a little frustrating because I know I can play two thousand times better.”

Williams can take comfort in the knowledge that she is not the only top flight womens player struggling in the early stages of the season with Victoria Azarenka, Sam Stosur, Sabine Lisicki, Jelena Jankovic, Dominika Cibulkova and Garbine Muguruza all out of their respective events after two days.

The situation worsens if you look at the goings-on in Auckland where Svetlana Kuznetsova, Sara Errani and Mona Barthel have all suffered early defeats.

On the home front, there are doubts over the fitness of Aussie Matt Ebden who succumbed to a calf injury during his 3-6 7-5 6-0 loss to Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz at the Hopman Cup.

Over to the injuries now and it looks like the Australian Open will go ahead withoutcrowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and US Open champion Marin Cilic.

The Frenchman is struggling with the same arm injury that forced him out of the Hopman Cup while Cilic continues to suffer from problems with his shoulder.

Other notable absentees in the men’s draw include Tommy Haas, Nicolas Almagro and there are doubts over the fitness of Juan-Martin del Potro.

In the women’s draw Czech Petra Cetkovska (hip) and Great Britain’s Laura Robson (wrist) are confirmed to be out.

Jo Wilfred Tsonga is unlikely to feature in the Australian Open

Changing of the guard?

In case you missed the late action in Brisbane last night Australia’s Sam Groth overcame veteran Lleyton Hewitt, signalling a potential shift in hierarchy when it comes to homegrown talent.

As defending champion Hewitt would have been hoping for more than a first-round bow but it was not to be.

He suffered a 6-3, 6-1 mugging at the Pat Rafter Arena in his first ever encounter with Groth.

Aussie men in form

While much focus has been put on what’s going on with Sam Stosur and whether Bernard Tomic is a reformed man, a host of other Australians have been impressing on the circuit.

While Tomic has joined Groth in the second round in Brisbane, so too have Thanasi Kokkinakis, John Millman and James Duckworth.

Sharapova an early favourite

OK, given the performance of her closest rivals so far this year this might appear an obvious statement, but Sharapova is in fighting form coming into the Australian Open and would appear to be worth a punt to claim her second title in Melbourne.

The world No.2 well and truly dispatched Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova 6-0 6-1 at the Brisbane International yesterday.

It seems a few months off have done the Russian no end of good.

“I really just kind of got away from it all. I didn’t check anything. It was nice not to have to check any scores or who you’re playing against,” she said after her win in Queensland.

“But when you do come to a tournament, of course you’re very well aware of what’s going on, especially in the tournament.”

Federer meets the locals

Taking advantage of everything that Queensland has to offer, 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer nipped down to Tangalooma Island to meet some of the locals.

The Swiss gets his Brisbane International campaign under way against Australian John Millman on Thursday.

Brisbane order of play:

Pat Rafter Arena

11:00 am A. Kudryavtseva (RUS) vs. K. Pliskova (CZE)

Not Before 12:30 pm

S. Johnson (USA) vs. K. Nishikori (JPN)

G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs. J. Chardy (FRA)

Not Before 7:00 pm

T. Kokkinakis (AUS) vs. B. Tomic (AUS)

Not Before 8:00 pm J. Gajdosova (AUS) vs. A. Ivanovic (SRB)

Show Court 1 11:00 am

M. Klizan (SVK) vs. A. Dolgopolov (UKR)

Not Before 1:00 pm

M. Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs. C. Suárez Navarro (ESP)

K. Kanepi (EST) vs. M. Brengle (USA)

Not Before 3:30 pm

C. Guccione (AUS) L. Hewitt (AUS) vs. A. Dolgopolov (UKR) K. Nishikori (JPN)

M. Hingis (SUI) S. Lisicki (GER) vs. A. Kudryavtseva (RUS) A. Panova (RUS)

Show Court 2

M. Krajicek (NED) K. Pliskova (CZE) vs. H. Chan (TPE) K. Peschke (CZE)

Not Before 3:00 pm

E. Butorac (USA) S. Groth (AUS) vs. S. Johnson (USA) S. Querrey (USA)

S. Hsieh (TPE) S. Mirza (IND) vs. A. Rodionova (AUS) A. Rodionova (AUS)

Hopman Cup order of play:

10am Great Britain (Andy Murray & Heather Watson) v Poland (Agnieszka Radwanska & Jerzy Janowicz)

5.30pm Australia (Casey Dellacqua & Marinko Matosevic) v France (Alize Cornet & Benoit Paire)

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/australian-open-2015-countdown-rafa-nadal-serena-williams-and-other-big-names-fall-to-shock-defeats-and-injuries/story-fnp3ipqj-1227176910980?nk=69f91df460e5eb4e61aff695336fb3fe

Roxette Australian Tour 2015

Special Guest: Boom Crash Opera

Live Nation is excited to announce that legendary Swedish pop-rockers Roxette are returning to Australia for a national tour in summer 2015.

