Live Reviews

All Our exes live in Texas. Mandolin, guitar, ukulele, accordion. All girls. All singers. Traditional sort of music. Hotel yorba cover That thing you do I’m not that lonely yet Our love won’t die – beautiful! Tell me you don’t love me anymore – high energy! Powerful stuff. Ends! — The Morrisons six piece Double…

Saturday night saw Fremantle’s Mojos play host to the third and final Little Bastard show of their album launch tour through Western Australia with a large rowdy crowd braving the stormy winter weather for an evening of good times and good music. Kick-starting it all was, the brilliantly named, Aborted Tortoise. It’s pretty safe to…

For anybody who thinks that going to a Keith Urban concert is going to be littered with a country-hoedown-experience, they’re way off the mark. It’s a fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll extravaganza with some notable guest-stars hopping on stage and some fine showmanship from one of the nicest guys in the music business.

Last week, UK buzz quartet The Bohicas (their name, a surprising acronym for “Bend Over, Here It Comes Again) made their maiden voyage to Australia off the back off their debut, self-titled EP and a couple of fantastic singles that came off its back, namely “Swarm” and “XXX” – which were released as an excellent…

It’s been a few weeks since Music Matters Live came to an end in Singapore, and we wanted to take a moment out of our regularly schedule Coldplay madness to look back at the final night of festivities. The mainstage of Music Matters Live in Singapore is the “Fountain Stage”, which takes over the central…

UK superstars Coldplay have returned to Australia for the first time since 2012’s massive Mylo Xyloto stadium tour, this time for a short promotional run following the release of follow-up LP Ghost Stories (out now), the widely acclaimed record that has become known as lead singer Chris Martin’s break-up record. Indeed, it’s a deeply personal…

It’s been a long while since I’ve spent a night in The Basement, but what better way to return to the iconic Sydney venue than with two of the finest Australian musicians around. Kicking off the night was Dan Kelly, performing solo and acoustic; a perfect support for the night’s headliner, The Drones’ Gareth Liddiard….

Perth locals Runner played their second and final launch show for their debut album Cloud Kingdom in the intimate confines of the Astor Lounge on Friday night. Opening the show was the as ever ethereal Rabbit Island, performing as a duo, with Jake Webb on guitar duties alongside Amber Fresh. Whilst there were a few…

Kim Churchill’s national tour made it to Fremantle on Thursday night, with a packed out mid-week show at Mojos, the second of three shows in Western Australia. Impressively and a little surprisingly roughly 80-90% of the crowd were already milling about outside the venue before the doors had even been opened, guaranteeing a great atmosphere…

UK duo Royal Blood have something of a history in Australia. The project seemed to have been formed while lead vocalist and bass guitarist Mike Kerr was living in Brisbane, and started popping up performing with the likes of Tape/Off, DZ and many more Brisbane favourites. It wasn’t until he returned to Brighton and teamed…

It may be the unfortunate truth that when you have a history as long as Gary Numan, many older fans only want to hear the songs they know. Numan’s last visit to Adelaide saw him play his synth pop milestone album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety. While it was a fantastic show, the 2011…

There are few voices in the Australian music scene that are as ethereal, magical and awe-inspiring as that of Kate Miller-Heidke. We are all the more fortunate for her veering down the path of the alternative indie pop scene, than sticking with her classically trained operatic roots. Tonight’s performance is a fairy-tale showcase of how Heidke…

Sporting well-coordinated polo shirts and enthusiastic grins, emerging Vancouver based quartet JPNSGRLS (pronounced “Japanese Girls”) hit the stage at Crazy Elephant in Singapore last week as part of the Music Matters LIVE festival, taking over Clarke Quay. It was easy to understand why they were so excited: a great crowd had gathered, there was a…

In the first of two massive Australian showcases at Music Matters in Singapore (the other being the long running Aussie BBQ), the recent addition to Sounds Australia’s roster of events – Sound Gallery – made its Singaporean debut with four outstanding intimate performances at the Kuro Bar and Restaurant as part of Music Matters last…

