Author: Simon Clark

Monday night saw William Shatner kick off the Australian tour of his one-man show Shatner’s World: The Return Down Under in Perth. It was an evening of warmth, humour and philosophical musings. All. Delivered. In. That. Distinctive. Cadence. However, it was also not without its surprises. For example, whilst Shatner is likely best known for his role…

Ahead of the release of their new record Look Up later in the year, UK quintet Me And My Friends have given us a taste of what to expect with the release of their new single: “High As The Sun”. Me and My Friends take their cues from an eclectic range of influences, drawing inspiration from Ghanian highlife, afrobeat,…

Ahead of a tour of Japan which kicks off tomorrow, Gold Coast singer-songwriter Alexander William has dropped his new single “Roses”, the first from his forthcoming debut album, and quite simply it is really beautiful stuff. There is a precociousness to Alexander William, and “Roses” in particular, there is a maturity and worldliness at work…

“Fall Asleep” is the latest single from London’s Big Joanie, and the first taste of their forthcoming debut album Sistahs, which will be released next month via Thurston Moore’s brand new record label, The Daydream Library Series. Big Joanie, a black feminist punk band, were formed in 2013 out a frustration at the lack of intersectionality within…

Since the release of his debut album The Fox and the Monk in 2006, British folk musician John Smith has built a reputation as one of the UK’s finest songwriters and guitar players. With five albums to his name, and with another set for release tomorrow, he is an artist that is not only well…

Yesterday Sharon Van Etten announced the forthcoming release of her new record Remind Me Tomorrow, her first since Are We There was released four years ago, dropping a new single, and taste of what’s to come, “Comeback Kid” in the process. Van Etten has been busy in those intervening years, with the New Yorker heading back…

Ahead of the release of their debut album next month, Melbourne’s The Putbacks have dropped the record’s first single, a twisted, eclectic and wonderful odd collaboration with Bilal called “The Ways”. Since their formation in the early 2000’s The Putbacks have established themselves as one of Australia’s premiere funk ensembles; they’ve served as the house…

Thursday night saw fans of the TV series Nashville descend on Perth’s Astor Theatre for the opening night of Clare Bowen’s Australian tour. Bowen of course, best known for her role as singer-songwriter Scarlett O’Connor on the show. Earlier this year, the show wrapped up after six seasons, leaving Bowen free to complete and release…

Following the release of their debut EP Centrelink last year, Margaret River’s Bald Beagle are back with their new single “U-Turn”. Bald Beagle were born out of somewhat humble beginnings; originally it was just three friends coming together to play another friend’s twenty first. Since then, they’ve released an EP, added a further two members to the band,…

Earlier this month, NSW Alt. Country and Folk duo Montgomery Church were playing the iconic Bluebird Cafe in Nashville as part of the Americanafest. Now, they’re back in Australia and just dropped “I’m Gonna Love Her All The Time”, the second single from their debut record In the Shadow of the Mountain, which was released back in…

Today the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize has been unveiled, with the thirteen strong longest whittled down to just six. The six authors making the cut are Anna Burns, Esi Edugyan, Daisy Johnson, Rachel Kushner, Richard Powers and Robin Robertson. Although, still a strong shortlist, it is not without its surprises. There’s no room on the…

Ruby Fields‘ solid 2018 continues, with the release today of the Sydney artist’s new single “Dinosaur”, following on from the success of previous singles “P Plates” and “Ritalin”, not to mention her debut EP Your Dad’s Opinion for Dinner. “Dinosaurs” is a stunning track – really beautiful stuff – understated initially, with a focus on Fields’…

Fresh off the back of his previous single “About This Thing”, seasoned Sydney based producer Young Franco has returned with a brand new single — the wonderfully funky “Girls Don’t Cry”. The track sees Young Franco once again teaming up with confidant and collaborator Maribelle – a powerhouse in her own right, with a prolific…

Following the success of their debut single “Grown Man” in 2017, Melbourne jazz & soul ensemble Dr. Sinha’s Jazz Lobotomy return with a brand new single “Invisible Kids” and accompanying music video. Contrived by guitarist and vocalist Chinmay Sinha as a way of exploring his own identity and culture through music in Australia, the seven piece…

