Author: Jennifer Lavis-Quinlin

This Is How I Let You Down is Montreal-based alternative folk-pop band The Franklin Electric’s debut album. The band is headed up by Jon Matte on vocals, piano and trumpet, with Liam Killen on drums and vocals, Alexis Messier on guitar, and Martin Desrosby on bass. Matte is also the songwriter, plus he produced the…

Ultra mellow singer-songwriter Fraser A. Gorman opened proceedings to a building Friday night crowd at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne’s Richmond. With a breezy blend of tunes, including a cover of Wilco’s “Passenger Side”, and some quirky, off-beat story telling (my favourite moment was a tale regarding the evil nature of children, just beating the…

A gloriously warm, sunny Melbourne evening saw a sold out crowd descend upon Melbourne Zoo for Birds of Tokyo‘s gig as part of the Zoo Twilights series. The Zoo Twilights run for two weeks, with all proceeds going towards fighting the extinction of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. As the sun slowly made its way to…

Sydney-based former Novocastrians, Love Parade, released their second album, Shake On The Mission, earlier in 2015 and it’s one of the sneakiest albums I’ve heard in a while. I’ve found myself randomly humming or singing tunes from the album at the oddest of times, usually when I’m supposed to be deeply engrossed in something heinously…

Brisbane-based The Creases arrived on stage with no fuss or introduction and set to warming up the crowd at 170 Russell prior to The Maccabees‘ Falls Festival sideshow. Despite a litany of technical glitches – including microphones attempting to electrocute them to the point they needed to protect themselves with shirts from their merchandise line,…

British folk-punk band Levellers are coming to Australia to perform their classic, platinum-selling 1991 album, Levelling The Land, in its entirety, along with an extensive list of their impressive back catalogue. From playing pub gigs in Brighton to becoming the headline act at Glastonbury, Levellers were propelled into the musical consciousness of the UK through this…

Legendary Irish singer/songwriter Luka Bloom has just announced he is returning to Australian shores in early 2016.Showcasing his brand new album, Frugalisto, Bloom returns for his 12th Australian tour since 1992. Of the upcoming trip, Bloom is incredibly keen, noting the connection he’s maintained with our country and how it’s been felt on the record….

The music line-up has been announced for the Spectrum Now Festival @ The Domain, the much-anticipated event that forms the beating heart of The Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum Now Festival presented by ANZ. This 11-day outdoor fiesta will come alive with music, art, performance, food, drink and a reimagined vintage circus vibe. Running from March…

The response to the first Australian dates by London duo Oh Wonder was overwhelming, with tickets selling out within 48 hours of going on sale. As a result, both shows were upgraded – with Sydney subsequently selling out, and Melbourne soon to follow. Supporting them at their Melbourne show at the iconic Corner Hotel will be…

It was a packed house at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre for the first of two shows by American singer-songwriter Chris Cornell. Cornell is probably best known as the frontman of Seattle’s Soundgarden, as well as Temple of the Dog, and supergroup Audioslave. He’s also a highly successful solo artist, and has an enviable catalogue of soundtrack work…

I confess, somewhat shamefully, that Mutemath have only ever existed for me on the peripheral of my musical consciousness. I’ve known about them, primarily, through a friend who has raved about them for years, but I’ve never managed to sit down and actively listen to anything they’ve released. Listening to their new album, Vitals, I…

Recorded at their own studio in Wellington, New Zealand, and self-released on The Drop, the label they own and operate, BAYS is the fourth studio album by internationally acclaimed, yet intrinsically Kiwi, Fat Freddy’s Drop. BAYS is the 7-piece’s follow up album to 2013’s Blackbird. Having previously lived in Wellington for ten years, Fat Freddy’s…

London’s Maribou State are heading to Australia for a five day DJ set this month and they kindly took some time out for a chat about the upcoming tour, as well as giving a bit of insight into their debut album Portraits. Congratulations on the release of your debut album, “Portraits”, this year. How was…

It takes a total of about two seconds to recognise the work of Melbourne-based Kiwis Shihad in the opening track of their latest offering, FVEY. A better hit than a double-shot mocha-choca-latte with added rocket fuel, it bursts forth with their familiar intense sound, waking every cell in your being. FVEY, pronounced Five Eyes, refers…