Author: Bruce Baker

Nashville is famous for being the home of some of the finest musicians on the planet. Some are filthy rich and famous (Hi Keith!), and there are others who are perhaps not quite as famous (or rich!), but have led a full life and are highly revered amongst their contemporaries. One of these troubadours is…

girl in red (Marie Ulven) is currently in Australia for the Laneway Festival. She managed to squeeze in two side shows along the way, one in Melbourne and the other was in Sydney. We were lucky enough to be at the Sydney show. Betty Taylor opened the show. It was one of those gigs where…

Meanjin (Brisbane) based vocalist Hannah Macklin is back with “Stars”, her first release of 2023. The track is a heavenly slice of neo-soul, with a passing nod to jazz amidst a restrained sonic palate. The instrumentation is predominantly acoustic which allows Hannah’s soaring voice to shine. With strings in the mix, it has a lushness…

On Sunday, Sydney had its first Laneway Festival since 2020 at its new home in the Sydney Showground. The new surrounds may lack in atmosphere, but the proximity of the four stages to each other was welcome, and with three of them being indoors, on a warm summers day, this was much appreciated. The bill…

Yorkshire quartet Yard Act are in the country at the moment for the Laneway Festival, and have managed to sneak in a few sideshows along the way. We’ve been massive fans at the AU since their debut album The Overload dropped early last year. They turned up the heat in the Oxford Art Factory last…

If you need to get dancing again after the rigours of January then have we got just the track for you. Today we have the premiere of “Rockstar” from Melbourne-based producer Arty Ziff. The track features the dreamy vocals of alt-pop artist, Lemonade Baby.  “Rockstar” follows on from their previous release “ByeByeBaby” that featured Jade Alice….

WOMADelaide is just around the corner, kicking off in Adelaide on the 10th of March. As well as an incredible lineup of musicians and dancers, a key feature of the festival is the Planet Talks program. Planet Talks is a forum that runs over three days, featuring some of the brightest thinkers exploring the issues…

Seymour Nights in association with Sydney Festival has produced an outstanding series of free concerts this January at the Seymour Centre in Chippendale. Last night it was Elana Stone and Butternut Sweetheart who graced the stage. The weather nearly got the better of proceedings, with a downpour curtailing Butternut Sweetheart’s set.  The advantage of an…

The international tours are back and there are some incredible acts touring Australia in February. We’ve picked five of our favourites bands and artists  that are performing. Ed Sheeran Hundreds of thousands of tickets have been sold to Ed Sheeran’s upcoming stadium + – = ÷ x Tour – (pronounced ‘The Mathematics Tour’). It’s going to be…

Aussie-raised and London-based Thomas Headon has been gaining a legion of fans since he released his debut single “Grace” in 2019. His first two EP’s amassed over 40 million streams, and his 440+k TikTok followers are kept amused with his prodigious output. Last year Thomas embarked on a tour in the US with his good…

Marlon Williams will be bringing his My Boy tour to the East Coast of Australia next month, and has today announced that Isabella Manfredi will be joining him on all dates. This is a stellar addition to what was already promising to be a very special night. Isabella is well known from being the lead…

We’ve got the set times for Laneway Festival 2023, and some important lineup changes. Joining the bill is Windang’s favourite sons, Hockey Dad  – you will be able to catch them at the Brisbane and Sydney editions. Also, the fabulous Julia Jacklin has been added to Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Unfortunately Baltimore’s Turnstile won’t be…

We’re thrilled that the first slice of new music to be served up by the AU for 2023 is from newcomers Turpentine Babycino. The Mulubinba/Newcastle-based indie-punk rockers launched their debut track late in 2022 with the awesome gritty and catchy “Write A Song Sounds Shit”. Today we have the premiere of “Calamity”, an emotive salve…

The new year’s festivals have come and gone, and the next mighty explosion of music is the 2023 Laneway Festival. We’ve done the hard work for you, and assembled a list of all the sideshows. Many have sold out, but there are still a handful of shows with a few tickets left. Amongst the artists…

Magdalena Bay brought their Falls sideshow to Sydney last night, headlining at the Oxford Art Factory. Playing the hits from their highly acclaimed 2021 LP Mercurial World, the adoring crowd was vocal and in great voice. girli was in support, and with many in the audience knowing the words to many of her songs as well, it…

