Features

Video Feature: We go Record Store shopping at Waterloo Records in Texas with The Love Junkies (Perth)

In celebration of Record Store Day, which is happening around the world tomorrow, we bring you this special video of Perth band The Love Junkies at Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas, as they spend an afternoon record shopping after their crazy week at SXSW. While there they share with us some of their favourite music…

Read more

Enter your band now for the chance to support Bam Margera's Fuckface Unstoppable on their Australian tour!

Last month we announced the Australian return of Bam Margera as Fuckface Unstoppable – his band comprised of members of CKY, Cradle Of Filth, Viking Skull and Guttermouth – will be playing ten dates in Australia, including Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne and we want your band to play alongside them! Fill out the form below…

Read more

Exclusive Track Premiere: Dallas Frasca "Corazon En La Seda" (2015)

Australian riff rock trio, Dallas Frasca will release their highly anticipated third studio album, Love Army, on April 17th, through Australian independent label Social Family Records. It’s the culmination of almost 10 years of hard work, performing over 700 shows, seven international tours and fast becoming one of Australia’s most exciting and revered bands across…

Read more

My SXSW 2015 Diaries: A glimpse into *some* of the madness of the Interactive and Film portion of the event…

It’s hard to capture really what SXSW is like without you actually attending yourself. There really is nothing else like it. Just the pure variety of people you meet and things you get to do… there’s no equal. I took my camera along to the festival – which ended a couple of weeks ago now…

Read more

On The Rocks: Answering Music’s Most Annoying Question

Photo Credit: Andrew Wade No one ever asks if Hip-Hop is dead, if Pop is dead. Rarely, if ever, does any one bother to pit Country and Rap music against each other. Yet for the last 60+ years, as each decade comes to a close, there has always seemingly been an advocate for the death…

Read more

The Ones to Watch: 6 Exciting East Coast Live Music Venues Set to Take Off in 2015


Pictured: The Triffid, Brisbane

Ah live music, our temperamental friend! The past few years have seen Australia hit some serious highs and disastrous lows in our music scene, ranging from the growing number of niche festivals popping up to the unfortunate closer of some beloved pubs and clubs. But as much as we love festivals, not many people have the time, money or stamina to make this a regular outing. The good news is the AU review have found some of the best local venues for you to get your weekly fix from, without having to pay big dollars for big ticket events.

Read more

Watch M Phazes and Thief join Penelope Austin to cover the Kasey Chambers and Bernard Fanning track "Bittersweet"

Last Tuesday saw the annual tradition of the APRA Music Awards hit Sydney, a celebration of the Australian music which has made the biggest impact at home and around the globe over the past 12 months. Thanks to a special between Moshcam and APRA, the “Song of the Year” live performances were recorded and streamed,…

Read more

Watch Lisa Mitchell and Jake Clemons perform Sheppard's "Geronimo" at the 2015 APRA Awards

Earlier this week at the APRA Awards – which took place at Carriageworks in Sydney – artists joined together for unique collaborations to cover the songs that were nominated for APRA Song of the Year. It’s an annual tradition at the Awards and it’s always an entertaining and unique part of the night. We’ll be…

Read more

Watch Thelma Plum, Andy Bull and members of Art vs Science cover Dan Sultan's "Kimberley Calling"

Talk about taking a great song and making it something even more special – Thelma Plum and Andy Bull – with the help of the Dans from Art vs Science managed to do just that, delivering a stunning cover of Dan Sultan’s “Kimberley Calling” at the APRA Awards earlier this week in Sydney. The song…

Read more

The 2nd Annual AU Review SXSW Music Awards!

As we fly back to Australia from our sixth annual week of coverage at SXSW in Austin, Texas, we’ve spent some time reflecting on our experiences and now present to you the second annual AU review SXSW Music Awards – acknowledging the bands who made the biggest impressions on us at the event. These awards…

Read more

Editor-in-Chief's Picks: Larry Heath's Top 5 Discoveries (and Re-Discoveries) at SXSW 2015

The week that is SXSW in Austin; Texas always brings with it its fair share of opportunities to discover new artists. Here were my five discoveries at the festival, all of whom seem destined for greatness. Some may be names you already know, others will probably be ones you’ve never heard of before. But they’re…

Read more

SXSW Live Review: Willow Wood Showcase ft. Howard + Oso Leone + Kevin Garrett + Emmy The Great – St David's Bethell Hall (21.05.15)

Our friends at Willow Wood put on a special showcase last night to help bring SXSW to an end, taking over Bethell Hall at St David’s Church with a group of artists who took full advantage of the venue to deliver an evening full of special performances. First up was Howard, a self described “folktronica”…

Read more

Photo Highlights from The Aussie BBQ at SXSW 2015 ft. Hiatus Kaiyote, Steve Smyth, The Gooch Palms, Ball Park Music & more!