Music Matters delegates moved upstairs for the final day of the Music Matters Conference in Singapore. Kicking off the day was a wrap up of one of the popular threads of conversation throughout the week: the growth potential in Asia’s developing markets, a discussion that naturally weighed heavily towards piracy issues in the region. Moderated…

Janice Koh kick started the second day of Music Matters as it moved into the Ritz Carlton ballroom, in front of a packed out room. The Nominated Member of Parliament talked about the actions the Singapore government are taking to work against piracy websites alongside the successes of Singapore bands at events internationally like Canadian…

Morcheeba are one of those bands who claimed their success in the 90’s, making a name for themselves all over Europe. Most folk would remember them from their hit single ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’ which albeit a sweet tune, does not holistically represent their fusion sound. Blending elements of trip-hop, rock and electronica amongst…

Following on from my overview of Toronto’s CMW for 2014, it’s time to get to the music. We start with one of the bigger shows of the week… New Zealand’s Broods headlining a night at the Drake Underground. Supporting Broods on the night was Tennessee singer/songwriter Meg Myers, on the road promoting her new EP…

We’ve already covered some of the smaller stages at the event, as well as our discoveries, but as for the rest, Bruce Springsteen wasn’t the only highlight among the main stages during the three days I was at the festival. Let’s kick things off with another of the five bands we recommended to catch at…

It’s evident that Michael Buble has a special place in his heart for his Australian fans, as this is where he got his first big break in 2000, just before he almost gave up on music. Thankfully he didn’t, as his popularity and success over the last 14 years has only grown, and with good…

Though our last two articles looked at some of the lesser known acts at Jazz Fest, let’s face it – it’s the headliners that get us through the door at these events. It’s their incredible and anticipated sets that we spend the day holding our breath for, while we enjoy weeks of anticipation in the…

The sun is beginning to set and the excitable predominantly young female crowd is getting antsy. Before the performance begins we get a super brief glimpse of the man of the night arriving onto our floating barge via a super cool speedboat and that sets off the crowd even more.

It’s not often that you come across an artist so unique and different that it’s almost impossible to categorise them. In this intimate setting at one of Sydney’s finest jazz clubs, we’re treated to just that from two intriguing and wonderful performers. One of whom is quite well known to Australian audiences in a different…

Yet another British singer-songwriter whose popularity seems to be growing exponentially, the sold out Enmore Theatre crowd consisted of about 90% British attendees. That would probably explain why this show was sold out, as I don’t think Jake Bugg is as well-known amongst Australian fans that would warrant such a packed room. Regardless those in the crowd…

Sunday saw the West Coast Blues and Roots Festival return to Fremantle for its 11th year. Though back to its now customary one day format and with a smaller line-up than in recent years, the festival still managed to draw a none-too-shabby 15,000 people through the gates. Blues and Roots has always been a reasonably…

Those who have read my article earlier in the week will already know that I’m a fan of the Dave Matthews Band. They’re a band I’ve grown up with in many ways, and between 2005 and 2007 I had the opportunity to catch them three times between Australia and the USA. What followed was what…

Art vs Science have come full circle, performing a sold out show at the Oxford Art Factory over the weekend, a stage they’ve graced before way back in 2008, where it all began. The electro-house trio, or maestros of dance if you will, have become a much loved staple for a lot of Aussies, which ain’t…

I like to justify my inherent pessimism with the surprisingly practical statement that when one is a pessimist, one is often pleasantly surprised by the outcomes of situations one is pessimistic about. Saturday night saw the epitome of one of those situations. After cynically thinking that the door charge would be exorbitant for a student…

I don’t know if any of you remember the events around Australia back in 2009 as part of University O Week Celebrations. It was called “The Big O Tour” and saw The Music and The Fratellis top a mighty impressive bill that toured the East Coast of Australia with five shows. You can reflect on…

I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of a show I was expecting for this night. In some aspects, I was pleasantly surprised and in others I was a little disappointed, and this was applicable for both bands. An intriguing choice of Americans and Brits sharing the stage together, one a very well-known band and the…