I'm either listening to music, writing about music, or writing my own music! Keep up to date with my latest projects @edhirsty
Last week Nintendo revealed the next long-awaited release in the Zelda series – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. The upcoming title was announced in a 6-minute video, presented by its developers, including Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and Hyrule Warriors series producer Yosuke Hayashi. Age of Calamity follows the gameplay of 2014’s Hyrule Warriors; however,…
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BIGSOUND has announced the first lineup of keynote speakers for this year’s virtual edition of the annual festival. American legend Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Prophets Of Rage, The Nightwatchman) leads the charge with an insightful presentation on his life as a musician and activist. “Join me at BIGSOUND to talk music, activism,…
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Following a national tour, a CMC New Artist nomination, and numerous festival performances, Melody Moko returns with her much anticipated second album, Two Kids and a Radio – out today. Continuing with her unique take on the Americana sound, the New South Wales’ musician exhibits just how masterfully she is able to draw emotion from her songwriting. Further,…
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The nominees for the 5th annual National Live Music Awards have been announced, which will be held on Sunday 20 October 2020 – both virtually and physically. Sampa the Great has received the most recognition, with three nominations – Live Act of the Year, Live Voice of the Year and Best Live Act in VIC…
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This year’s annual Queer Screen Film Festival, the little sister to February’s Mardi Gras Film Festival, will be held entirely online, allowing for anyone across the country to join the celebration. Running across 11 days from Thursday 17 September to Sunday 27 September, this year’s program features over 40 feature films, documentaries and shorts. With…
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Melbourne-based songwriter and producer Hayden Calnin has just dropped a new EP today, Soon Forever. Continuing his organic melding of folk and electronica, Soon Forever is an atmospheric and evocative listen from start to finish. Calnin is renowned for his production skills, and once again on Soon Forever he delivers a beautifully layered collection of…
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With ongoing COVID-19 restrictions and border closures between states, the annual BIGSOUND festival will be transitioning to a free virtual event for 2020. Held across Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 October, the event that would normally be held in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley will now be taking place entirely online. “BIGSOUND has always been about bringing…
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While many of us are unable to travel very far with COVID restrictions in place, Melbourne-based duo This Way North have managed to conjure up the feeling of embarking on a lengthy road trip with their latest track “Driving Roads”. The two-piece band, consisting of drummer/vocalist Cat Leahy and guitarist/vocalist Leisha Jungalwalla, transport you to…
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Penning her first song at the age of four, Queenslander Georgia Mae, is no stranger to the art of songwriting. Mae has amassed an incredible repertoire of experience in the past years. Her keen songwriting skills earned her a scholarship at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music where she graduated with a degree in Music Technology….
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Something For Kate have revealed the title of their seventh studio album The Modern Medieval and scheduled a release date for 20 November. The Modern Medieval marks the bands first album since 2012’s Leave Your Soul to Science. The album recorded in Byron Bay, enlisting Nick DiDia (Powderfinger, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen) on production duties. The group…
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Can’t quite settle on a band name? Lacking inspiration? Mark Webber from Bad Pony has put together the perfect video to get the creative juices flowing. Bad Pony have spent the last couple of years throwing around band names for new projects. This video compiles the top 100 of their ideas. Dishing out names like…
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With 2020 being an exceptionally difficult year for the music industry, Music SA has announced the launch of GO LIVE – an initiative to reignite the SA music scene in a COVID-safe way for musicians and gig-goers alike. The campaign addresses the cancellation of the annual winter Umbrella Festival which was unable to go ahead in…
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English rock group Everything Everything have announced an exclusive VR event to launch their forthcoming album Re-Animator. Everything Everything: Virtual RE-ANIMATOR has been dubbed the first-ever “release show held in virtual reality”. Hosted in partnership with Sansar, the event sees the band push their creativity to new heights, building upon the album campaign that began…
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Melbourne songwriter Gretta Ziller has released her first song of 2020 with her latest single “Unlikely Believer”. The track bears an optimistic look on life, stridently led by Ziller’s heartfelt songwriting. To reflect the personal nature of the song, the music video for “Unlikely Believer” sees Ziller with her live band performing in a desolate…
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Sydney-based act Sinclaire have whipped up the perfect bop to kick off your Thursday. Today’s track of the day is their latest single “Let’s Fly To Rome” which just dropped this morning. The track is the perfect escape from reality in the COVID age. The dreamy synths and airy vocals of frontman Michael Cross create…