After the 2011-2012 World Tour that took them around the globe twice over, playing to more than 1.5 million people in 46 countries including our very own shores, Roxette - Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle - are ready to do it all again, with the Aussie leg of their world tour kicking off in February.

"We are beyond thrilled to head back to Australia, a stunning country with beautiful fans who have remained some of our most loyal supporters over the last 25 years," says Per Gessle. "Marie, the band and I are ready and raring to go with a brand new show full of our best hits and a few surprises".

One of Sweden's finest exports, Roxette have a string of much loved hits under their belt including Listen To Your Heart, The Look, How Do You Do, Spending My Time, Joyride, Dangerous, Sleeping In My Car, Dressed For Success, It Must Have Been Love, Almost Unreal and many many more.

Arguably one of the world's most successful power-pop duos, Roxette this year celebrate the 25th anniversary of their juggernaut hit single The Look reaching #1 on the Billboard US Chart in 1989. This track kicked off one of music's longest-running pop careers with the duo selling more than 75 million albums worldwide to date. The band topped the Australian singles charts three-times with smash hits It Must Have Been Love, Joyride and The Look, with five of their albums reaching the Top 10 on the Australian album charts.

The band's come-back began in 2011 with the release of hit single She's Got Nothing On (But The Radio) lifted from the album "Charm School". This, along with their sellout 2011-2012 World Tour, cemented the fact that Roxette were back bigger than ever, much to the joy of fans worldwide.

Roxette's 2012 tour was a triumphant success, with the first arena shows selling out instantly, extra dates added and rave reviews from fans and media alike. "Unless you'd seen it for yourself, you can't imagine the mass frenzy the return of Roxette caused," said the Herald Sun. "Roxette's is a back catalogue to die for," said Life Music Media, while Tone Deaf raved "Every hit gets a big rock ending, every ballad sees several hundred lighters aloft and we love every moment of this trip back to the 90s."

And so the Roxette joyride continues with their World Tour hitting Australian shores in 2015. Listen to your heart and come join it!

Tour Dates:

• Tue 10 Feb - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
• Sat 14 Feb  - Perth Arena, WA
• Tue 17 Feb - Adelaide Entertainment Centre, SA
• Fri 20 Feb  - Rod Laver Arena, VIC
• Fri 27 Feb  - Qantas Credit Union Arena, NSW

Tickets: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=ROXETTE14#VYSovOdlT4ylleJx.99

Must-see gigs 2015: Caribou, Spoon, Black Keys, Foo Fighters, Taylor Swift and more

Taylor Swift returns to Australian stadiums 11 months from now. Photo: Reuters

The Big Day Out may have gone to the great backstage area in the sky and the Australian dollar has dived against the American currency, but the international live music options over the next 12 months in Melbourne and Sydney remain strong. Beginning with a strong and diverse summer touring season and culminating in the Taylor Swift experience at year's end, here are 10 notable shows to mark as possible big nights out on your calendar.

TAYLOR SWIFT
Now ensconced as one of pop music's central figures following the completion of her Nashville migration with the recent chart-topping success of the 1989 album, Taylor Swift returns to Australian stadiums 11 months from now, a period that will be filled with video clips, memes and headlines. Previous visits have highlighted, as with her songwriting, Swift's ability to render the orthodox personal and idiosyncratic, and fans are unlikely to be disappointed.

When:

• November 28, ANZ Stadium, Homebush
• December 11-12, AAMI Park, Melbourne

Tickets: $91.65-$173.21, ticketek.com.au | $91.65-$173.21, ticketek.com.au


FOO FIGHTERS
Dave Grohl appears to be searching for ever more detailed ways to inspire his studio albums, including last November's Sonic Highways, but the Foo Fighters frontman maintains a belief in rock music as a joyfully cathartic live experience that translates into volume, commitment, sweat, and hits when playing gigs. Most stadium acts rely on spectacle to fill the vast space between themselves and the audience, but Grohl still believes he can reduce it to the intimate through the band's performance.

