Live Reviews

Zebrahead

Live Review: Zebrahead tear up Crowbar Brisbane

Shoeys, crowd surfers, and circle pit after circle pit after circle pit. Only Zebrahead could bring this much chaos to a Sunday night in Brisbane. Support came from the Thomas Nicholas Band – yes, that Thomas Nicholas – delivering a slice of late 90s/early 2000s skate pop punk that wouldn’t be out of place on…

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Summersalt festival brings the heat to Torquay, despite the freezing weather

On Saturday, Torquay Commons was turned into a festival ground for the 2025 edition of Summersalt. Though the name suggested balmy afternoons and golden rays, reality had other plans: grey skies, patches of rain, and a top of 13 degrees made it feel more like “Wintersalt.” Still, the less-than-ideal conditions didn’t dampen spirits too much….

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Playlunch deliver the best headline gig of the year at Sydney’s Manning Bar

It’s not often I say things as outlandish as the title above suggests, but I’m here to reassure you it is 100% correct: Playlunch just played the best and most fun live set of the year. Hot on the heels of the release of the second album, Sex Ed, Playlunch returned to Sydney’s Manning Bar…

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I saw The Used three times in one week, and here’s what I learned

Emo icons The Used head into the final week of the Aussie leg of their massive 25th anniversary tour. It’s been a true throwback run, with the band performing their first three albums in full – one each night, in each city. Dates sold out fast, venues were upgraded, and new shows were added, and…

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A record breaking finale to the Mundi Mundi Bash – day three (23.08.25)

It felt like magic was in the air on the final day of the 2025 Mundi Mundi Bash. The weather had been perfect all week, the music was universally loved. The attendance and money raised for Beyond Blue and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) was outstanding. A large part of the success of this…

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Mundi Mundi Bash hits a high note on day two (22.08.25)

Friday morning opens to a bright sunny day on the Mundi Mundi Plains. Perfect weather for the traditional Mundi Undie Run. One notable feature of the Mundi Mundi festival is the inclusiveness. People with disabilities, families, pets, Indigenous workshops are all celebrated and embraced. Bring out your strange. This year an incredible number of people…

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A record Mundi Mundi Bash crowd celebrated true blue Aussie music (Day 1 – 21.08.25)

This week, a record crowd of some 15,000 music lovers descended onto Belmont Station near Broken Hill in western NSW for the now iconic Mundi Mundi Bash. While the event officially started on Thursday, many took advantage of early-bird entry and were treated to acts such as Chocolate Starfish, The Headliners and the local “Mundi’s…

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UK indie icons Bloc Party brighten a rainy Friday in Brisbane

It’s a Friday night, it’s raining, I’m caught up at work, and I have somewhere I need to be. Brisbane Riverstage, to be exact, to see British indie band Bloc Party, as they tour in celebration of 20 years of debut album Silent Alarm. The late finish at work meant we didn’t arrive in time…

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Dope Lemon Golden Wolf Tour Enmore - 1

Dope Lemon’s Golden Wolf tour gets Enmore swaying

It’s hard to believe next year will mark the 20th anniversary of brother-sister duo Angus & Julia Stone’s initial assault on Aussie hearts and global charts. Angus was just 20 at the time, but he’d already found his groove. His hips haven’t stopped swaying ever since. A prolific songwriter, there’s been no let-up in hits…

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Review: Illuminate Adelaide ft Kiasmos + Juno Mamba – Hindley St Music Hall (18.07.25)

The musical offerings at this year’s Illuminate Festival have been nothing short of inspired. From the two night Unsound festival, to the melodic sounds of Faroese-Icelandic duo, Kiasmos, the music has been captivating. The crowd at Friday night’s Hindley St Music Hall are sure to agree. Opening act Juno Mamba is a Filipino born musician…

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Ruby Gill

Live Review: Ruby Gill + Betty – The Trocadero Room, Sydney (18.07.25)

On the back of one of the better albums released this year, Ruby Gill played their third show in Sydney in the past six months and managed to deliver an incredibly authentic and flawless set to a packed out Trocadero Room. Not even 4 months after releasing her second album Some Kind Of Control, Ruby’s…

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John Cale

Review: Illuminate Adelaide’s Unsound is a treasure trove of experimental music

Lovers of alternative music look forward to Illuminate Adelaide‘s Unsound weekend as it always brings a wide selection of local and international musical artists. Held over two nights, it started at Lion Arts Centre on Friday and finished at Hindley Street Music Hall before the closing acts performed in the suitably grimy basement of Ancient…

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Coldplay hit Toronto’s divisive new Rogers Stadium for first of four shows: Full Setlist and Venue Review

UK group Coldplay are currently undertaking their Moon Music world tour, and last night they touched down in Toronto, Canada for the first of four shows. Tickets to the shows – their first in the city in eight years – have been a hot commodity, fetching massive prices on resale sites after more than 200,000…

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Skegss deliver coasty riffs and a bit of chaos in Brisbane (28.06.25)

On a cold Friday night in Brisbane, every square inch of the footpath leading to The Tivoli was packed with punters braving the chilly wind sweeping across the city. The headliner? Byron Bay’s beloved surf-punk trio Skegss, playing to a sold-out crowd. As part of the Open Season festival, the band were in town touring…

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Soccer Mommy delivers a tight set in Brisbane for Open Season Festival

While most of Brisbane was settling in for State of Origin on Wednesday night, the line to The Princess Theatre saw Maroon jerseys replaced with corduroy jackets and baggy jeans. Inside, the anticipation was building for Nashville-based indie rock artist Soccer Mommy (the alias of Sophie Allison), who was bringing her signature blend of shoegaze…

