Author: Nathan McVay

SXSW 2024: Two massive, free Australian showcases announced in Austin

The annual convergence festival that takes over downtown Austin, Texas, is back for another year, and this year, it is going to be impossible not to feel the presence of Australia at South by Southwest. 32 Australian artists will be featured in showcases and pop-ups around the Texas capital. South by Southwest is a one-of-a-kind…

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Interview: Izzy Heltai talks Austin City Limits, expectations, and his influences

Izzy Heltai is the kind of person you just want to give a hug and if you spend more than 30 seconds with him, it seems like you most likely are going to get one. It took one listen of “Day Plan” from his EP Day Plan (5 Songs Written 4 the End of the…

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Austin City Limits wraps up with a female dominated lineup and a little Californication

Austin City Limits closed out its second weekend Sunday with a lineup led by spectacular performers, with the overwhelming majority being women-led bands. As day three wound down, we saw some of our favorite performances of the weekend. The biggest name on Sunday was rock legend’s Red Hot Chili Peppers. It has been 10 years…

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Austin City Limits: SZA, Genesis Owusu, VACATIONS and Phoenix shine on Day One of ACL Weekend 2

Austin City Limits came in hot to start weekend two as temperatures rose and the sun glared down on a crowd of over 75,000 thrilled music fans. The day was an incredible mix of global stars, up and comers and headliners new and old. It was an incredible showing for Australia as both Genesis Owusu…

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Wet Leg

Five bands not to miss at Austin City Limits Weekend Two

We are just a day away from weekend two of the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Zilker Park is ready to rock just as hard – if not harder – this time around. Weekend one was a huge success and saw top headlining sets from P!nk, The Chicks, Flume, and Red Hot Chili Peppers….

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Here’s the full lineup of bands playing Austin City Limits (ACL) Fest Nights

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is a few weeks away from kicking off but the festivities just got bigger with the announcement of ACL Fest Nights. ACL Fest Nights will take place in 10 different venues across Austin, Texas as several of the bands playing the festival will pull double duty and play after-shows…

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BottleRock Napa 2022: The Best Bands, Wines and Times – My 5 Greatest Discoveries

As the world shows signs of returning to normal it is the little things that stand out the most. The opportunity to see people smile. The ability to high five a stranger. And the chance to stand in groups of thousands and take in your favorite band again. With the sun shining down on the…

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Five musical predictions for California’s BottleRock Napa Valley

Last year we impulsively checked out BottleRock Napa Valley and it turned out to be one of the best weekends of our lives. This year, we return to the rolling hills of California wine country for another stacked weekend, with a line-up featuring some of the biggest names in music history as well as several…

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Austin City LImits

ACL 2022 Lineup: Flume and Genesis Owusu to join Red Hot Chili Peppers, Paramore and more

The Austin City Limits Festival has just dropped its 2022 lineup, and once again it spans many decades, genres, and music tastes. This October, over two weekends, an eclectic mix of the biggest names in music will join the next generation of artists, as they fill Zilker Park in Austin, Texas in what is one…

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Tash Sultana

Bonnaroo 2022 Lineup Drops: Flume, Tash Sultana and King Gizzard join Tool and more

After two years of cancellations, Bonnaroo aims to return to the farm this Summer. Stevie Nicks, Tool, J.Cole, and The Chicks (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks) lead the bill of the four-day music and arts festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Tool was set to originally play the 2020 festival which was cancelled due to Covid-19….

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Vance Joy

Bottlerock Napa Valley announces 2022 Lineup: Metallica, Vance Joy, P!nk and Mount Westmore

As Omicron rips through our planet, leaving many feeling anxious and exhausted, a little glimmer of normalcy and excitement emerged from the grapevines of Northern California today. Bottlerock Napa Valley announced its lineup and it is one of the most eclectic, star-studded festivals in years. The Bay Area legends Metallica will make the short drive…

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From Hurricanes and Heartbreak to the Open Arms of Wine Country: How Bottlerock Saved the Day

There are many uncertainties in this world. Over the past 18 months that fact has been painfully proven time and time again. With thousands of concerts, sporting events, and festivals canceled due to Covid-19 it would seem like an unwise idea to get my heart set for my all-time favorite annual gathering. Unwise indeed. The…

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Hinterland

With live music set to return in America, why festivals like Hinterland are going to be more important than ever

The experience of a music festival is unlike anything else in the world today. The collective experience of being able to gather with thousands who all share something in common: The love of music. During a music festival throngs of people camp, stand, and sing together for several days on end. Sadly, Covid-19 took all…

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US festival Bonnaroo sets new dates and lineup for 2021 with Tame Impala and King Gizzard set to join Lizzo, Foo Fighters and more

The past year has been hard on the world and especially tough to live music fans. But as vaccines start to roll out and Covid-19 numbers go down the hope for a return to normal gets stronger. As Bonnaroo unveiled its 2021 lineup, it started to feel like the world might be slowly looking familiar…

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Lizzo makes history at Bonnaroo 2020 while a few Aussies get set to head to Tennessee

Bonnaroo’s 2020 lineup brought big surprises and a really big moment in the history of the festival. Lizzo will be the first female headliner in its 18-year history. This marks a major moment for the Tennessee festival, and Lizzo isn’t the only lady leading quite the feminine movement at the top of the lineup; Miley…

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Lollapalooza Best of Day Four: #AriPalooza takes over as Ariana Grande wins over Chiacgo

Throughout all four days of Lollapalooza, you could tell what the most anticipated show of the weekend was. No, it wasn’t Tenacious D’s or even Shaquille O’Neil’s DJ set… It was the Queen of Lollapalooza 2019, Ariana Grande. It is a very big deal to me that Grande was the Sunday night headliner. There are…

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Lollapalooza Best of Day 3: Twenty one pilots, Tenacious D, J Balvin, and a car on fire!