The Aussie BBQ returned to Brush Park on Friday, taking over the East and West sides of the venue to bring a day full of incredible Australian acts. Sosefina already brought you the full live review, but now here are some photo highlights from the day. First up, we start with the BBQ itself, supplied…

Read more

Feature: The Best Festivals & Annual Events in Texas (other than SXSW)

Image captured at Austin City Limits 2013 by Larry Heath As SXSW approaches – taking over Austin, Texas for some 10 days with music, film, interactive and video game components – we wanted to take a moment to address the fact that this isn’t the only festival that brings droves of people to Texas. And…

Read more

The 15 Best Venues and Parties at SXSW 2015 (Part One)

For those who’ve never made the trip to Austin for SXSW, our best advice is to go with the flow; follow the crowds, take chances, give yourselves the ability to stumble across bands you’ve never heard of, in locations you don’t expect. It’s the best way to discover something new. But it doesn’t hurt to…

Read more

The 15 Best Venues and Parties at SXSW 2015 (Part Two)

For those who’ve never made the trip to Austin for SXSW, our best advice is to go with the flow. Follow the crowds, take chances, give yourselves the ability to stumble across bands you’ve never heard of, in locations you don’t expect. It’s the best way to discover something new. But it doesn’t hurt to…

Read more

Listen to Luca Brasi's Tyler Richardson 5 Favourite Songs

This week, we’re excited to present a special playlist from bassist and vocalist Tyler Richardson of Tasmanian rockers Luca Brasi, who are currently on tour around Australia celebrating the release of their Loose Threads 7″ EP. He has chosen five of his favourite songs for the special show, plus one of his band’s own. The…

Read more

Exclusive Australian Album Premiere: Quiet Quiet Band – Low Noon (2015 LP)

Adding to the list of amazing music we’ve been bringing you this week, we have the Exclusive Australian Album Premiere of Quiet Quiet Band‘s new record Low Noon. Hailing from London, this sextet have garnered comparisons to the illustrious likes of Violent Femmes, Nick Cave and Johnny Cash – and it’s well warranted too. Enjoy…

Read more

Watch Lindsey Stirling perform a snippet of "Shatter Me" on a balcony in Sydney!

While she was touring Australia at the end of last month, the AU review captured Lindsey Stirling performing a snippet of her track “Shatter Me” on a Balcony overlooking the Sydney, Australia CBD. Watch the exclusive video here as part of our sessions series:

Read more

Ten things you have to do while at SXSW Music 2015

Pictured: METZ in 2013, photographed by Andrew Wade This Friday, the SXSW (South by Southwest) Film and Interactive conference and festival kicks off in Austin, Texas… then the Music Mayhem starts next Tuesday! We’re just days away from flying to the great city ourselves for the 6th consecutive year of coverage, so we thought we’d…

Read more

Listen to AU's Artist of the Month (March 2015) Courtney Barnett's AU Radio Playlist on Demand!

We’re excited to announce that Courtney Barnett is our artist for the month of March 2015, in anticipation of the release of her debut LP Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit on March 20th. She’ll be taking over our digital radio station from time to time this month to play you some of…

Read more

Exclusive Playlist: The Delta Riggs' Stadium Rock Warm Up Songs

Photo Credit: Andrew Wade Currently touring Australia with the Foo Fighters and Rise Against, Sydney’s The Delta Riggs are doing big things for Australian rock n roll. So, when they’re getting ready to hit up these massive stadium stages, what gets them in the mood? Here now is an exclusive playlist – courtesy of the…

Read more

Herny from Melbourne's Clowns names his Top 5 Australian Venues

Melbourne Rockers Clowns are heading off on tour from this Friday (February 20th) and release their brand new album Bad Blood via Poison City Records. In anticipation, Herny from the group took some time out to share with us his five favourite venues in Australia, some of which they’ll be hitting up along their massive…

Read more

Our 5 Favourite Performances at St Jerome's Laneway Festival

And after three weekends of festival mayhem around Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, the 2015 run of St Jerome’s Laneway Festival dates have come to an end. And for each of us, we definitely had our favourite moments. We’re sure you did as well! But here are five of ours… Jon Hopkins Jon Hopkins’ timetable…

Read more

Anthony Callea's five favourite George Michael Songs

This Saturday, Valentine’s Day at the Taronga Zoo will see Anthony Callea take on the songs of George Michael in a very special concert as part of the Zoo’s Twilight at Taronga series – proudly presented by the AU review! In anticipation of the event, we asked Callea to share with us his five favourite…

Read more

Watch as we get to know Malysian artists Enterprise and Bil Musa backstage at Laneway Singapore

In this two part video, we meet Malysian band Enterprise, who spoke to the media backstage after their performance opening the main stage (and the festival) at Laneway in Singapore. They talk about about getting the opportunity to play festivals, future tour plans, the music scene in Malaysia, their experiences in Singapore and much more….

Read more

Future Islands (Baltimore) talk defying musical expectations, influences and death metal music at Laneway Festival.

Last weekend, the AU review sat backstage with American synth-pop band Future Islands at St Jerome’s Laneway Festival in Singapore. In part two of the interview with the Baltimore natives, they talk about their writing influences, their most recent album Singles and the band reveals how they’ve managed to defy musical expectations. They go on…

Read more

Mac DeMarco talks about teeth, crowdsurfing and sings The Grateful Dead backstage at Laneway Singapore

Last weekend the AU review had the opportunity to sit in a media conference with Canada’s Mac Demarco at Laneway Festival in Singapore. Mac talks of his infamous gap tooth and his guilty pleasures – like enjoying listening to Coldplay – despite the strange reactions he may get. He and his band mate discuss his…

Read more

We Ask: Do you remember the first time you heard yourself or your band on triple j?

Ahead of tomorrow’s Hottest 100 countdown, we ask The Preatures, Ball Park Music and Tkay Maidza to talk about the first time they heard themselves or their band on triple j. We also talk to KLP about the first time she hosted House Party… Filmed during the radio station’s 40th anniversary celebrations in Sydney: Beat…

Read more

Chet Faker talks about his Hottest 100 Chances for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Australia Day, which means the winner of the Hottest 100 will be revealed – and finally we’ll never have to hear about the whole Taylor Swift “controversy” again. Assuming she isn’t eligible, there are two favourites looking to take out the top spot: Australia’s Chet Faker and Peking Duk. Either could walk away…

Read more