Author: Bruce Baker

  Day 3 of Bluesfest 2023 was dominated by the legend that is Buddy Guy. He has been to the festival many times over the years, and 2023 has been pegged as his final visit. His performance did not disappoint. He was playful and thoroughly entertaining. The humour was complemented by his mastery of the…

Day two of Byron Bay Bluesfest 2023 was a cracker. It was well worth getting to the festival early, as one of the highlights was Southern Avenue who ripped up the Juke Joint just after midday. Their mashup of gospel, blues and R&B had us dancing and blowing away the cobwebs. Southern Avenue Over at…

The 34th edition of the Byron Bay Bluesfest kicked off yesterday at Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm. Those that arrived early were well rewarded with a swift entry and a solid early lineup. Nikki Hill is a  fan-favourite at the festival, having rocked Bluesfest a number of times before. It was the first visit since 2015,…

On the back of the release of their fourth album, How Many Dreams?, DMA’S have announced a national tour of Australia in September and October. These sixteen dates have quickly become eighteen, as the first shows in Sydney at the Enmore Theatre and Melbourne at the Forum have sold out. The first couple of listens…

British-born Lucy Gallant has led a full and adventurous life thus far. The singer/songwriter left home at fourteen years old and has followed her instincts and lust for life in a colourful and spiritual journey. Having travelled to more than fifty countries, the culmination of her lived experiences are for all to witness in her…

Circle is an artist based in Sydney, who has just released the delicate and nuanced album, Coco and Charlie, a collection of intimate portraits of those that have been nearest and dearest to him. He has the gift of writing and singing about the everyday, and giving it meaning and beauty. Each track on the…

King Stingray have announced today a natioanl headline tour, ‘That’s’ Where I Wanna Be’, to kick off in Sydney on the 24th June at the Enmore Theatre, concluding on the 7th July in Brisbane/Meanjin at The Tivoli. The band has had a phenomenal past twelve months. Last year they released their debut album that was nominated…

We’ve been a fan at the AU of young singer/songwriter Aodhan since 2020 when we landed upon the then fifteen-year-old. We caught him supporting Seeker Lover Keeper last year in Sydney and were blown away by his performance. Last week he dropped his latest single, “All That I’ve Wasted”, a melancholic look at a past…

Earlier this month, Sydney’s The Tambourine Girls released their long-awaited third album, Different Streets. The band is a formidable line-up of local talent, and of course included the great, late Nick Weaver who tragically passed from cancer in 2021. It’s a beautiful album, steeped in many influences from yesteryear. For me, there’s a love affair…

Carla Wehbe has today released her latest EP, the cinematic Jupiter and Mars. It follows on from her highly-acclaimed 2020 debut, Half Past Nine. It’s a beautiful collection of five personal and heartfelt tracks. Three have already been released; “knight to E5”, “introvert (with extroverted expectations)” and “is forever off the table?”, and today the…

girl in red is the solo project for Norweigan singer/songwriter Marie Ulven. One of her first hits was the touching “we fell in love in october”, a beautiful pop song capturing the first flushes of romance, and has some 645 million spotify streams to its name. Recently girl in red released a sequel to the…

ALLORA is a Meanjin (Brisbane) based indie-rock band that is very much in the early days of their musical journey. Their two singles so far, “Sleepin’ In” and “Talk2U2Nite” have established them as gifted songwriters, with sweet vocals and strong melodies. We’re excited today to be premiering the first track from their upcoming debut EP,…

Yes, the Eurovision 2021 winners Måneskin will be bringing their RUSH! tour to Australia this November. They will be performing in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Tickets and dates are below. The pre-sale kicks off at 11am this Wednesday (22nd March).  On top of their Eurovision win, they also picked up a Grammy nomination this…

Raised in New Zealand, but now based in Perth, singer/songwriter Damien Binder has been teasing out singles from his forthcoming fifth solo album, Bright Side. We’re thrilled today to be premiering the video clip for the title-track, which features a drive on the open road replete with challenging conditions,  mirroring the twists and turns of…

  Last month Tim Rogers and his band The Twin Set, released Tines of Stars Unfurled, the follow-up to his much loved 1999 debut solo album, What Rhymes with Cars and Girls. In recording the follow-up, Tim gathered together as many of the original Twin Sets as possible, including Jen Anderson, Davey Lane and Mark…

