Live Reviews

The Boys In The Better Land are back in Australia and they’re better than ever. Back in the country supporting their Romance album, Fontaines D.C lit up a sold out Sydney Opera House Forecourt, treating fans old and young to a career spanning set. Now four albums deep and touring their universally acclaimed most recent…

If you have read just about any review of a JPEGMAFIA show, you’ll see that everyone uses the word ‘raw’ to describe the experience. I would know; I’ve used it every time I’ve reviewed his shows. It’s used because, at every show of his, you’ll find Peggy on stage alone – no crew hype man…

Well, this is pleasantly familiar. Anyone who has seen Nils Frahm live before would be used to witnessing complete and utter ambient perfection. If you want to know if I enjoyed his latest sojourn down to Sydney Opera House, that’s the only sentence you need. Because it’s mighty difficult to describe just how staggering Frahm’s…

Alt/punk/art rock icon PJ Harvey might’ve looked out of place among the towering gums and native flora of Kings Park’s botanical gardens– not to mention the thousands of picnic blankets and content couples sipping drinks– but Harvey has never wanted to play to type. In fact, the subject of her new tour– her latest album,…

35 isn’t old, but some days it feels it. And I’d definitely head-banged a little too hard for someone my age the night before at A Day to Remember. Returning to the Fortitude Music Hall for my second show in as many days (something I’m gradually finding I may also be too old for) the…

The day after a raucous Knotfest Brisbane set, Florida pop-punk/metalcore act A Day to Remember were still in the River City, gearing up for a sideshow at the Fortitude Music Hall. The show would be their only Aussie headline appearance, so it’s no surprise that it sold out quickly, with the line to get in…

Big names like Bjork and PJ Harvey have headlined at the Perth Festival. They draw you in with a little international renown and spectacle; then they surprise you with their selection of local artists too. But in this metaphor, home-grown Jordan Rakei isn’t the local artist. His five albums, hundreds of millions of listens, and…

The Kooks arguably became one of the most popular British indie rock bands of the early 2000s with their debut album Inside In / Inside Out.  Over the years, they’ve gained a massive following right here in Australia and have since made it home, quickly rescheduling their cancelled shows from last year and coming right…

A History of Hip Hop lesson that gives more weight to Arrested Development than Big Daddy Kane (possibly the most seminal rapper of all time), Geto Boys (the first to really rap about mental illness and trauma with mainstream impact), or the likes of Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Mobb Deep. That doesn’t sound very…

Prinnie Stevens has been part of the Adelaide Fringe for several years, with her successful Lady Sings the Blues tribute to women in music and as one of the 2024 Fringe Ambassadors. For the 2025 season, in her latest cabaret show, Stevens has bought the music of Tina Turner to life.  The Woodville Town Hall is…

Rock legends Green Day kicked off the Aussie leg of their Saviors tour at Marvel Stadium last night, and what a night it was. Celebrating not only the release of their 2024 album Saviors, but also the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot, with the band playing both revolutionary albums…

Max Richter is less interested in your Pre-Frontal Cortex as he is in your limbic system, hippocampus and amygdala. The postminimalist piano man is as much a neuroscientist as a musician, taking a scatter shot for the subconscious with dreamy, evocative classical music designed to destroy and rebuild. Max Richter is my most trusted travel…

Back in the country for the first time since releasing her third album, Billie Eilish returned to Sydney for night one of a four-night run and delivered a killer 100 minute set that left the capacity crowd begging for more (literally). Opening up the night was fellow American artist and the only support for the…

In the 70s, Hailu Mergia was on the organ in the Walias Band, playing his part in the golden age of Ethiopian music. In the 80s he quit the band to stay in the U.S. and escape the Derg dictatorship. In the 90s he released a final album, opened a restaurant, and became a cab…

Charlee Watt is barely in her early twenties, yet she has taken a curated selection of Beatles tunes and made them her own. This year, the Adelaide Fringe has increased the number of performance hubs and Plant 4 at Bowden is one of those hubs. Charlee is playing at various venues, but this sunny Saturday…