Saturday was definitely filled with a little something for everyone. If you wanted to see a show with fire, crowd involvement, and crowd surfing, twenty-one pilots were for you. If you wanted to see the first-ever Lollapalooza Latino headliner in J Balvin was where you need to be. Or if you just wanted the greatest…

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Lollapalooza Best of Day Two: Tame Impala vs Childish Gambino and AJR owns the late night

Music festivals can put their attendees in tough spots. Lollapalooza is known for doing this every year. With over 100,000 fans in attendance, festival organizers have to devise plans to scatter the crowd and they do this by booking the biggest names of the festival against each other. Saturday brought two of the hardest decisions…

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Lollapalooza Best of Day One: The Strokes take on “techno monsters” and reign supreme

The 15th edition of Lollapalooza in Chicago kicked off with the greatest weather you could ever ask for. The annual festival which always takes place on the first weekend of August is usually met with scorching sun, torrid temps, and severe threats of dehydration. But this year by the grace of the weather gods it…

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Five things we’re most looking forward to at Lollapooloza 2019

The history of Lollapalooza is one of the richest of all of the North American festivals. Beginning as a traveling festival in 1991 featuring Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T, and of course Jane’s Addiction and manifesting to what it is now an annual festival in Chicago as well as other off branches all over the world….

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Bonnaroo Day 4: Brandi Carlile’s set was so good, the Mayor gave her the keys to the freakin’ city

Sunday marked the end of Bonnaroo and the blistering heat and weathered faces of those in attendance made the freezing temps of day one seem like ages had passed. But the sun and lack of shade didn’t keep the thousands of fans from winding down Bonnaroo with an eclectic mix of headliners ranging from American…

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Bonnaroo Day Three: It’s Kacey Musgraves’ world, we are all just living in it

If Bonnaroo is known for one thing it is that is has a little everything for everyone. Saturday was the prime example of what one day at Bonnaroo can be. On one stage you had the Grammy award-winning country superstar Kacey Musgraves who embodies everything about the Tennessee music spirit. On the other, you had…

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Bonnaroo Day One & Two: Gambino shines while emerging acts take center stage

Something was very different about Bonnaroo 2019 as opposed to other years. Visible clouds were following festival goers around the concert grounds and campsites. These mists, usually are expected to be smoke billowing from people partaking in certain festival extracurriculars, but no, that was not the case this year. With temperatures dropping just shy of…

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Going to Bonnaroo? Here’s Five Things First Time Bonnarooers Must Know

So your tickets are purchased and you have practiced putting up your tent so you don’t look like an idiot? Great! You might think you are ready for Bonnaroo, but not so fast. The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is one of the greatest music festivals in the world and in a crowded field of American…

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Grandoozy Day Three Review: Stevie Wonder, Logic, Chainsmokers and More Close Out the Fest

Grandoozy closed its first chapter Sunday night with a lineup that truly was a mixed bag of just about everything. With one of the most influential artists of all time mixed with one of the biggest EDM acts in the world and one of the most rising hip hop star of 2018. The Sunday showed…

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Photo Gallery: Grandoozy Day Two: Florence + The Machine, Young the Giant, Sturgill Simpson, 6LACK and more

Grandoozy, the US’ newest music festival, barrelled into its second day featuring Florence + The Machine, Sturgill Simpson, 6LACK, Wilderado, Snow That Product and more. Nathan McVay’s gorgeous photos take us through that wild second day.

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Grandoozy Day Two Review: Florence + The Machine, Young the Giant & Sturgill Simpson help the Denver festival hit its stride

Denver’s newest festival Grandoozy kicked into gear on Saturday with a packed lineup that was filled with a little something for everyone. Florence + The Machine headlined the night but was joined by the biggest names in Country and up and coming hip hop stars. Florence + The Machine Florence Welch has always been a force on…

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Grandoozy Day One Review: Kendrick Lamar and Phoenix kick off Denver’s newest Music Festival

Denver has always been known as an amazing city. Set with the beautiful background of the Rocky Mountains, the city has long been a hot bed of live music, a thriving arts scene and a welcoming area of all things culture. But one thing has been a missing, a 3-day major music festival to rival…

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Gang of Youths to help launch new festival in Denver with Kendrick, Florence and more

Next month one of the biggest Music Festival promoters brings a lot of big names and good times to the Rocky Mountains with hopes to establish one of the best new parties of the year. Grandoozy is slated for Overland Park in Denver Colorado from September 14-16 and is being organzied by Superfly Productions. Superfly…

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Interview: The Coronas (Ireland) discuss their Lollapalooza set, their upcoming Australia dates & rising success

Irish band The Coronas have been around for over 15 years which has included five different studio albums and many stops around the world. Their latest album, Trust the Wire, reached #1 on the Irish charts and the band has started to receive global acclaim and an ever growing fan base. On Sunday, the band…

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