Interviews

Dean Lewis is one of those artists who has an effortless charm about him. At The Great Escape this year, I was able to watch him perform twice – a proper introduction to his onstage presence – and it was undeniable, the hold the songwriter had over his audience. He’s slightly awkward, almost coy, in his…

MS MR have long held a love-love relationship with Australia but when we catch up with one half of the band, Lizzy Plapinger, we’re in a different environment altogether. She’s at Coachella and as the world is getting to know her new music project, LPX, the vocalist and songwriter tells us about her new sounds and what’s in store…

When we get the opportunity to sit down with our favourite artists, of course, it’s not something we take for granted. And then there are the opportunities we get when we get to speak with someone as legendary as Lee Fields, backstage at what he describes as one of the best, if not the best, musical…

Fresh from making the score for National Geographic’s Mars miniseries, Warren Ellis – acclaimed musician and member of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Grinderman and Dirty Three has just created an original score for the new Australian thriller Bad Girl. He spoke to us about his approach for this project, recently returning to the stage with Nick Cave…

When Sonos announces a new speaker, the whole world takes notice. This is a company that has spent the last 15 years focused on quality over quantity, with years of R&D behind every new speaker that hits the shelves. And tomorrow we’ll be enjoying the latest addition to their product line: the PLAYBASE – a…

There’s definitely a unique formula that a band establishes pretty early on, which always seems to line up with success and longevity. A lot of the time, the success of this particular formula is often measured by fan based dedication, especially as your guitars get louder, the vocals get grittier and the sound gets a…

Festival of the Sun this year saw Sydney’s Gang of Youths top the bill at Port Macquarie, drawing in strong numbers for what was to be one of their first festival shows of the summer. After spending 2016 on the road with The Positions and the Let Me Be Clear EP, the boys have hit the studio hard in recent months…

For Perth electronic duo Slumberjack, September saw some pretty hectic and invaluable experiences come their way, with their first trip out into the South East Asian market bringing them to Music Matters and the Ultra Music Festival. Having become a larger name in the States through this year especially, for Fletcher and Morgan, 2016 has been a year of levelling up and…

Earlier this year it was announced that Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard would be returning to Australia for a run of shows this October, in support of his latest record, the Grammy nominated Didn’t He Ramble. While Hansard has been on something of a solo run since the release of Rhythm and Repose in 2012, he…

Ahead of the weekend, Glass Animals released How To Be A Human Being, their much anticipated second album. As a follow up to their 2014 debut Zaba, this new collection of music has seen the Oxford group continue to pursue an ambitious approach to their craft and the final result has been a joy to listen to (check…

Melbourne psych-folk pop group Cold Hands Warm Heart are the latest local artists to be featured in our Stumbled Upon series! Finding each other through uni and other bands, the group is currently gearing up for a special show at the Gasometer Hotel to launch their new music video for “Nightfall”. Learn some more about the…

Serina Pech is a young singer songwriter based in the NT who is poised to make some serious waves outside the country’s north. The Katherine artist has been displaying some impressive writing chops; weaving heartfelt lyricism with some gorgeous folk acoustic musicality and a potential that is only just being tapped into. “The scene is…

Lisa Spencer is currently completing her tertiary studies out of Melbourne, where her focus is veterinary science. While uni takes up a fair amount of her time, Spencer has also thrown herself into her music, quickly making an entrance with some intensely effective sounds on early single “Medicine”. Writing and releasing music as AEORA, she’s further developed a talent for…

Our 113th edition of ‘Stumbled Upon’ sees us introduced to the very new, but very intriguing FRAANCIS. Recently dropping their debut single “XX” online to much the favourable response, the Melbourne duo draws influence from the likes of Jordan Rakei to J Dilla, all the while whipping up a sound that reminds us of early Flume…

In our 112th instalment of our ‘Stumbled Upon’ series, we learn more about Irish singer songwriter Zack Boone. His debut album Something Beyond has received much praise from music fans in his homeland of Ireland and as the wider industry begins to switch on to this muso’s writing talent, Zack tells us some more about the music…

