Empire of the sun
The novel recounts the story of a young English boy, Jamie (“Jim”) Graham (named after Ballard’s two first names, “James Graham”), who lives with his parents in Shanghai. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Japan occupies the Shanghai International Settlement, and in the following chaos Jim becomes separated from his parents https://empireofthesunofficialmerch.com/.
The ARIA Music Awards of 2009 nominations were announced on 8 October 2009. Empire of the Sun received the most nominations of any artist, with a total of eleven. The winners were announced on 26 November 2009 with Empire of the Sun winning in seven categories.
Littlemore and Sloan were on hand for a presentation at APRA AMCOS’ Sydney headquarters. The song’s publishers are Universal Music Publishing for Littlemore, Sony Music Publishing for Steele, and Kobalt Music Publishing for Sloan, who BMG previously published.
My second time seeing EOTS and it was super fun. The opener Neil Francis was fun & a good lead-in for the positive vibes of EOTS. The backup dancers had interesting costumes as always and accompanied bright backing visuals. It all matched up well with their album art & music videos. Even in the light rain, the crowd started energetic and sang along to every song.
Attending an Empire of the Sun concert is truly a one-of-a-kind experience, and this show was no exception—it was, without a doubt, one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. From start to finish, EOTS delivered a mesmerizing performance that captivated the audience. Their live energy is absolutely phenomenal. Every minute of the concert was an immersive blend of music, visuals, and theatrics. The light show was dazzling, perfectly synchronized with their signature electro-pop sound. The background imagery added a surreal, dreamlike quality that made the performance feel like stepping into another world. Luke Steele’s wardrobe and makeup were the icing on the cake. His bold, avant-garde style was nothing short of “freaking cool,” and it added an extra layer of artistry to the entire spectacle. Every element, from the sound to the visuals, was meticulously crafted to create a unique, unforgettable experience. Empire of the Sun live is not just a concert—it’s a journey. If you ever have the chance to see them perform, don’t hesitate. It’s an electrifying show that will leave you wanting more.
Empire of the sun cast
Jim wanders back to the Suzhou camp. Along the way, he hears news of Japan’s surrender and the war’s end. He is reunited with the now-disillusioned Japanese teenage pilot, who remembers Jim and offers him a mango, drawing his guntō to cut it. Basie appears with a group of armed Americans to loot the Red Cross containers being airdropped over the area. One of the Americans, thinking Jim is in danger, shoots and kills the Japanese youth. Basie offers Jim to come along with them, but he chooses to stay behind.
Jim’s growing alienation from his pre-war self and society is reflected in his hero-worship of the Japanese aviators based at the airfield adjoining the camp. “I think it’s true that the Japanese were pretty brutal with the Chinese, so I don’t have any particularly sentimental view of them,” Ballard recalled. “But small boys tend to find their heroes where they can. One thing there was no doubt about, and that was that the Japanese were extremely brave. One had very complicated views about patriotism loyalty to one’s own nation. Jim is constantly identifying himself, first with the Japanese; then, when the Americans start flying over in their Mustangs and B-29s, he’s very drawn to the American.”
The apocalyptic wartime setting and the climactic moment when Jim sees the distant white flash of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki gave Spielberg powerful visual metaphors “to draw a parallel story between the death of this boy’s innocence and the death of the innocence of the entire world”. Spielberg reflected he “was attracted to the idea that this was a death of innocence, not an attenuation of childhood, which by my own admission and everybody’s impression of me is what my life has been. This was the opposite of Peter Pan. This was a boy who had grown up too quickly.” Other topics that Spielberg previously dealt with, and are presented in Empire of the Sun, include a child being separated from his parents (The Sugarland Express, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Color Purple, and Poltergeist) and World War II (1941, and Raiders of the Lost Ark). Spielberg explained “My parents got a divorce when I was 14, 15. The whole thing about separation is something that runs very deep in anyone exposed to divorce.”
Jim wanders back to the Suzhou camp. Along the way, he hears news of Japan’s surrender and the war’s end. He is reunited with the now-disillusioned Japanese teenage pilot, who remembers Jim and offers him a mango, drawing his guntō to cut it. Basie appears with a group of armed Americans to loot the Red Cross containers being airdropped over the area. One of the Americans, thinking Jim is in danger, shoots and kills the Japanese youth. Basie offers Jim to come along with them, but he chooses to stay behind.
Jim’s growing alienation from his pre-war self and society is reflected in his hero-worship of the Japanese aviators based at the airfield adjoining the camp. “I think it’s true that the Japanese were pretty brutal with the Chinese, so I don’t have any particularly sentimental view of them,” Ballard recalled. “But small boys tend to find their heroes where they can. One thing there was no doubt about, and that was that the Japanese were extremely brave. One had very complicated views about patriotism loyalty to one’s own nation. Jim is constantly identifying himself, first with the Japanese; then, when the Americans start flying over in their Mustangs and B-29s, he’s very drawn to the American.”
Empire of the sun band
In February 2011, Pnau released “The Truth”, the lead single from their forthcoming fourth studio album, Soft Universe. Soft Universe was released in June 2011 and peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Charts. Littlemore has described it as a very “emotional” album, inspired by the breakup with his long-time girlfriend. With input from John, the album features Littlemore singing all the vocals on the album along with tracks co-written with fellow Aussie artist Martin Craft and producer Mark Saunders. The album was positively received, although mainly critics expressed discontent with the lack of the “endearing weirdness of previous Pnau and Empire releases.” The Soft Universe album received the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album.
In August 2021, Pnau produced a remix medley of several John songs along with Dua Lipa, titled “Cold Heart (Pnau remix)”. The single charted in many countries worldwide, becoming their 3rd top 10 in Australia and their second in the UK, as well as their first song to chart in the US. Over the next few years, Pnau released singles with Budjerah, Troye Sivan, Khalid, Bebe Rexha and Ozuna.
Although the name of the final project has been attributed to the 1984 novel of the same name by J. G. Ballard, Littlemore denied this and offers an explanation, saying, “the name comes more from the idea of … the fact that we’re traveling around the world going to all the places of empires of the civilization where the sun has been a theme of worship. It’s not based on the Ballard novel nor the Spielberg film of the same name.”
In February 2011, Pnau released “The Truth”, the lead single from their forthcoming fourth studio album, Soft Universe. Soft Universe was released in June 2011 and peaked at number 13 on the ARIA Charts. Littlemore has described it as a very “emotional” album, inspired by the breakup with his long-time girlfriend. With input from John, the album features Littlemore singing all the vocals on the album along with tracks co-written with fellow Aussie artist Martin Craft and producer Mark Saunders. The album was positively received, although mainly critics expressed discontent with the lack of the “endearing weirdness of previous Pnau and Empire releases.” The Soft Universe album received the Australian Independent Record (AIR) Award for Best Independent Dance/Electronica Album.
In August 2021, Pnau produced a remix medley of several John songs along with Dua Lipa, titled “Cold Heart (Pnau remix)”. The single charted in many countries worldwide, becoming their 3rd top 10 in Australia and their second in the UK, as well as their first song to chart in the US. Over the next few years, Pnau released singles with Budjerah, Troye Sivan, Khalid, Bebe Rexha and Ozuna.
Although the name of the final project has been attributed to the 1984 novel of the same name by J. G. Ballard, Littlemore denied this and offers an explanation, saying, “the name comes more from the idea of … the fact that we’re traveling around the world going to all the places of empires of the civilization where the sun has been a theme of worship. It’s not based on the Ballard novel nor the Spielberg film of the same name.”