Nick Holmes, the stalwart gothic metal pioneer is a right ‘gobby’ bloke (for someone who's boring after three pints of lager, as described in his own self-deprecating Twitter bio) – it’s a requisite for the job as singer in the morose doom metal outfit Paradise Lost. In the early 1990s in Yorkshire, Paradise Lost seemingly channeled the lament of long-haired youth who were witnessing their metal greats blundering about aimlessly as grunge invaded the popular consciousness. In comparison, grunge’s flirtation with despondency was piecemeal in comparison to the UK doom scene’s dyed-in-the-wool, consummate romance with bleakness and sorrow.

The number of people dressed in black t-shirts was noticeable as far back as Federation Square, as the hordes of music fans made their way towards the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

Having witnessed Mariachi El Bronx two nights earlier at Billboard, it was fascinating to see the same musicians in their hard rock alter ego, The Bronx, already ripping the half-empty bowl a new one, at the very un-rock’n’roll time of 7PM.

On Tuesday night, as part of the City of Sydney's Chinese New Year celebrations, Jurassic Lounge at the Australian Museum opened its doors for its anticipated third season. As always, there was a little something for everyone: from silent disco, to guitar hero, to projections, live comedy and music from bands like Yeo and Camden.

We caught up with the drummer of My Morning Jacket to talk to them about touring, recording, the muppets and much more!

We caught up with Kina Grannis to talk about touring, some new material, and much more!

This was the last night of the Kanye West Big Day Out tour and The Sidney Myer Music Bowl was buzzing with excited punters. At 8:30PM the words “ACT 1”, followed by a cheesy painting of Roman statues, was projected onto the huge backdrop as the Jay-Z and Kanye single “H.A.M.” signaled that it was time to give up on the impossibly long drink queues and take a position.

If you were wondering why our previous installment of 'Most Anticipated Album Releases of 2012' didn't feature any local acts... there was a reason for that. We have debated, deliberated and pulled many strands of hair in wishing that more could be included in the list. However, the following native heroes made the cut... in no particular order:

Adelaide really hasn't been seeing too much of indie stalwarts, The Shiny Brights, lately. Having taken a break from constant gigging late in 2011, the band decided it was time to change things up a bit and mature as a band. Before they perform their new material, as part of the 2012 Fuse Festival, the band's lead guy Wolfgang chats with me about what he and his mates have been up to over the past few months.