The Great Escape festival returns to Brighton and Hove this year, bringing with it over 450 new and up and coming bands. Here at the AU, we love Australian music, and couldn’t be prouder of the Aussie acts that have been selected to perform, in the midst of such a sheer volume of talent. Honourable mentions to…
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One word for this single: wow. This stellar debut single is from Brisbane’s Hatchie, aka Harriette Pilbeam, an artist who’s made music with a lot of groups, including indie pop darlings Babaganouj. Striding out on her own for “Try”, she delivers shoegaze soaked dream pop that’s so effortless, she really doesn’t seem to by trying. The shimmery pop…
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I’ll be damned if this isn’t the cutest music video I’ve seen in a long while. Hachiku, aka Anika Ostendorf, crafts avant-garde tinged dream pop from whatever bedroom she’s writing from. The Melbourne-via London-via Germany 22-year old will be releasing her debut EP through Milk! Records on June 2nd, having already supported Courtney Barnett on her 2015 European…
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APES are an enigmatic Melbourne band. They’re well-known across the Australian music community, however in their long career, they haven’t released a full-length album – only small tasters in an EP and single launches. But, finally, the day has come, and they are bringing their debut album, Stranger Than Strangers into the world. It reveals…
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Melbourne five-piece Clowns have come a long way from their beginnings as Melbourne house-party punks, even inciting an international terror scare last year. Oh wait. Those were just clowns, not these guys. But having a chat to vocalist Stevie Williams ahead of the release for the band’s third LP, Lucid Again, it turns out that…
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Talk about bursting onto the scene. Melbourne’s very new and very, very good Press Club are a force to be reckoned with, the small handful of gigs that they’ve played bringing glowing praise from all sides. They’ve only just released their first single, and my god. Wow. The four Brunswick locals deliver frenetic and commanding punk, ‘Headwreck’…
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Mate. If you haven’t listened to WAAX, then you’ve been depriving your ear holes of one of Australia’s best up-and-coming acts. Fronted by the slightly manic and immensely talented Marie De Vita, the group melds raw energy with potent lyrical themes. The Brisbane five-piece have dropped a third taste of their upcoming EP, this time the title track…
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Gold Class. A Melbourne band whose reputation precedes them. As a result, the first time their dulcet post-punk reaches your ears, you’re already expecting something amazing – and you’re never disappointed. The four-piece have just dropped ‘Twist In The Dark’, produced by Gareth Liddiard (The Drones). With a writhing bass line that twists beneath Adam Curley‘s distinctive and resonant…
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We’ve finally had a third glimpse of Beach Fossils upcoming album, Somersault – and the lo-fi trio have again delivered something wonderful. “Down The Line” shows sophisticated production over bouncing drum and bass lines, a mix of Clash the Truth era Beach Fossils, and the new directions they’ve been exploring in their recent releases. “I don’t want your Wall Street/Don’t…
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Brisbane emo-punk rockers Columbus have today dropped Next To Me, an EP of four acoustic re-dos of current tracks, as well as new track, “Next To Me”. The emotional single dropped with a film clip, featuring the adorable trio running through Brisbane op-shops, and some very *interesting* outfit choices. This track showcases the riff laden, group vocal…
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If you want intrigue and action, set to a fantastic soundtrack, Melbourne’s Magic Bones are exactly what you need. This DIY clip was filmed in a day in Brunswick, fuelled on sushi rolls and astronaut adrenaline, and features ample space suits, cats, Windows logos, and flying kitchen saucers. Will the band save the universe? Watch below to…
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There’s a definitive James Bond kind of vibe to Sun Sap‘s latest single, “Love Is Gone”. The swaggering, sun-soaked guitars are paired with a horn section, adding something special to their surf-rock vibes. The group are embarking on their first interstate tour to support the single, including playing support for The Ruminaters in Sydney. This is a…
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Melbourne has some kind of magic that breeds punk music, birthed across garages and sweaty stages. Hailing from the inner North, five-piece Clove are no exception, delivering punk that’s emotive, rhythm-driven and very 00’s tinged. Today we’re bringing you an exclusive taste of their second, and heaviest, single release, “I Saw Fire”. Vocalist Mark Jamieson brings a…
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Cable Ties have smashed out another post- and kraut-punk dripping track in “Say What You Mean”- in this video, they literally smash it in this film clip. Their sound is pulsating rhythm sections, interspersed with attacks from frontwoman Jenny McKechnie, her immense voice and driving guitar towering over the track. First heard by audiences at Meredith Music Festival in…
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US indie-emo darlings Tigers Jaw announced the upcoming release of their fifth LP, spin, a few weeks back, and at the same time dropped single “Guardian”. The duo have proceeded to give us another taste of the highly anticipated album, this time with single “June”. The duo of Brianna Collins and Ben Walsh deliver poppy, indie rock, bringing the Tigers Jaw sound that we…
