Live Reviews

LCD Soundsystem did a run of shows at the brand new venue Brooklyn Steel. The band showed they’re not losing their edge whatsoever. And, we all know. I was there. I have to preface this by saying LCD Soundsystem was my ‘white whale’. My friend invited me to see them at the Hordern all the…

Forget everything you know about Guy Sebastian. Now, allow me to describe to you an artist whose voice, energy, and undeniable musical talent reaches behind cynicism and invites us to experience pop music as it was always meant to be: powerful, relatable, enjoyable. Titled Sub-Conscious, the intimate preview of his forthcoming album, Conscious, introduced to…

“Do you like math rock? That’s good.” remarked Oh Pep!‘s Pepita Emmerichs with a wry grin, as they drew their support set to a close, jumping into “Seven Babies” and “Doctor Doctor”, two highlights from their 2016 release Stadium Cake. Earlier in the night, “Tea Milk and Honey” impressed, as the Melbourne pair performed a rare…

It may have been April Fools’ Day when King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard played, but these boys weren’t foolin’. This show was added because they’d sold out the night before, showing their live antics and talent have reached fans on the other side of the world. Opening act Orb had a strong following, and…

I never miss a support act when I’m reviewing.  Ever. I think it’s important to support the support every chance you get. Almost every artist we admire has been a support act at some point. Tonight, sadly, I missed Anabelle Kay‘s slot at The Toff In Town owing to circumstances beyond my control. I’m sorry,…

Oh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when a young Pete Rock lifted that immortal saxophone sample from Tom Scott‘s version of “Today”. The peerless beatmaker used that second-long loop to create what is arguably the greatest rap production of all time, that which became “They Reminisce Over You…

It’s midnight, I’m sitting in a budget hotel, and I have to be up in four hours to catch my flight back home to Melbourne to work. I’ve also just been at the Sydney Opera House to see Kasabian’s second show of their two-nights-only Australian visit. There is so much adrenaline ripping through my system…

The great philosopher Carlos Santana and his colleague Rob Thomas were once quoted as saying, ‘Man it’s a hot one’. And while they were seven inches from the midday sun when they said it, this duo must have been in attendance at this Ball Park Music headlining show as part of the annual Twilight at…

Walking into the studio, you’re welcomed with a flood of pink and green lights swirled within a hazy mist; giving off a still swamp like mystic. The band steps onto the stage, and as soon as the first guitar string is strung it cuts through the mist, bursting with room-filling synths. Suddenly this small studio…

Fresh from their ridiculous set at the Laneway Festival in Melbourne over the weekend, Glass Animals stormed Melbourne Town Hall losing no fans. Opening the Wednesday night shindig was local lad Lanks and there couldn’t have been a more perfect pairing. There is a reason why he cops the accolades he does and although the…

You know those choose-your-own-adventure novels, the ones you read as a kid? With the exception of dying in 90% of the story lines, the Laneway Festival is like that – bear with me here. There’s thirty-six acts, and where you start, stop and travel is entirely up to you. I asked my maths-genius friend to…

I never feel more surrounded by familial like elation than in the throes of an indie punk rock crowd and Friday night was no exception. Starting off their headline tour in Perth, their first Australian show in two years, The Front Bottoms brought in a horde of dedicated fans, ready to jump around to that…

Eight. That’s how old I was when The Avalanches changed recorded music history with their debut album Since I Left You. I’m now 24 and having grown out of the music I was listening to as an eight year old (So Fresh Hits of Summer anyone?), I was definitely looking forward to seeing The Avalanches…

The lead up to Castaway Festival was looking a little grimmer by the day as people scrambled to sell tickets, and the weather forecast fluctuated out of favour. But there’s nothing that rekindles that mix of festival excitement over seeing some killer acts, and a splash of anxiety over whether you’ll peak too soon, quite…

On February 14th, 2005 a chain of events was set in motion that will culminate next year with Boyce Avenue doing something that record company executives hoped was impossible. On that day, the domain name youtube.com was registered. Next year Boyce Avenue will hit 10 million YouTube subscribers. Why is that so impressive? They’ve never…