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Spacey Jane

Live Review: Spacey Jane + The Moving Stills + Phoebe Go – PICA, Melbourne (17.06.25)

The Fremantle indie rock band Spacey Jane have had huge success in their careers over the last five years; selling out shows, finding international acclaim, touring around the world, and debuting at number 2 on the ARIA charts with their third album If That Makes Sense. They are by far one of the most popular Aussie…

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The final day of the Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival was bittersweet (08.06.25)

This year’s Beer and BBQ Festival marked ten years of the event, and was the final one in the current format. Organisers have announced that the event will continue on in some form that is still to be decided. With that in mind, there was a mixture of celebration and sadness on the final day…

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Adelaide’s second day of the Beer and BBQ Festival keeps the home fires burning (07.06.25)

With the cold wind and rain that hit Adelaide for the King’s Birthday long weekend, it was good that there was plenty of warmth and shelter to be had at the Beer and BBQ Festival. With beer and craft stalls inside and plenty of open fires outside, it was a cosy place to escape the…

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Adelaide Beer and BBQ Fest heats up for Friday night’s opening (06.06.25)

With the announcement that this year will be the final Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival in this format, there was a mixture of celebration and sadness. Despite the wintry weather outside, there were numerous undercover spaces, warmed by copious open wood fires. There were plenty of stallholders, from beer producers to scented candles and all…

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Live Review: Japanese Breakfast + ENOLA – PICA, Melbourne (05.06.25)

After an eight year wait, the Grammy nominated indie pop band Japanese Breakfast came back to Australian shores with a taste of their Melancholy Tour for this year’s RISING festival in Melbourne. Coming off of the high of Michelle Zauner’s critically acclaimed 2021 memoir Crying at the H Mart, Japanese Breakfast released their fourth studio…

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James Vincent McMorrow

Live Review: James Vincent McMorrow – Metro Theatre, Sydney (03.06.25)

2025 has been a massive year for Irish artists in Australia. Dermot Kennedy brought Misneach Festival here in March, while Kneecap completely dominated everything they did a few months back. And now we’ve got James Vincent McMorrow reminding everyone he’s got one of the best voices as he returns to our shores with a cover-to-cover…

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Ezra Collective deliver an outstanding performance on final night of Australian tour in Brisbane

On a wintery Sunday night, Brisbane’s jacket-clad masses shuffled out of the bitter cold and into the welcoming warmth of a sold-out Princess Theatre. Despite the layered attire and a looming workweek, the crowd arrived ready to move. With UK five-piece Ezra Collective in town, that almost felt like a prerequisite. Wrapping up their whirlwind…

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Cloud Control’s triumphant return in Brisbane celebrates 15 years of Bliss Release

On a rainy Friday night in Brisbane’s Woolloongabba, excitement was building for the long-awaited reunion of Australian indie outfit Cloud Control — a return seven years in the making. Formed in the mid-2000s in the Blue Mountains and breaking through with their acclaimed debut Bliss Release in 2010, the band had been on hiatus since…

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Live Review: Ball Park Music + Bean Magazine – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (30.05.25)

Australia’s loveliest band, Ball Park Music, turned it up a notch and delivered one of the most wholesome (and at times funny) sets at the Enmore Theatre as part of their Like Love album tour. With the Sydney crowd in the palm of their hands, the Brisbane locals’ set left everyone feeling loved up and…

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Pale Jay

Pale Jay kicks off Brisbane’s Open Season with unforgettable finale to Australian debut

On a brisk Brisbane evening a line formed down the block for the opening night of Open Season 2025, one of the city’s most exciting winter festivals. Despite the time reading 7:30pm on a Sunday, punters huddled in the Princess Theatre’s courtyards and bars with a buzz in the air. The occasion? The first Brisbane…

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Live Review: Holy Holy + Rowena Wise – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (24.05.25)

It was a sweet, bitter sweet evening at the Enmore Theatre on Saturday night, as Holy Holy said goodbye to Sydney prior them heading into a long-term hiatus. After more than a decade as a band, and with six albums released, Holy Holy has called it a day and turned in one of the best…

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Sigur Ros and Sydney Symphony Orchestra dream big for Vivid Sydney

Lush, evocative, poignant. Writers have been trying to distill Sigur Ros’ otherworldly music into neat adjectives for years, but there’s always been something missing. There’s an indescribable quality to Jonsi’s wails, so pregnant with emotion, sorrow and joy, lifted by world-class musicians who flitter between sublime, modest dips and chaotic, violent peaks.  It’s beautiful music….

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Welcome to Rockville: Korn and Linkin Park help wrap up a scorching weekend in Florida

We’re officially halfway through the “biggest rock festival in America” – Florida’s Welcome to Rockville – and Dan Slater is there. He brings us all his experiences on ground from the last two days of the event in Daytona Beach, Florida. You can look back at his day one and day two coverage here.  A…

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Green Day, Social Distortion and more light up the second day of Florida’s massive rock festival Welcome to Rockville

Following (very) hot on the heels of its hectic opening day, the second twenty four hours at Welcome to Rockville promised to be a belter. Dan Slater is on ground in Daytona Beach, Florida to bring us the latest from the Green Day-headlined Friday night with this review.  Coming on earlier than their status deserves,…

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The Jungle Giants

Darwin’s BASSINTHEGRASS music festival is a killer celebration of Aussie music

Darwin’s Mindil Beach, nestled on the shore of Larrakia country, is known for it’s iconic tropical sunsets and night-time beach markets. It’s also home to the equally iconic BASSINTHEGRASS musical festival that has been a feature in Darwins music scene since 2003. This year was no exception, with the Hilltops Hoods proudly proclaiming that this…

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