When:

• February 26, ANZ Stadium, Homebush NSW
• February 28, Etihad Stadium, Docklands VIC

Tickets: $94.92-$202.88, ticketek.com.au | $97-$199, ticketmaster.com.au


SINEAD O'CONNOR
The wildcard. Sinead O'Connor has made headlines for many reasons over the last few years, including her clashes with the Catholic Church hierarchy, see-sawing mental health issues, and an awkward online dialogue with Miley Cyrus, but there has also been a recent pair of well-received album, most notably 2014's I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss, that have served as the springboard for the 48-year-old's renewed touring. O'Connor retains a remarkable voice, and a deeper catalogue of fine songs than you might think.

When:

• March 19, Sydney Opera House
• March 4, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne

Tickets: $79-$99, sydneyoperahouse.com | $82-128, ticketmaster.com.au


NENEH CHERRY WITH ROCKETNUMBERNINE
Neneh Cherry is in the midst of a resurgent second act in a career that began with groundbreaking sounds 25 years ago on the Raw Like Sushi album and subsequently went very quiet. Also playing at the Golden Plains music festival, the Londoner arrives with last year's Blank Project, her first solo album in 18 years and an exploration of sparsely affecting electronic music whose chief collaborators, synth duo RocketNumberNine, are touring with Cherry.

When:

• March 11, Sydney Opera House, Sydney
• March 6, Hamer Hall, Arts Centre, Melbourne

Tickets: $59-$79, sydneyoperahouse.com | $78-102, ticketmaster.com.au


DJ SHADOW & CUT CHEMIST
Do scratch this: the Renegade of Rhythm finds the two acclaimed music producers and DJs furthering their previous collaborations by taking to the stage with six turntables and vinyl drawn from the vast record collection of seminal New York DJ Afrika Bambaataa, the pioneer in beats who foresaw hip-hop and electronic music's fruitful relationship. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist are also at Golden Plains, but their headline show should allow them to acknowledge the past while invoking the future.

When:

• March 12, the Hi-Fi, Moore Park
• March 6, Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Tickets: $70.50-$125.50, tickets.thehifi.com.au | $74.20, ticketmaster.com.au


THE BLACK KEYS
The Black Keys are familiar figures on Australian stages – this will be their eighth tour of the country. But each visit has brought a larger profile and the show to match it, and this time there's also the deep melancholy of 2014's Turn Blue album, which topped the Australian charts, to integrate into Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney's usually raucous live garage-blues experience.

When: 

• April 7, Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne; 
• April 10, Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbourn Sydney

Tickets: $109.70, ticketek.com.au | $107.56, ticketmaster.com.au


CARIBOU
The Canadian composer and musician Dan Snaith has enjoyed a successful career in electronic music since emerging as Manitoba at the turn of the century, but the warmth, eclectic grace and immersive precision of his last two albums – 2010's Swim and last year's acclaimed Our Love – have elevated him, into both the charts and the forefront of club and pop music's blissful integration. His Laneway Festival sideshow should give him room to dazzle.

When:

• February 3, Sydney Opera House Sydney
• February 5, Forum Theatre, Melboourne

Tickets: from $49, sydneyoperahouse.com | $69.90, ticketmaster.com.au;


SPOON
Spoon are at the veteran stage now, two decades into the band's career, but they continue to make outstanding albums thanks to the combination of Britt Daniel's songwriting and Jim Eno's studio expertise. Thankfully they don't tour as often as most American indie bands (ie. every 18 months), and their live shows allow for the band's intuitive cohesion and Daniel's stage flair to explore and expand their elegiac studio output.

When:

• February 13, Metro Theatre, Sydney
• February 11, Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Tickets: $61.17, ticketek.com.au | $63.20, ticketmaster.com.au


PERFUME GENIUS
One for the future: Seattle singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas, touring as part of the Laneway Festival, has released three album under the moniker of Perfume Genius, with the most recent – 2014's Too Bright – serving as a well-deserved breakthrough. Increasingly extroverted in his outlook and sounds, his music can take in starkly moving ballads and urgent, uneasy alternative rock with electronic edges. This could well be the last Perfume Genius gig he plays at a venue this size in Melbourne and Sydney.

When: 

• February 18, Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst NSW
• February 15, Corner Hotel, Richmond VIC

Tickets: moshtix.com.au | $45,cornerhotel.com


DRAKE
In this age of perpetual touring due to negligible music sales, the Canadian hip-hop supremo is surprisingly only now playing his first headline shows in this country (he's also at Future Music Festival). In some ways the yin to Kanye West's yang, the Toronto-born rapper with an ear for R&B's vintage warmth has offered a new vision for hip-hop superstardom: more introverted than extroverted, open to emotion, welcoming in his success.

