Alex Lahey will take her debut EP B-Grade University back on the road this August, celebrating a decade since the release that launched her national and international career.
by Paul Cashmere
Alex Lahey has announced a national Australian tour to coincide with the release of B-Grade University (Reunion Edition), a 10th anniversary reissue of the EP that first introduced her to a wider audience in 2016. The tour follows the announcement of the expanded release, due on 17 July through ADA, and the arrival of a newly recorded version of the EP’s signature song You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me featuring Canadian duo Tegan and Sara.
The five-date run will begin in Brisbane before heading to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. The shows celebrate a milestone release that helped establish Lahey as one of Australia’s most distinctive alternative rock songwriters and laid the foundation for a career that has since produced three studio albums, extensive international touring and a growing reputation as a songwriter and producer.
The anniversary of B-Grade University represents more than a nostalgic revisit of an early release. The EP arrived during a period when independent Australian artists were increasingly building audiences through streaming platforms, triple j support and grassroots touring. Its lead single, You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me, became a breakthrough moment for Lahey, earning recognition from international music media, securing a place in triple j’s Hottest 100 and helping propel her from Melbourne’s local music scene onto national stages.
The expanded B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) revisits the original five-track release while adding a collection of recordings that trace the song cycle’s evolution over the past decade. Alongside the original tracks, the new edition features fresh recordings of You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me and Let’s Go Out, alternate versions of Wes Anderson and Let’s Go Out first released on 2020’s Between the Kitchen and the Living Room EP, and a 2017 live-in-studio recording of You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me captured for triple j’s Like A Version series.
Reflecting on the anniversary, Lahey recalled the circumstances surrounding the creation of the original EP.
“I vividly remember writing this collection of songs in my childhood bedroom at my mum’s house next to a small window where I could catch glimpses of the ever expanding edges of the Melbourne city landscape in the years I lived there,” she said.
“I sold my trusty blue Toyota Corolla (aka the Corolls Royce) and gathered every single dollar I could from random day jobs to pay for studio time and will the project into existence.”
Lahey said the impact of the release exceeded anything she imagined at the time.
“I am not exaggerating when I say this EP completely changed my life. These songs found their place in the world in a way I could have never fathomed and have forged a life of their own over the last decade.”
Released in July 2016, B-Grade University arrived after Lahey had completed an arts degree and decided to pursue music full-time. Raised in Melbourne’s Albert Park, she taught herself guitar after initially learning saxophone and developed her songwriting through local bands before embarking on a solo career.
The EP quickly became a calling card. You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me attracted widespread attention, helping Lahey secure a Triple J Unearthed breakthrough, a Splendour In The Grass appearance and industry recognition including the Josh Pyke Partnership for emerging songwriters. The momentum led to an international recording deal and ultimately her acclaimed debut album I Love You Like A Brother in 2017.
Since then, Lahey has released The Best Of Luck Club in 2019 and The Answer Is Always Yes in 2023, while also building a parallel career as a collaborator, songwriter and producer. Her credits include work with Gordi, Maggie Lindemann, Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, The Buoys and Christian Lee Hutson. She also contributed music to the soundtrack of the animated feature The Mitchells Vs. The Machines.
The anniversary release arrives at a time when artists increasingly revisit formative recordings through expanded editions and commemorative tours. For Lahey, however, the project appears rooted less in nostalgia than in recognising the songs that continue to define a significant chapter of her catalogue.
The August tour will give audiences an opportunity to revisit the material in a live setting, while the Reunion Edition offers a broader document of how the songs have evolved over the past decade. As Lahey enters her second decade as a recording artist, the anniversary serves as a reminder of the release that transformed a collection of songs written in a Melbourne bedroom into the foundation of a lasting career.
B-Grade University (Reunion Edition) Tracklisting:
Ivy League
Let’s Go Out
Wes Anderson
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me
L-L-L-Leave Me Alone
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me (Feat. Tegan And Sara)
Let’s Go Out (Feat. Slowly Slowly)
Wes Anderson – Bathroom Version
Let’s Go Out – Bedroom Version
You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me (Triple J Like A Version)
Tour Dates:
20 August, Brisbane, The Triffid
21 August, Melbourne, Corner Hotel
22 August, Sydney, Manning Bar
28 August, Perth, The Rosemount Hotel
29 August, Adelaide, Jive
Ticketing details: Tickets available via alexlahey.com.au and threekingstouring.com.au
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first-Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
Bluesky
Instagram
X (Twitter)