In our 111th edition of Stumbled Upon, we meet Berlin-based New Yorker, Jon Campbell. Learn more about this talented musician and his debut EP, About a Boy, out now! Name: Jon Campbell Website / Social Media: Facebook Members & their roles: This was the band for the recording, although the band for live shows varies: Jon Campbell – vocals, guitars,…

On the final afternoon of SXSW, I catch up with half of New York band Caveman for what locks in as my last on site artist interview. By this stage, everyone’s looking at the finishing line of SXSW Music and loading up on the tobacco and Red Bulls just to get to the end. For…

Bringing some acoustic folk goodness from Tyalgum out to Austin for SXSW this year, The Heart Collectors returned to Texas with a certain type of enthusiasm and vibrancy that definitely caught the attention of crowds who came by their showcases during SXSW Music. The four piece sat down with us at the Aussie BBQ to talk…

For Toronto based band Fast Romantics, 2016 is set to be a year of introductions.  We met up with songwriters Matthew Angus and Kirty at SXSW, where the excitement surrounding their forthcoming new album has followed them from Toronto and New York (where a lot of the material was worked on), to Austin. Following their own creative direction even more than…

Bringing some excellent examples of songwriting and a wickedly endearing live presence out to Austin for SXSW this year was WA artist Matt Gresham. Currently in the process of finishing up an EP that we’re eager to hear, Gresham tells Larry about the writing and recording process that had him fall in love with LA and…

Uprooting your life in Australia in favour of the musical opportunities America has to offer isn’t a small undertaking, as Lo Carmen has experienced all too well. Relocating to the US in order to focus on the writing and recording of a new album, not to mention further establishing herself as a touring artist abroad, has…

Newcastle folk-pop band The Soorleys have been making their mark on the US, spending some weeks through March touring and experiencing some iconic cities for the first time, definitely from an interesting perspective. From hitting ballrooms in Kansas City to recording in Nashville, through to arriving in Austin for their first ever SXSW, the family band have…

Demi Louise is a lady I’m always happy to see at SXSW  – the young singer songwriter has been coming to the Austin event for the last few years now and the AU has always managed to catch up with her at some point during her hectic live show schedule. A seasoned pro at these…

  Spookyland are one of those bands who I always seem to see pop up and impress overseas moreover than I do at home. Of course, being situated in SA as opposed to the usual east coast haunts Sydney bands would normally play, the opportunities to see Spookyland perform in Australia for me have been limited from…

Brooklyn based songwriter and vocalist Kevin Garrett has been sitting comfortably in my iTunes collection as one of the most played artists in my library at the moment. 2015’s Mellow Drama EP brought the young writer to the attention of many; in evocative lyricism and production that captivates in a similar vein to James Blake and James…

Tigertown returned to Austin for their second SXSW this year, off the back of what’s already been a successful few months on the road through the States. The Sydney band has been garnering praise for shows alongside St. Lucia in particular and this month, the band returns home for their long-awaited Australian tour, kicking off in Sydney…

Next week, Oh Pep! kick off their Australian east coast tour starting in Adelaide, before winding down with a show in Sydney in mid-April! The first few months of 2016 have already been busy ones for the Melbourne group, who have been readying their debut album Stadium Cake for release and refining what’s become an excellent and endearing…

Let me set the scene and take you back to the Aussie BBQ at SXSW this year; like last year, I arrived at Brush Square Park looking up at the overcast skies that threatened to unleash torrent upon torrent of rain on the event. Thankfully, unlike last year, the Aussie BBQ escaped and enjoyed a…

Seeing The Gooch Palms take to the Aussie BBQ stage at SXSW this year was a treat; especially after seeing how well the Novocastrian duo was received at the venue last year. Both Leroy and Kat bring such an eccentric and brilliant charm to their live shows that, when they mention they locked around 130 live gigs under their belt in…

There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of V. Bozeman. The Californian R&B soul singer hasn’t had much exposure in Australia, but if you’re a fan of hip hop drama Empire, you’ll recognise this lady’s voice for sure. Bozeman has garnered much attention since her attention-snatching appearance in the show’s pilot episode and recently has been working…