Unless you’ve been living in a secluded cave far, far away from anything good you will know that this past year has been an absolute celebration of female musicians making their mark. From the stadium-ready Ngaiire to punk-rock heroes Camp Cope, we’ve been watching in awe the rapid rise of female talent take to the spotlight. One…

Fireworks. Lasers. Bird shaped confetti. Fire. Glowing wrist bands. Multiple stage changes. Weird but mesmerising images circulating on the big screens. Massive crowds. Massive singalongs… all the things you’d expect from a commercially popular band performing a stadium concert. And yet, even though you expect, even though you know it’s going to be obnoxiously over…

Fairgrounds Festival is a safe haven for those of us who have grown a little older, and perhaps a little tired of your standard summer festival. Taking place two hours south of Sydney in the small picturesque town of Berry, the family-friendly event has rectified its issues of the previous year, delivering an experience that…

A Day on the Green is a unique touring event, halfway between a music festival and a classy day out among the grapes. There’s something poetic about the way punters begin the day with picnic blankets and cheese platters and end it dancing with strangers in a drunken haze. Saturday afternoon in the Hunter Valley,…

It felt like barely yesterday that we were heading through the gates at Langely Park for a memorable festival, but already it was time for the next transformed iteration of the Wonderland festival experience. Moved to the lush forest of Kitchener Park in Subiaco, it really did take on an enchanted vibe as the crowd…

The Jezabels played to an adoring crowd on a freezing cold night, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York. Going to see The Jezabels is something I associate with summer. Both because I’ve only seen them at summer festivals in Australia – Falls Festival, Homebake, and Laneway Festival – and because I remember…

An off-shoot of the big nostalgia-fest that was “RNB (R&B) Fridays Live” had three of the tour’s standouts performing as a triple-threat at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre. D.C singer Mya, Atlanta bad boys 112, and New Jack Swingers BLACKstreet broke away from the massive throwback tour (which also featured TLC and Nelly) as a sideshow of…

It was impossible to escape the experience of live music last weekend in Perth, most notably with Flume and Arcadia taking over the city centre, but it was a cheeky little Sunday Session at The Aviary that really gave something memorable. Nearing the end of her Get Money EP tour, E^ST took over the secluded…

There are only a few truly perfect pairings in life. A glass of red and a handsome man. Avocado and Vegemite. Taylor Swift and a red lip… And now I’m happy to say I’ve witnessed another; Missy Higgins and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. For all of her accolades, I’ve often thought of Missy Higgins as…

The A Day on the Green concert series has boasted some spectacular lineups since its inception in 2001 – from collections of 90s Australian Triple J darlings, to spectacular 80s reunions. But upon first glance of this season’s bill, I couldn’t help but feel that one of the acts was the odd one out. There…

After last year’s success, Gizzfest has returned. Trying to find a fun way to promote your band? Start your own festival was how King Gizzard the Lizard Wizard answered that question. This year’s line-up included favourites like The Babe Rainbow, White Fence and Pond.  Taking over three stages at Brisbane RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane’s leg of…

Returning once more to the future CBD of Sydney, The Plot made its presence felt in the Western Suburbs, as the punters got amongst it, and in the process managed to sell out the all-Australian, Parramatta based festival. Having attended last year, if I were a betting man I’d have put money on the festival…

Nearly two years of work by two Melbourne artists, photographer Michelle Grace Hunder and filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, has culminated in the powerful, multifaceted Her Sound, Her Story. It’s a project created as a response to the conversation observed surrounding women in the Australian music industry, documenting more than 40 female artists who have, or…

When attending a sold out home town show you know you’re about to see some magic. The diehard fans singing along to every lyric, the swaying in unison, the smell of adoration and respect…. even if you’re not a punk rock fan, the atmosphere turns you into a punk rock fan. In support of their…

Fresh off the release of their long in the waiting debut album This Is Our Vice, Cub Sport returned to Perth for their first headline show in the city as part of their national tour.  Playing alongside support regular Bec Sandridge and local band The Peppermint Club, the Snapchat videos were up in full force…