When:

• February 25, Allphones Arena, Homebush NSW
• February 27, Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 

Tickets: $11.94-$307.69, ticketek.com.au | $107.70-$151.05, ticketek.com.au

She's not bossy, she's the boss: Sinead O'Connor has a deeper catalogue of fine songs than you might think. Photo: Donal Moloney

BANG FOR YOUR BUCKS

If you want to see as much music as possible in a concentrated amount of time, then it's a music festival (and sunscreen) for you. Four perennials to consider:

• ST. JEROME'S LANEWAY FESTIVAL (February 7, Footscray Community Arts Centre; February 1, Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle; $160) with Banks, Future Islands, FKA Twigs, Caribou and Flying Lotus.
• SOUNDWAVE (February 21-22, Melbourne Showgrounds; February 28-March 1; $132 for one day, $188 for two) with Faith No More, Smashing Pumpkins, Slipknot and Soundgarden.
• GOLDEN PLAINS (Saturday 7 to Monday 9 March, Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, $328.80) with Conor Oberst, Sharon Van Etten, Felice Brothers, and Village People.
• FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL (March 8, Flemington Racecourse; February 28, Royal Randwick Racecourse; $149 to $345) with Avicii, The Prodigy, Drake, Nero and Afrojack.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/mustsee-gigs-2015-caribou-spoon-black-keys-foo-fighters-taylor-swift-and-more-20150106-12i2su.html

Lenny Kravitz 2015 STRUT Australian Tour

Special Guests: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Amassing a huge response from media and fans alike following the announcement that US rock legend, Lenny Kravitz, will appear on the 2015 Bluesfest lineup, Chugg Entertainment has now confirmed that the unrivalled rock hero himself will also be appearing at two headline shows in both Sydney & Melbourne. Joined by New Orleans hero, Trombone Shorty, the shows will take place in April.

Kravitz's talents as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist have resonated through nine studio albums into a timeless catalogue. He has won four consecutive GRAMMY Awards, setting a record for the most wins in the "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" category. Lenny Kravitz's appeal has also been recognized by his peers; his collaborative efforts are as varied as his own influences, having worked with Madonna, Slash, Aerosmith, Jay-Z, N.E.R.D., Mick Jagger, P. Diddy and Alicia Keys.

New Orleans native Trombone Shorty is the bandleader and frontman of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, a hard-edged funk band that employs hip-hop beats, rock dynamics and improvisation in a jazz tradition. He began his career as a bandleader at the tender age of six, and toured internationally for the first time at age 12 before joining Lenny Kravitz's horn section at the age of 19 for a 105-date world tour in 2005-2006. "...a genius player...he plays his ass off, and he's a beautiful human being" – Lenny Kravitz

With a slew of accolades and awards under his belt, having sold nearly forty million albums, it's fair to say Lenny Kravitz is a bonafide legend and this, a show not to be missed. With his friend and colleague, Trombone Shorty, warming the stage; this stands as just another reason to be there.

Tour Dates: (Ticketek is selling for the following venues only)

• Mon 6 Apr - Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, VIC
• Wed 8 Apr - Qantas Credit Union Arena Sydney, NSW

Tickets: http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=LENNYKRA15

Asian Cup 2015: From Keisuke Honda, Nasser Al-Shamrani and Shinji Kagawa, 10 stars to watch

With the Asian Cup just days away, we’ve heard plenty about Socceroos stars Tim Cahill, Robbie Kruse and Mile Jedinak in Melbourne, but what of their rivals?

The region’s best players have touched down in Australia, ready to aide their nations’ push for Asian supremacy when the tournament kicks off on January 9, 2015.

Here are 10 stars set to shine at the Asian Cup.

Keisuke Honda — Japan

Honda isn’t just Japan’s main man, he’s probably the best player in Asia. At 28, the midfielder is at the peak of his powers and has flourished since moving to Italian giants Serie A. The playmaker’s pedigree is impressive, having played in two World Cups and as a key part of Japan’s 2011-Asian Cup winning team, named the player of the tournament four years ago.

His speed, close control, vision, finishing (he has 28 goals in 65 national team appearances) and passing ability makes him a nightmare for defences, while the blonde-haired wizard is also a dead-ball wizard. An excitement machine, expect Honda to purr for the tournament favourites.