Back in February, Marlon Williams released his second album Make Way For Love. A deeply personal record, Make Way For Love explored the breakup of his relationship with fellow songwriter Aldous Harding. Since its release, Williams’ has spent a bulk of time on the road, with a hugely successful tour of Australia back in May, and a run…

Somehow it’s September already, and the quick descent into the holiday season has begun. September also sees the announcement of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, which is pretty exciting for us literary types. Indeed, this month two of our five titles were included on the longlist back announced back in July, so we’ll be eagerly…

Last month saw Sydney-based singer-songwriter Odette embark on her first headline national tour supporting her debut album To A Stranger. The tour proved to be a massive success, with the twenty-one year old playing to sold out crowds at each stop! This week she’ll be heading out on the road again, this time supporting The Cat Empire as…

We’re big fans of Julien Baker here at the AU, so we were stoked to hear that the Memphis singer-songwriter has teamed up with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus for a new side-project: boygenius. What initially started as a series of chance encounters, performances and a bit of pipe-dream has evolved into a forthcoming EP…

I recently wrote that there were some record labels that were invariably on the money. Here’s another example: Colemine Records. Based out of Loveland, Ohio this independent label consistently pumps out high quality 45’s and LP’s from the best Soul and Funk bands you’ve maybe never heard of (but you should have). One of my favourite…

With their debut EP now only a couple of months away, the latest single from up-and-coming Norwegian indie rockers Charlotte & Thieves, “The Machine,” offers a tantalising glimpse at what’s to come from the band. For a group still very much in their infancy, they are one very much on the rise at home in Norway, garnering…

Earlier this month, bestselling author Matt Haig was in Australia for the Byron Bay and Bendigo Writers Festivals. Whilst he was in the county we caught up with him to discuss his new non-fiction release Notes on a Nervous Planet, how he manages to juggle so many diverse projects, and whether there are any updates on the…

Despite being in the midst of a sold-out tour around Australia wowing audiences supporting Odette, Melbourne based soul singer Thando has somehow managed to find time to release her brilliant new single “Happy”. Teaming up with Melbourne producer Tentendo, Thando mesmerizes and serves notice in equal measure with this one. “Happy” is an skilful synthesis…

The Brisbane Festival kicks off on in a couple of weeks on the 8th of September. With the festival boasting 600 performances of almost 70 shows across 17 venues, it’s close to impossible to see everything, or indeed to decide what you should go and see. So, like the good citizens we are, we’ve compiled…

Swedish singer Snoh Aalegra will be heading out on tour next month across the United States, in support of her late-2017 debut record FEELS. In anticipation she’s dropped a new single, or rather a reimaging of the album track: “Out Of Your Way”. On this new version, Aalegra has brought in New Orleans’ crooner Luke…

After a two-month semi-self-imposed hiatus (life got in the way a bit there!) we’re back with another month of recommended reads. Now, the absence of these articles in June and July is not to suggest there was nothing of note published. On the contrary, there were many great books released in those intervening months. If…

In anticipitation of her performance at BIGSOUND 2018 next month, Brisbane singer-songwriter Sahara Beck has dropped her new single “Here We Go Again”. Produced by the ARIA Award-nominated Tony Buchen (Courtney Barnett, Montaigne), the track is a welcome blast of art pop brimming with attitude and swagger. “Here We Go Again” is a stirring proclamation of…

“Love Is The Message” is the superb debut solo single from the celebrated London-based Jazz drummer Yussef Dayes. As some of you may know Dayes came to prominance as one half of Yussef Kamaal, a creative partnership with keyboardist and producer Kamaal Williams, that resulted in 2016’s Black Focus. The duo have since disbanded in…

Following a brief hiatus to escape to warmer climbs (completely understandable!) Perth’s Spacey Jane have returned with a brand new single “Cold Feet” and are all set to give it the offical launch treatment this Friday night. For those not already looped in, the band formed back in 2016, with mates Caleb & Kieran revisiting…

Phantastic Ferniture is the project of old friends Julia Jacklin, Elizabeth Hughes, Ryan K Brennan and Tom Stephens. United by a love of fern puns, and born out of a (potentially) drunken vow made in 2014 to form a band, the group have recently released their debut self titled record, and will shortly be embarking…

There are some record labels that always seem to be on the money. For me, Brooklyn’s Daptone Records are one such label. These are the guys that unleashed the talents of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Charles Bradley onto the world, and reminded listeners of the power of soul and funk. Now they’re…