Jóhann Jóhannsson wasn’t much of a talker on Monday night; maybe nobody gave him a microphone, but his music and compositions were exquisite. Performing as part of the Perth International Arts Festival, the Oscar nominated composer was accompanied on stage by the Adelaide based Zephyr Quartet, as over the course of seventy minutes he beguiled…
Ultra mellow singer-songwriter Fraser A. Gorman opened proceedings to a building Friday night crowd at The Corner Hotel in Melbourne’s Richmond. With a breezy blend of tunes, including a cover of Wilco’s “Passenger Side”, and some quirky, off-beat story telling (my favourite moment was a tale regarding the evil nature of children, just beating the…
I first met Ecca Vandal at BIGSOUND in 2014. I don’t quite remember the venue we were at, or what label/showcase night it was, but I remember having this girl introduced to me as being one to watch. “White Flag” was teetering on breaking through thanks to coverage on [V] and then once more blogs and radio…
The last thing anyone would have expected was Rob Thomas’ current Australian tour to be steeped in controversy. The man who came up in the 90’s as the voice of Tabitha’s Secret and Matchbox 20 falls into the category of inoffensive pop-rock that some may find inauthentic and fairly ordinary in the 2010’s – a…
For most people here, this isn’t the first time they’ve seen the enigma that is Sufjan Stevens; some – like myself – experienced his soul-crushing live show last year at the Sydney Opera House, others are seasoned veterans, having joined the Sufjan train many moons ago upon his release of highly acclaimed album Seven Swans. Regardless…
Melbourne turned on a perfect summer’s day as a sold out Laneway Festival crowd descended on the banks of the Maribyrnong River for what was nothing less than a spectacular day of music. With a lineup on show sporting the likes of Flume, CHVRCHES, and Purity Ring to name only a few, there was little…
Sydney may be locked out, but we continue to create some of the best music in the country, as proven by the three bands who took to the stage at the Newtown Social Club on Saturday night. The night celebrated the release of Cold Cold Heart, the debut EP from Gideon Bensen, a local artist who is best…
It is one thing to sell out your first headline gig down under and it’s another to play to a room where you have the crowd’s full, phone-free attention. Canadian duo Majical Cloudz brought their Laneway 2016 set to the intimate Newtown Social Club for what proved to be a reflection on sombre emotions dispersed…
A gloriously warm, sunny Melbourne evening saw a sold out crowd descend upon Melbourne Zoo for Birds of Tokyo‘s gig as part of the Zoo Twilights series. The Zoo Twilights run for two weeks, with all proceeds going towards fighting the extinction of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot. As the sun slowly made its way to…
In the country as a part of the touring St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Las Vegan Indie Dance Popper Shamir graced the stage of the Oxford Art Factory and rightly showed his Sydney fans a real good time. Opening up the balmy Thursday night was local artist Jess Kent. Having started the year with a debut…
Released mid last year, Vince Staples‘ double-album debut Summertime ‘06 was praised as a clever, vivid, and blunt entry into the long history of reality-rap coming out of L.A, fully delivering on the potential the 22 year old rapper had been showing across four mixtapes and one very well-received EP. That potential shifts well to…
Somehow I’ve managed to miss CHVRCHES every time they’ve come out to Australia, and as they tour with Laneway Festival, I finally found out what I’ve been missing out on. Selling out two weekday shows at The Forum in Melbourne is no mean feat, and if anyone were to deservingly do so, the Scottish trio…
Perched dangerously close to the edge of the stage, Battles‘ signature skyscraping cymbal lingered precariously over the crowd as the New York band’s fans eagerly awaited their long anticipated return to Sydney. Guitarist and bassist Dave Konopka emerged first, busy looping his effects on the ground, a guitar draped over his shoulder. There was a slow build as guitarist/keyboardist Ian Williams came on and then, finally,…
A large part of Purity Ring’s appeal has been their ability to create an atmosphere that is, on the whole, wildly different to any other pop act on the planet. In 2011, when their tracks “Ungirthed” and “Belispeak” first made the rounds on music blogs before piquing the interest of tastemaker Pitchfork, they wisely dubbed…
St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, colloquially referred to as Laneway, has taken on many forms since its inception of what it’s known as now in 2005. It only came to Brisbane in 2007, and marks only one more year short of a decade of the highly anticipated Brisbane event. This year, the big honchos were Beach…