Japan’s classy midfield double act of Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa. Source: Getty Images

Shinji Kagawa — Japan

Such is the class of the Japan squad, we felt it pertinent to include two members of the Samurai Blue, Shinji Kagawa just edging out Bundesliga rival and Japan’s all-time leading goalscorer Shinji Okazaki of FSV Mainz 05. Kawaga’s club form at present reflects that of struggling Borussia Dortmund, but the Asian Cup gives the 25-year-old the perfect stage to display his immense talents. 

He’s yet to find the back of the net under Japan coach Javier Aguirre, but having been moved back to his ideal central role after a fruitless spell on the left, you’d expect that to change when Japan’s defence kicks off against minnows Palestine on January 12 in Newcastle.

Nasser Al-Shamrani — Saudi Arabia

An attempted headbutt and spit at Matthew Spiranovic in the Asian Champions League final in November followed by last week’s altercation with a fan in Geelong have ensured Al-Shamrani will be the Asian Cup’s pantomime villain. His fiery nature means he’s never far from the action, but the Saudi Arabia striker is quite the player, his 10 ACL goals for Al Hilal helping him win the AFC’s player of the year award. It will be interesting to see and hear the welcome fans give him in Brisbane for the Saudis’ opener against China.

Son Heung-min — Korea Republic

A teammate of Robbie Kruse at Bayer Leverkusen, South Korean winger Son Heung-min is a genuine star and has flourished since moving from Hamburger SV. His five goals and two assists in 16 Bundesliga games this season have attracted interest from England, with Manchester United and Tottenham among his admirers. At just 22, Heung-min has a long career ahead of him, and if the South Koreans are going to upset Australia in Group A and go deep into the tournament, the winger will have to be at his best.

Ashkan Dejagah — Iran

Dejagah during the World Cup. Source: Getty Images

Iran attacker Dejagh played for Germany at youth level, was part of Wolfsburg’s 2008-09 Bundesliga-winning team and played in the Premier League with Fulham. In 2011 he pledged his allegiance to Iran, scoring twice on debut against Qatar in a World Cup qualifier. 

Now plying his trade for Al-Arabi in the Qatar Stars League (who paid Fulham a reported $12m to sign him), the lightning-fast attacker has the talent to wreak havoc on Group C rivals Japan, Iraq and Palestine if they give him too much space and time on the ball.

Khalfan Ibrahim — Qatar

Dubbed the ‘Maradona of Qatar’, and for good reason, Khalfan Ibrahim has a penchant for the spectacular. The Al Sadd winger was named Asian Player of the Year in 2006, aged just 18, and while his career ascent has somewhat levelled, the 26-year-old is still a deadly proposition. Ibrahim scored goals for fun (15 in 21 games) in the 2008-09 Qatar Stars League and won the Asian Champions League in 2011.

Reza Ghoochannejhad — Iran

Ghoochannejhad, nicknamed Gucci, scored Iran’s sole goal at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and will lead the line for his country at the Asian Cup. The Charlton striker boasts a great strike rate for country (11 goals in 19 matches). Ghoochannejhad was a talented violinist as a child and will be hoping to strike a chord at the Asian Cup.

Omar Abdulrahman — United Arab Emirates

Another of Asia’s genuine superstars, the only doubt over Abdulrahman is his fitness, because if he is on song during the Asian Cup, look out. The 23-year-old Al Ain attacker trialled with Manchester City in 2012, with only work permit issues scuppering his move to England. There are question marks over his condition, having not played since the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup in November, but the big-haired attacker is a big game player and the UAE will be looking to him to help get them through a wide open Group C against Iran, Qatar and Bahrain.

Ali Al Habsi — Oman

Oman goalkeeper and skipper Al Habsi only arrived in Australia on Sunday, meaning he won’t have much time with the team before their Asian Cup kicks off against Korea Republic in Canberra, the city the Red Warriors have based themselves in. There’s plenty of experience in Oman’s squad, and Al Habsi is no different, having played 92 times of the national team, been to three Asian Cups and representing Wigan in the Premier League. The Socceroos attackers will have to be on their game when they face Al Habsi on January 13 at Stadium Australia, the 33-year-old has showed before he’s tough to get past.

Server Djeparov (Uzbekistan)

A two-time Asian player of the year (2008 and 2011) Uzbekistan forward Djeparov has been skipper of the side since 2011 and scored twice at the White Wolves’ semi-final finish at the last Asian Cup. Now at Korean side Seongnam FC, Djeparov’s country will look to their skipper to provide the goals in another wide open group featuring the Uzbeks, Saudi Arabia, Korea DPR and China.

View Source Article for Video Clips of these Star Players