Last night in Toronto, Canada, Phantogram returned four months after they last touched down for their tour in support of Kings of Leon. Between tours, the duo dropped a new album, the brilliant Memory of a Day, and are now just over half way through a massive run of dates across North America. The show…

The Prodigy is its own genre. And there aren’t many bands in history that can claim such a one-of-one reputation. Metal festivals? Yeah, they’ll dominate. EDM festivals? Best believe they are closing the main stage. The unimpeachable band, now officially the duo of Liam Howlett and Maxim, could even slot seamlessly into a hip hop…

The last time Still Woozy (Sven Eric Gamsky) was in Melbourne was a little over two years ago in July 2022. A part of the Splendour In The Grass line up that year, he played at the contemporary venue Howler, promoting his debut album If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is, which held…

The PICA (Port Melbourne Industrial Centre for Arts) was packed to the brim for Grammy-nominated artist Porter Robinson, with fans braving the heat on the 34-degree day in Melbourne’s South West to catch the only Melbourne show of the tour. Touring his third album, Smile! 😀 which was released in July last year, Porter Robinson’s…

It’s been over twenty years since The Flaming Lips released their epic album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and it’s an album that still holds up. The band are currently touring Australia and Adelaide was the first stop of the leg. Frontman Wayne Coyne, dressed in a vintage black suit with a leather harness and…

On Friday afternoon Brisbane’s Bruce Highway became jammed on all sides, as swarms of ticket holders descended on the city while CBD commuters fought to get out. Congesting every conceivable entry towards Milton’s Suncorp Stadium, fans were queuing early for the first stop on country mega star Luke Combs’s record breaking stadium tour of Australia….

It’s Sunday night in the Valley and a line is forming outside Black Bear Lodge, the third stop on Future Static‘s Liminality tour. With the album dropping back in 2023 (check out our 5 star review HERE), both Future Static and fans alike have been waiting a while to celebrate this one. Aurateque were up first,…

As 2024 comes to its end, I’ve always enjoyed being able to head out and catch a couple local bands get in their last shows for the year, as they cap off what could have been a pivotal year of change for them. In this instance, it was Annie Hamilton headlining the last of her…

One of the world’s most acclaimed musicians, Detroit’s Jack White, is in Sydney this weekend following a run of shows in Victoria as part of the Always Live initiative. Originally expected to be exclusive to the southern state – as was St Vincent in recent weeks – NSW fans were elated to see the iconic…

Have you been to a rave at Sydney’s Carriageworks? You may have popped by the Carriageworks Farmers Markets, gazed in wonder at Sydney Contemporary and strutted your stuff at Fashion Week, but seeing a big, blinding rave at this arts and lifestyle institution is just as essential. I once saw Grace Jones in the belly…

In town for a run of Good Things sideshows, Bowling For Soup returned to our shores to also play a selection of sideshows. Managing to pack out the Metro Theatre on a Tuesday night, the Texas band brought the best of their 30 year deep catalogue, while also throwing in a couple special treats for…

You know it’s a big deal when bassist Mark Stoermer pops up on stage. Stoermer might be The Killers’ original bassist, but a combination of tinnitus and back issues means the prodigiously talented musician rarely tours with the band. Similarly, Dave Keuning’s luscious locks are barely seen when The Killers flirt around the word. And…

There are very good reasons why the Meredith Music Festival is celebrating the 32nd edition of the event. It’s a combination of the vision of the Nolan Family, who own the farm that the event is hosted on and the support of the community who come together to make it happen. There are a few…

Few performers have redefined artistry across recording, live performance and fan service quite as profoundly as Jack White. From the eccentricities of Nashville’s brick and mortar Third Man Records, live shows with no setlist, crew members dressed in full suit and tie and publishing full gig audio and photos after the fact, White has cemented…

Melbourne kicked off Australia’s annual Good Things Festival yesterday, drawing thousands of heavy music fans for a packed day of performances. With nu-metal legends Korn and pop-punk icons Sum 41 originally headlining, the event promised to deliver an unforgettable experience. However, a significant last-minute lineup change and looming storm clouds added unexpected challenges to the…