The streets of Northbridge were packed on Saturday night with people soaking up the colour of the Perth Fringe Festival, so it was great to see a crowd still come out in force for local grunge rockers Tired Lion. Bringing out their usual bravado, it was a great night for the always excitable Jack Rabbit…
Wednesday marked a momentous occasion in folk/country history, as Gillian Welch and musical partner Dave Rawlings presented their first ever concert in Adelaide. Apparently it had been a long time coming – the duo managed to completely sell out Her Majesty’s Theatre. The crowd was large, and made up almost entirely of either people in…
In the country to tour his third studio record Vestiges and Claws, which was released a year ago this month, Sweden’s José González made his Sydney Opera House debut last night, accompanied by a four piece band. José, who is no stranger to our shores either in solo or Junip mode (the project that preceded…
There’s really only one unwritten rule for music reviewers: never gush. Well, strap yourselves in, because I’m about to break that rule and break it hard. James Bay and his band picked me up and shook me completely out of my critique’s headspace. Rather than being there for the expressed purpose of reviewing the show,…
I find Adam Lambert so incredibly sexy. I know that’s a weird way to start a review, but it’s true. So what does one do when they spend two hours at The Original High concert wanting to rip the star’s clothes off? You hold onto your ovaries and realise what an incredible singer and, surprisingly,…
“Samsung: Sound + Vision” was a debut collaborative music and visual arts project by Vice and Sydney Opera House principal partners Samsung Electronics Australia, taking over the iconic Concert Hall to showcase the marriage of music and technology, as well as the local and international artists involved. Perhaps the strongest element to this project was…
After the atrocious weather Sydney copped leading up to the weekend, it wasn’t shaping up to be the ideal time to hold an afternoon courtyard event. But come Sunday morning, the rain decided to play nice and blue skies and sunshine were welcomed, just in time for the crowds to start pouring into Sydney’s Black…
Ah, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, we meet again. In this year’s edition of the acclaimed indie music festival, organisers pulled out all stops when it came to righting the wrongs of yesteryear – and have duly redeemed themselves. In 2015, much was made about the mismanagement of crowds, the poor choice of the placement of…
There’s plenty to be said for a band who sells out Melbourne’s Corner Hotel quicksmart, and have people scrambling for tickets right up until show day. It’s no surprise, however, that Holy Holy managed to pull it off. This band has been turning heads since they dropped debut single “House Of Cards” a little over…
If the first thing you hear when you walk into a venue is Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman”, chances are you’re in for a pretty good time. That’s exactly what happened when Walk The Moon, supported by The Griswolds, hit Melbourne’s Forum Theatre for a night of dancing, bright lights, and genuinely…
On a Saturday night in Adelaide, The Gov played host to two bands who have, over the past year, formed a bromance that has taken them right throughout the United States and now, to Australia. Walk The Moon and The Griswolds have a dynamic that clicks so well together and when you see both bands…
Announcing their tour for early 2016, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy claimed “only the most dedicated [fans] will get a ticket”. After seeing their sold-out show on Thursday night, I agree with him – there was a line stretching long into the street hours before the gig started, with some people arriving at 6am to…
Returning to the gem of Melbourne music venues for a sold-out show, exclusively to their “true fans” at Festival Hall, it’s easy to see why British rockers The 1975 are welcomed back so eagerly. As I walk down Melbourne’s La Trobe Street, it’s not hard to tell who will be joining me at the concert…
Hitting Melbourne’s Palais Theatre for her first Australian headline show, Halsey, with LA singer/songwriter BØRNS in tow, put on a show of great control, yet brimming with untapped potential. However, the easily 95% female crowd didn’t seem to mind, spending the entire hour-long performance screaming and singing along to every word, a testament to the…
Delivering an electrifying and varied blend of blues, rock, soul and R&B, Gary Clark Jr. put on a brilliant show at the Sydney Opera House on Monday, 4th January. By no means holding back on the more amped up numbers due to the choice of venue, Gary Clark Jr. was well and truly in fine…