Lost Paradise festival returned to the beautiful Glenworth Valley in NSW on the 28th December for four days of music, dancing and all round good times. It was a young and friendly crowd, who were lured by the combination of great bands, cracking DJ’s and an epic location to see in the new year. Being…

Lovers of electro-pop are going to crush on “Down To Earth”, the most recent release from Melbourne DJ and songstress NUSSY. It’s packed to the gills with dance-floor vibes, her warm textured vocals bubbling along, shimmering and floating. The production is sleek and tight – add this to your end of year party playlist. About the…

2022 is the thirty-year anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Jewish Museum. The tagline for the museum is ‘Where History Has a Voice’, and this mission statement is perfectly encapsulated within their new exhibition, Reverberations: A future for memory. With the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), visitors to the exhibition can experience an intimacy…

Sydney’s Charlie Gradon is a gifted songwriter and musician, and has recently released the razor-sharp “Black & White”. The end of a relationship is witnessed with laser precision and evocative nuances. The track follows on from “Turbulence”, which was a collaboration with Huck Hastings back in July. “Black & White” is packed with acute observations…

ARIA Award-winning, multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter Conrad Sewell recently announced that his second album, PRECIOUS will be released on the 3rd March, 2023. It’s one to look forward to, from an artist who has garnered over one billion streams for hits such as “Healing Hands”, “Remind Me”, “Hold Me Up” and his ARIA-winning single “Start Again”. Since he broke through…

Indie-rockers Bad Pony are back with “Hand Me Down”, their first single since 2020, and the lead track from their forthcoming debut album, Forever Up & Coming. We are thrilled today to be premiering a live video of the track. The band has reconfigured into a four-piece, after their cherished guitarist Cron van Niekerk moved…

Australian singer-songwriter Tiali creates beautifully emotive and alluring indie rock. Earlier this month she dropped “Icicles” a track that takes us from a gentle melancholy into a rampant furnace and back again. With warm smoky vocals and grungy guitars, it’s a track that showcases the rare talents of Tiali. “Icicles” is totally addictive, and follows…

Jack Johnson brought his Meet The Moonlight tour to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt on Monday night, the first of three shows at the iconic venue. Emily Wurramara opened proceedings, charming the audience with her touching songs in English and Anindilyakwa.  Her songs are moving and educational. The story of her mother being bullied and…

Sydney-based indie musician Sam Marks has been releasing songs under his own name since 2020, and last month dropped the dreamy “Wash Over Me”. We’re thrilled to be premiering the video for this track today, a blissful melancholic odyssey. Sam has a beautiful husky voice with great range, suited to touchstone folk or ripping blues,…

Sydney-based singer/songwriter BOLEYN is back after a long hiatus with “GIRLFRIEND”, a sultry exploration of heartbreak. This song shines a light on those who have been heartbroken by a partner who is unable or unwilling to come out and continue to live a double life. This is his first release since “Violence” all the way…

HEAPS GOOD is set to rock the Adelaide Showground on 6th January with an absolute belter of a lineup. Featuring headliners such as Arctic Monkeys, Peggy Gou, Chvrches and Jamie XXX, the lineup is even further enhanced today. Joining the list is the legend G Flip. Yep, the Melbourne-born and LA-based artist, producer & drummer has…

Last week Central Coast artist NEAV (aka Niamh Watson) released her debut EP, ELEGY. The EP contains four songs previously released, namely  “Talking To The Devil”, “Built The Same”, “Silence Song” and the current single “Say Goodbye”, as well as two new tracks. If there is one take-out from this impressive debut, it is NEAV’s stellar…

Sydney-based rapper DOBBY has been carving a name for himself for delivering songs with a strong message, and continues along this rich vein with the hard-hitting “That’s Not Me”. The track highlights how First Nations peoples are often expected to conform to certain norms in order to be given opportunities. DOBBY explains: “It’s time for us…

The Sam Fender tour hit Sydney last night, as the hot ticket in town. The show at the Enmore was sold out, reflecting the popularity of his 2021 album, Seventeen Going Under. Playing for ninety minutes, Sam and his six-piece band were in mighty fine form. There were no signs of tour fatigue. They were…

Orange Orange, the solo project for alt-indie musician Ryan Basile, recently announced that his second album, The Sun Isn’t Gone will be released in February 2023. We’re thrilled today to be premiering the video for the lead single from the album, “Say What You Feel”, ahead of its release on Friday. “Say What You Feel”…