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After chatting with Andrew Bird about his latest release, Are You Serious, I was more than a little confused. His lyrics have always told stories across breathtaking folk-coloured soundscapes, and his wit and fresh take on life, music and writing precedes him. Before taking to Australian shores for appearances in Sydney, Melbourne and Bluesfest, Andrew…
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Sydney duo PARTICLES have just unleashed a mini movie to accompany their single ‘Tennis’- epic doesn’t even begin to cover it. Their hook-laden rock floats between hard rock and garage rock moments, as members Dan D’Arcy and Skarlett Saramore battle it out, Mad Max style. The clip tackles human relationships, washed with a little Tarantino flavour – yes, this…
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Queens of the Stone Age, aka “the best rock band on the planet”, have just announced their anticipated Splendour side shows, and the reaction is as immense as you’d expect. The gods amongst men have announced four headline shows across Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Darwin. Yep. QOTSA are playing in Darwin. This is not a drill. One of the…
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Splendour sideshow announcement day is a magical day of the year. LA-based British musician/producer/DJ Bonobo has announced headline shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in July, his first tour since 2015. This time round he’s bringing his full band, the tour cycle supporting his latest release Migration, described as ‘the most sophisticated record of his career’. The album…
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With Splendour selling out in record time, it only follows that there’s people who are still desperate to see their favourite acts. If you’re one of the unlucky souls who missed out on a Splendour ticket, this sideshow announcement is bound to cheer you up. Sideshows have just been announced for acts including Two Door Cinema Club, HAIM, George Ezra, Tove Lo, Rag’n’Bone Man, Maggie Rogers, Bishop…
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Icelandic dreamweavers Sigur Rós have announced two very special Australian sideshows, to accompany their Splendour in The Grass appearance. The trio are touring Australia for the first time without a support act, and their first non-festival shows in our country in quite a while, performing a transcendental set that spans their career, complete with an interval in the middle….
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‘Rap’s next big thing’, Lil Yachty, has just announced his first ever Aussie headline shows, accompanying his appearance at Splendour in the Grass in July. The Atlanta rapper is fresh off a sold out North American tour, and will be bringing his hyped live show to stages in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland. Catch Lil Yachty at the dates below…
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Not only will UK grime sensation Stormzy be appearing at Splendour In The Grass this July, he’ll also be performing in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. The multi-award nominated, South London MC will be performing tracks from his UK chart-topping debut album Gang Signs & Prayer. Stormzy, aka Michael Omari, is undoubtedly one of the best grime artists the…
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Indie-pop queen Banks has announced three sideshows to accompany her appearance at Splendour in the Grass this July. Her last Australian appearance was in 2015, where she was a crowd favourite at St Jeromes Laneway Festival, and her headline shows were likened to religious experiences. Don’t miss what are sure to be some of the most alluring SITG sideshows of 2017. Tickets…
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If blowing crowds away at Falls Festival wasn’t enough of an achievement for the year, Catfish And The Bottlemen are not only taking on Splendour this July, but are also performing two huge sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne. With three entries in 2016’s Hottest 100, it’s no surprise that Aussies have a lot of love for Catfish and The Bottlemen; catch…
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US indie-rock group Real Estate are treating us with not only a Splendour in the Grass appearance this July, but also with three headline shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. This is the five-piece’s first time returning to Australian shores after their sold out national tour in 2015. This time the group are supporting the release of their…
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The Ocean Party are an enigmatic kind of group, with each member sharing vocals and writing. The Melbourne-via-Wagga six piece have just dropped hazy, dreamy, guitar-pop single ‘Quality Control’, recorded in just over an hour in a small NSW coastal town. The track is tongue in cheek, arising from a friend’s comment that the band…
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Courtney Barnett described Chastity Belt as “the coolest people I have ever met.” If that doesn’t convince you to give their new single, ‘Caught in a Lie’, a listen, I don’t know what will. The new single from the four-piece is tangled, a combination of interwoven guitars and vocals that are definitely hued in grunge influence. It’s…
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Fresh from a nine show SXSW run, Midwestern group Ha Ha Tonka have dropped a feel-good music video (a rumination on their SXSW success?), featuring a glorious performance and party on rafts in the middle of a picturesque Arkansas river. The group has recently swelled to five in number, meaning five part harmonies soaring over their indie blues/rock sound. “Everything” showcases their…
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Brisbane four-piece Major Leagues are synonymous with garage pop; slacker-style guitar pop with dreamy vocal harmonies and laid back riffs. Their latest offering, ‘It Was Always You’, is the epitome of their melancholic pop-rock, evoking raw nerves and heartbreak while cladding your ears in their bewitching sounds. The clip accompanying is humble, warm, and very Brisbane-ish, filmed…
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