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It only took one big week in a Northern Rivers studio during mid-July 2019, for Jesse Higgs’ musical moniker HOLIDAY, to swiftly evolve into The Holiday Collective (THC). Former bandmates (and brother) Isaac Williams and Jade Higgs (Younger Dryas), made the trip up from Tassie to join Byron Bay comrades Meg Hitchcock, Marquee Moon &…
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Earlier today, Falls Festival organisers sadly announced that this year’s celebration has been cancelled amid growing COVID-19 concerns. Event organisers initially planned to give the festival the go-ahead with an Australian-only line-up. After careful consideration however, organisers have chosen to pull the plug on the Lorne, Byron Bay, and Fremantle Festivals. “Given the current status…
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As we continue to reflect back on the last decade of music, join us as we revisit 2011. We’ve taken the songs from our top 40 tracks of 2011 poll – as voted for by our contributors almost a decade ago – and curated a ripper playlist on Spotify. Gotye and Kimbra topped the list…
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COVID-19 continues to disrupt events across Australia. With this disruption also comes opportunities. Events to mark Indigenous Literacy Day usually take place outside the Sydney Opera House. This year due to COVID-19, the event is going online and will be open, for the first time, to everyone Australia wide. The celebrations will be held live…
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Black Rabbit George, the latest project from Tijuana Cartel guitarist/singer/songwriter Paul George delivers mesmerising psych-folk, opening doors to the subconscious. Warren, the second album from the Gold Coast-based artist, is an immersive journey spread across eight tracks. Each of the album’s songs carefully mix acoustic instrumentation with subtle psychedelic production techniques. Guitar phrases intertwine, rhythms…
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The 2020 BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival is all set to go ahead from 10-13 September. This year the festival will be held virtually, in what organisers are describing as a “4-day virtual crime extravaganza”. Each year, the BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival showcases some of the best writers of crime fiction. This year, eight prominent…
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Gold Coast party starters Bootleg Rascal have an upcoming EP Collaborations of Very Isolated Delinquents ‘19 on the way. Produced by the band themselves, alongside Ian Pritchett (Boo Seeka, Kim Churchill, Angus and Julia Stone), and Simon Dobson (Little May, STUPID BABY), the EP is everything you’d expect from the boys, continuing the duo’s track…
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There is a distinct skill required in distilling beauty from heartache. Reuben Apirana, the man behind the Camp 8 moniker, may have mastered it on his EP Everything. Produced by Hayden Calnin, the EP’s 22 minutes take you on a journey of heartbreak, loss and, ultimately acceptance. Apirana wears his heart on his sleeve as…
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English rock band Sea Girls have just released their debut album Open Up Your Head. With a sound drenched in 00s indie rock, Sea Girls are a perfect match for fans of The Killers, Two Door Cinema Club and Bloc Party. The band have already reached great heights – they recently sold out an upcoming…
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“The pandemic will not stop us!” declare Record Store Day Australia organisers. Since its inception in 2008, Record Store Day has long been a staple in any music fan’s year. Hosted in 26 countries around the world, the day commemorates independent record stores with the release of limited edition records, live music, and more. 2020,…
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Today’s track of the day is “Model Village” by British punk group IDLES. On the track, singer Joe Talbot spouts criticisms of the supposedly “idyllic” English lifestyle, framing the issues through the lens of a model village. “I hated growing up in a city that was really a town that was really a fishbowl” elaborates…
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In just a few years, Queenslander Leanne Tennant has made waves in the Australian music scene, securing three Queensland Music Awards and a Carol Lloyd Award in the process. Her third album Happiness is..… is out now and has already received praise and recognition, including a Top 10 spot in the 100% Independent Albums charts…
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2020 has proven to be an arduous year for the music and entertainment industries. With ongoing coronavirus restrictions putting live music on hold, artists and venue owners alike have been left in a precarious position. Several glimmers of hope for the industry have emerged however – one of these being the ABC’s latest music program…
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play / pause / play have just released a new podcast titled The Sounds of South Australia celebrating and showcasing homegrown talent. The series will feature 50 artists from the state. “South Australia is full of incredible artists but unless you’re already connected to the scene, you’re probably missing out” says play / pause / play…
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English synth-pop act Hot Chip are set to perform an exclusive live-streamed set from Dreamland Margate, one of the UK’s most adored amusement parks. The event will be streamed in Australia on Sunday, 6th September, kicking off at 8pm AEST. The band, whose hits include Ready for the Floor, Hungry Child and I Feel Better,…
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