Author: Bruce Baker

Darkinjung/Central Coast-based pop-punk band Stone Lions have recently released the raucous “New Year’s Ghost”. New Year’s Eve can be such a mixed bag. It can be one of those nights where the euphoria infuses you and your mates and it’s the best night ever, or it can be one of those nights where you find yourself on…

The much loved ARIA award-winning Australian quartet You Am I are paying homage to one of their musical heroes in performing The Who’s legendary album, Tommy across the country this July and August. They will also be playing a selection of Who classics. With special guest vocalists Hayley Mary and Sarah McLeod, it is going…

Simon Robert Gibson has been a member of many Sydney bands since the early ’90s, usually behind the drumkit. In 2020 he released his debut solo album and has recently released “You Look Good in a T-Shirt”, the first single from his forthcoming third album. The track has a warm local feel to it, referencing…

And before we knew it, the final day of Byron Bay Bluesfest 2023 was upon us. Jon Stevens was up early, and brought the hits from his days fronting The Noiseworks and dipping into his time with INXS. There were plenty in the crowd who had come on Monday specifically for this. The legendary Bonnie…

The lineup for Splendour in the Grass 2023 has just dropped. The festival is returning to the Ngarindjin / North Byron Parklands from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 July and is once again jam packed with festival favourites. Headlining on Friday night is the previously announced Lizzo. On Saturday night, local hero Flume will be making…

We rolled into day four of Byron Bay Bluesfest 2023 full of beans for the day ahead. Rockwiz is a perennial favourite at the festival, with Brian Nankervis and Julia Zemiro dishing up the laughs and giving the crowd their chance at 15 minutes of fame. The special guests included Chris Cheney (The Living End)…

  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…