Sitting Down is a 4-piece psych-pop band from Newcastle, and they’ve been building their fan base since the release of their debut EP, Pilot, in 2022. They are about to release their new track, the dreamy “You Dont Want To Be Alone Anymore”. The track is infused with beach-vibes, featuring some sweet guitar hooks and…

Today we have the premiere of the emotive “Love Hurt” from Meanjin/Brisbane indie-rock artist Sam Syrah.  Sam Syrah is the solo project for Sam Shepherd, joined with friends from bands such as Juno and Port Royal. “Love Hurt” showcases the versatility of the artist. His previous track, “Philosophy” had an Arctic Monkey’s inspired groove, and…

Georgeous guitars and an uplifting mesage is at the core of “Love Is So Easy”, the romantic new single from Darkinjung/Central Coast-based indie-folk artist Joel Leggett. We are thrilled today to have the exclusive first listen of this glistening ode to the joy of love. “Love Is So Easy” is a song imbued with gratitude and…

If you love your quiz shows, and are up for a spot of comedy, then WrestleBrainia at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival will be right up your alley. And if you happen to be a fan of wrestling, then this should be nirvana. But fear not, if wrestling isn’t your jive, then this still promises…

Try and find me a harder working band that Australia’s own Kingswood. They are in the midst of a run of 120+ shows across Australia giving fans the opportunity to listen to the tunes off Home, the record they have just released. Home features rich story telling, some sweet guitars and beautiful harmonies. From the hopefull…

Over 50,000 people walked across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge today for the Pride March, on the final day of the World Pride festival. It was a beautiful day, as the LGBTQIA+ community celebrated with brightly coloured outfits and good humour. It was a celebration of the progress which has been made by the LGBTQIA+…

The Smashing Pumpkins are bringing The World Is A Vampire Festival to Australia this April. They will be playing in ten different cities across the country, and have a stellar lineup in what will be an incredible day out. Updated: 3/3/22 There are a number of changes from the original announcement. We’ve done our best…

Singer/songwriter Grace Woodroofe has re-emerged after a hiatus of eight years, and we’re so pleased she is back. You might remember her from her previous moniker, R.W. Grace. “Beginning” is the first track back from Grace, and it was written as she emerged from the trauma of a long-term relationship. “Beginning” has lush folk/pop sensibilities,…

Indie singer/songwriter Katie Wighton is today releasing “Narcissist”, her latest glistening earworm, a visceral riposte to an ex-partner. “Narcissist” follows on from the catchy “Take You Home” which was released late in 2022. We’re thrilled today to be have the first viewing of the video for this cracking new song. You might know Katie from…

The legendary Snoop Dogg performed at Qudos Bank Arena last night in Sydney. The crowd was warmed up by DJ’s and then Irish hip hop outfit Versatile and American hip hop collective D12.  To read more about the night – head over to Chris’s review HERE Bruce was there to capture these images of a memorable…

A brand new, in-house recording studio has opened in Sydney. Set in Darlinghurst, the Mix 24 studio is tranquil yet equipped with the latest technology. The brains behind the operation is Eamon O’Kane who has fitted out the studio with high-quality brands such as AMS-NEVE 824, SS, RUPERTNEVE DESIGNS, MOTU and DYNAUDIO. There were no…

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is just around the corner, and one of the acts we are particularly looking forward to is the Filipino-New Zealander comedian James Roque. James is bringing his much-revered Badong show to the festival, and will be performing it from the 28th March until the 9th April. ‘Badong’ is a light-hearted…

Ed Sheeran brought his Mathematics tour to Accor Stadium in Sydney this Friday and Saturday nights. The stadium was packed to the rafters, and were charmed and enthralled by the UK superstar. He was supported by the UK’s Maisie Peters, an artist very much on the rise, and our local hero, Budjerah. Bruce was there…

Lara Andallo is one of the shooting stars in RnB in Australia today. With an incredible voice, the Filipino-Australian singer/songwriter, musician and dancer has today released her debut EP, the emotive and deeply personal DIAMONDS & DEJAVU.  The EP is a powerful collection of six tracks reflecting upon her experiences of life, including love and…

Kamilaroi/Tamworth singer/songwriter Freddie Bailey is on the rise. At only eighteen years of age, he has been winning hearts all over the country. He reached the top 24 in the 2022 editition of The Voice, and we are thrilled to be premiering his latest pop single, the dreamy “Want You To Want Me”. Having wowed…