Author: Larry Heath

If ever in doubt of where to go at SXSW, a good bet is to pick a headliner you’d like to see and get there early. There’ll usually be a few artists on that bill who might surprise and impress along the way. Or, as I said here, the church is always a good bet,…

the AU review talks to Robert DeLong at SXSW 2014 about the festival, his return to Australia for Groovin’ The Moo, his updated live show/experience and much more…

You may have already read about some of my adventures earlier last week at the Hype Machine Party. I mentioned I snuck out during the set, and as it turns out, I actually ended up going to a SXSW comedy event for the first time, to catch “surprise” headliner Sinbad, in a showcase hosted by…

By the time I finally got to check out DZ Deathrays at SXSW, they had already played ten shows. This one – just after midnight at Bar 96 – was their eleventh and last. So it was perhaps appropriate that things should go a bit wrong, as someone “pulled the power” before the hit the…

While badgeholders jump from intimate venue to intimate venue, the general public are given their share of SXSW experiences, too, from outdoor events like the Fader Fort, to badge-free events across the city. But nothing comes bigger than the free outdoor stage – which has moved to Butler Park as Auditorium Shores next door undergoes…

A typical day at SXSW, if done correctly, is spent running around, catching as much music as is humanly possible. Sometimes this means you catch very brief performances of bands; a song here, a song there. Here’s “the best of the rest” from my SXSW experience. The bands I caught briefly but left a lasting…

Larry gets lucky with Anamanaguchi at SXSW 2014, before they played their first show at the Gaming Expo. We talk about their last album, playing SXSW, find out why they haven’t toured Australia yet and much more…

New York rockers I Am the Avalanche are celebrating the release of their third album Wolverine. Vocalist Vinnie Caruana takes his time to chat to the AU about how proud they are of the new LP, the album’s production, and the band’s experience at Soundwave. Congratulations on album number three! You kept the production internal…

A glamorous St Vincent and an apologetic Damon Albarn helped close the second night of the SXSW music festival at the NPR showcase, as elsewhere Kanye and Jay-Z delivered one of the evenings most exclusive performances. Even those with “guaranteed entry” wristbands to the event were turned away as the venue prematurely reached capacity. Unfortunately…

Having just released his self-titled debut, award-winning singer-songwriter Morgan Evans chats to the AU about sharing the stage with everyone from Taylor Swift to Bruce Springsteen, as well as cleaning up at CMC awards, recording in Nashville, and the latest album. You’ve had the opportunity to share the stage with some amazing talents over the…

Though the bright green Spotify House has been part of SXSW for a few years now (this is the third year they’ve been at the event), 2014 marked my first visit to the venue’s electric lineup. From Blondie‘s Deborah Harry joining Dum Dum Girls to hosting the hottest emerging talents – there was no shortage…

Hype Machine’s Hype Hotel has been a mainstay at the SXSW Music Festival for as long as I’ve been attending the event, and this year was no exception. At the venue’s opening night, co-presented by music blog Consequence of Sound, a mixed bag of musical delights were shown off for our consumption, alongside some tacos…

the AU review talks to The Used‘s Bert McCracken about their new album Imaginary Enemy, living in Australia, Australian bands he loves, the situation with the Sydney Lock Out laws and more… Photo by Kane Hibberd

Back in 2005, then trio The Octopus Project released their second record One Ten Hundred Thousand Million to critical acclaim. It saw the Austin based group reach ears around the world, including my own, thanks in part to support from blogs like Pitchfork. Since then, the “indietronica” group have expanded to a four piece and…

After helping bring some of the world’s biggest artists to Austin during SXSW – from Coldplay to Soundgarden – alongside the hottest talents of moment – from London Grammar to ScHoolboy Q – the iTunes festival ended its inaugural five night run during the event with Australia’s biggest country star Keith Urban sharing the stage…

Smart, sobering and quietly haunting, Blue Caprice recounts the horrors of the notorious 2002 Beltway sniper attacks. The poisoning and corruption of rational thought creates a chilling portrait of insanity and at its core, a toxic father-son relationship. The Iris sit down with Isiah Washington who stars in the film, ahead of its Australian release…

For the third night of SXSW music, it was pretty much business as usual after the tragic events of the prior night, though for yours truly it was difficult to get excited to line up for hours to get into any of the night’s biggest shows. Thankfully, one of my favourite bands of the moment…

the AU review talks to Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey from the now legendary Sheffield band Pulp to talk about the new Pulp documentary that premiered at SXSW 2014, directed by New Zealander Florian Habicht (Love Story). You can also view our interview with the director over on The Iris, HERE.

A towering monument on the Brisbane River, the Park Regis North Quay has become a go-to destination for Brisbane bound travellers (be it for business or tourism) since the 24 floor hotel opened in 1998. We stayed for two nights in a 1 bedroom apartment overlooking the beautiful Brisbane River – blessed with similarly kind…

Back in 2012, I had the privilege of joining Jake and Stav of Bluejuice as they took to the skies with the wonderful guys at Red Baron at Sydney’s Bankstown airport in their flagship Red Bull Stunt Plane. There are only two ways to describe it: exhilarating and nauseating. Both myself and Jake didn’t return…

Following the SXSW special screening of the new Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Austin was graced with the presence of Mr. Anderson himself, in conversation with director Richard Linklater and accompanied by the film’s music supervisor Randall Poster and actor/long-time collaborator Jason Schwartzman. During the Q&A, Anderson was asked by an audience member…

Following the SXSW special screening of the new Wes Anderson film The Grand Budapest Hotel, Austin was graced with the presence of Mr. Anderson himself, in conversation with director Richard Linklater and accompanied by the film’s music supervisor Randall Poster and actor/long-time collaborator Jason Schwartzman. In addition to the comment on the possibility of sequels,…

Just wrapping up a massive Australian tour, Richard Fortus – famed guitarist of Guns N Roses and now The Dead Daisies – takes some time to chat to the AU about how he approaches The Dead Daisies and their reputation as a supergroup; what’s in store for him both as a solo artist and as…

The Iris at SXSW presents an exclusive interview with Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords to talk about his new mockumentary film What We Do In The Shadows which he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in with Taika Waititi. We talk about the serious plight of Vampires in Wellington, New Zealand, and plans for the…

When I was approached by Tourism NSW to take on the duty of “Music and Culture Ambassador” for the blog-o-sphere, I don’t think I hesitated a second. Those that follow the website will probably notice that travelling for music is something I love to do. From heading to SXSW in Austin, CMW in Toronto and…

Put “from the producers of Breaking Bad” in front of the announcement of a new TV series and everyone is going to take notice. Indeed, as part of this year’s new “episodic” programming at SXSW in Austin, Texas, one of the most buzzed about screenings was a premiere preview of a series with one such…