The elevator is sardine tin crammed. Excited teens are clutching photographs, t-shirts, and – in a couple of cases – a ukulele. At the 39th floor, the doors open and we spill out at the Twitter Australia HQ. It’s floor to ceiling glass on nearly all sides, the view over the CBD and the glittering…
Sydney has recently received a lot of flack for its lack of nightlife, but that is easily crushed upon a wriggle into Oxford Art Factory on a weeknight. On this particular night, the lineup featured Aussie favourites Paces and Branchez supporting all-star American DJ/producer Dillon Francis. What was once underground is now familiar, when it…
A number of bands, including Lime Cordiale, Good Boy, Deep Sea Arcade and Lily and the Bellows, took over Oxford Art Factory for Rare Finds‘ first birthday celebration! On the main stage, Lime Cordiale slayed. The band has been on a break from playing live but you wouldn’t have known it, based on their performance….
Craig Nicholls‘ reputation precedes him. As The Vines’ lead singer, he’s been through a lot over the years, but tonight, the music is the focus. We’re treated to stripped back versions of the laid back Vines’ songs, as well as a few covers (spoiler alert, there was no “Ms Jackson”), and the night was enjoyable…
Hilltop Hoods hit their hometown over the weekend to celebrate the release of their latest album, Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung—their follow-up to 2007’s The Hard Road: Restrung. Joined by Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO), Adelaide Chamber Singers and other special guests, the sold-out crowd was in for a monumental night. A.B. Original…
With an odd burst of warm weather over the weekend, Northbridge was buzzing nice and early on Saturday night with the maze of boutique bars around Jimmy’s Den thriving as we waited for doors open. After hearing an interview with the band, I was well and truly keen to see Sydney act Tigertown taking their…
As the smell of weed makes its way around the Enmore Theatre, the lights go down and Gang of Youths slowly take the stage to the Rocky theme. Young girls jump up and down in trepidation, their enthusiasm a sign of what’s to come in tonight’s show. Opening with “Restraint and Release”, the crowd sing “So…
It’s of little debate that indie-folk dreamers Daughter are one talented band. Countless times I have found myself curled up in the foetal position on my bed, their haunting melodies floating through my bedroom. Even when I’m not doing that, that’s the imagery that comes from their delicate music – the crumbling of the self. The woman…
The first weekend of April saw the inaugural Rock And Roll Writers Festival take over Brisbane music venue The Brightside for two days of discussion and debate, devoted to the strong relationship between music and literature. A coup for the Brisbane arts scene, festival organisers Leanne de Souza and Joe Woolley brought together a killer line-up of…
There’s a unique feeling of pride that hits whenever you see a band you’ve been following for some time take what’s been a constantly developing live show up to that next level. It’s like all the pieces of the puzzle you’ve been seeing come closer together over the last few years finally click and, when you stand…
Kanye West once said, “I am flawed as a human being, but my music is perfect…You could go back to Beethoven and shit, but as far as this lifetime, though, this is all you got.” While I agree with most of this statement, the truest aspect is the comparison of the self-described biggest musician on…
There’s something to be said about witnessing an artist who truly knows their way around an instrument, especially in an intimate setting such as Venue 505, which is well known for corralling the greatest and sometimes most inconspicuous local jazz talent. Paul Mason and his power trio put their names up on 505’s entry way…
Five full days of music will wear even the most vehement live music fanatic thin. Byron Bay Bluesfest is always a big ask for those who are up to the task, but the ones who stick it out for the entire Easter Weekend are rewarded with some of the best, most profoundly satisfying live music…
To say I’ve been anticipating the return of The Decemberists for some time is an understatement. Since first seeing the Portland, Oregon group in Canada almost ten years ago, I’ve jumped at every chance to see the band live. When first in Australia for Big Day Out in 2010, I was lucky enough to catch…
You know you’re getting older when the prospect of a punctual show beginning at 8:30pm sharp is actually as endearing as the artist themselves. I could be home by 11pm on a weeknight? Sign me up. Noel Gallagher returned to Adelaide last night with his band, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, for possibly the only Bluesfest…
Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys brought his California charm by way of a 38-song set list to the Sydney Opera House last night. The tour is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the legendary album “Pet Sounds”, but could it still be a success without the rest of the full band and so many…
Easter weekend in Australia means Bluesfest, and for those of us down in Melbourne it means sideshows. So many sideshows. Personally, I was most keen for Cold War Kids‘ sold out 170 Russell venture off the back of their fifth LP Hold My Home and first ever chart topping single in “First”. Quite often I’m…
If you were to judge the success of a band solely on their name, it would be safe to say a Cold War Kids gig would probably be quite a drawn out, relatively uneventful experience. Luckily you tend to judge a band on their music and live capabilities, so in this case, Cold War Kids…
After a worrying spat of cancelled festivals – Soulfest, Echo Fest and Westfest – it would have been understandable for the majority to approach the inaugural Auckland City Limits with caution. The reputation of Austin City Limits, one of the biggest and most loved music festivals in the history of music festivals, may have been…
My ideal D’Angelo concert would be about four or five hours long; he would perform every single song he has ever recorded, all full versions, he would bring out Erykah Badu for their stunning cover of “Your Precious Love”, The Roots for the OG “Break You Off”, “The ‘Notic” and “Geto Heaven” with Common on…
Maybe I’m just a real music nerd but when I walk into a room, or in this case Sydney’s Metro Theatre, and see a full brass section, I know I’m going to be frothing later on in the night. Walking into the Metro and seeing the full stage set up of St. Paul & The…
Last night marked the very final night of Art vs. Science’s album tour for Off The Edge Of The Earth and Into Forever, Forever. As expected, the three-piecey really gave it all for their closing show, filling the stage and venue with energy, sweat and brighter-than-stars pyrotechnics. With around an hour and a half set…
The physical and emotional hits kept coming for the last two days of WOMADelaide 2016. The heat would not relent, and while watching Quarter Street send the crowd into a salsa frenzy on Monday, sweat accrued in places that it is not natural for sweat to accrue. Thankfully, the crowd didn’t mind. In fact, they…
A festival like WOMADelaide is not for the faint hearted. I suppose no festival is, really. But WOMADelaide is different. Other music festivals take a lot out of you physically, I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t ready for, was the rollercoaster of feels you get moving from soulful dirges into rocking blues into…
I’m ancient enough to have been around when Madonna‘s career was in its infancy. I can clearly recall Molly Meldrum championing her on Countdown as a huge talent, and I have vivid memories of dancing around the bedroom with my cousins to “Holiday” and “Lucky Star”. She has featured in my musical consciousness for almost…
Ibeyi kicked off their Australian tour on Friday night, with a performance at Perth’s Chevron Festival Gardens as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. The twin sisters, Lisa-Kainde and Naomi Diaz, gave the crowd a crash course in the Yoruba culture, beguiling and entrancing the gathered audience with their infectious enthusiasm and their soulful…
It’s been a minute or two since Adelaide fans have had an Art vs. Science show roll through town and to be brutally honest, I was a little worried about how it would fare when I arrived at The Gov on Friday night. KLP was a few minutes off emerging for her support set and the amount of…
Seeing a band like the great Sleater-Kinney at a venue as prestigious as the Sydney Opera House is something of a strange experiment; because when the band are at their best, they’re one who make you want to jump up and down, and throw yourself all around. This is something hard to do from a more conservative,…
Sydney electronic dance pop trio Art vs. Science hit up Perth as part of their ‘Off The Edge Of The Earth…’ tour on Saturday night with KLP in tow, returning to Capitol nightclub for a party of a night. Local Catlips appeared for a brief DJ set, packing out the background sound for doors open…
QPAC Concert Hall – seemingly as tall as it is long and with 1800 seats – is a bloody big venue and needs some big noises to make it feel full. It’s clear within seconds that Sydney’s Ngaiire, supporting Sufjan Stevens on this tour, is a singer who is more than up to the task. Diminutive…
