I remember being so impressed when I heard my first post rock song – “Sleep” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It changed my musical life and brought a whole new perspective on listening. Music was more than just a 3 piece band and a vocalist. This new genre was an exciting and uncharted area for…
After having taken some time away from music, Dan Sultan was back in Adelaide performing over two nights, with Oh Mercy’s Alexander Gow. Sultan’s popularity is such that Thursday night’s gig sold out and a second show was added. These shows were more of a double bill, than a traditional support and main act gig,…
I made my way into the Oxford Art Factory just in time to catch one of my favourite Australian groups, Adelaide’s Wolf & Cub. It had been a while since I’d seen the four piece, so it was a pleasure to see them back in action – 2 drums, 1 guitar and 1 bass working…
Psych, ‘gaze and more wall of noise descriptions, and no room to move as well. That’s all I thought about at this gig really. I mean I shouldn’t be surprised. This whole night screamed guitar noises from the rooftop. The Sun Blindness were the band to slide into one of those moody sets full of…
In the biggest promotional coup that Sydney has seen since Oprah came to town, last night Lady Gaga exploded onto the Sydney “Monster” Hall stage for what was no doubt the loudest, most extravagant event the venue has seen since Margaret and David argued about some films during the Sydney Film Festival. The stage design,…
As soon as I walked through the doors, Sal Kimber and her band The Rollin’ Wheel showcased slight tinges of country and folk here and there. Not quite fully being a part of that genre though, and making a statement that they were their own sound. I seem to adore more double basses when I…
I suppose with this gig reviewing kind of caper, you’ll get to see something that is slightly bizarre, out of your comfort zone, and just plain weird. I shouldn’t be so freaked out by it by now, but occasionally, something comes along that makes me wonder, “what the heck was that?”. In part this is…
The final day of Glastonbury brought with it baking hot sunshine to dry out the remainder of the mud. A stark contrast from this year’s damp start. Opening proceedings on the Other Stage was Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan. Mangan offered up a fantastic performance for a fairly modest but enthusiastic audience. It was a performance…
Saturday brought with it the prospect of better weather and another day chock full of great entertainment and fantastic music. Heading across to the Acoustic Stage for rising folk star Benjamin Francis Leftwich (pictured below) I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the day. Leftwich managed to draw a sizeable crowd given the…
Friday started off well enough, though grey clouds hung ominously above the Somerset farm. Even without the rain, navigating the festival grounds was becoming more and more of a challenge as the mud began to slowly take over the site. I started the day at the Park Stage, the furthest away of the main stages….
Day two started off ominously enough with an early morning shower, however with it soon easing off, the threat of a potential washout was averted for another day. Being only Thursday, the main stages of the festival were still not open – the festival officially runs across the weekend Friday to Sunday. But there’s more…
Having had the opportunity to catch
I’d like to preface this article with something I feel is important: I have a feeling that the following article may come across as disingenuous to some. Trying to “suck up” to the people behind the new venue. Some may suggest we were paid for the article. But neither is the case. I very much…
It’s that time of the year again! “Summer” has hit the Northern Hemisphere and the UK’s largest and most famous music festival is back for another year. Anyone expecting a repeat of last year’s scorching sunny weather,had such hopes dashed immediately on arrival; though the rain failed to dampen the spirits of the thousands of…
There was a touch of trepidation going to The Heart of St Kilda concert at The Palais. Many of the acts weren’t really musicians that I would go out of my way to see a full concert over. It was a slightly odd feeling in all honesty, in that we were supporting a good cause…
For some reason the advertised Lehmann B. Smith did not perform… or did he? From what I could gather, Kes Band played instead (although I might be totally confused here – a quick search saw that Lehmann is part of Kes Band, but I’m pretty sure a couple songs were played from the last Kes…
I was expecting a night of surprises and nuttiness with this night of some odd sounds at The Tote (well, when isn’t there nuttiness at The Tote?), and I got more of the latter than the former. However those surprises and nuttiness at the end of the night were not something to take really in…
This was the second of the Women Of Soul nights featured at The Toff, the first night last week was a stellar showcase of voices and I was hoping that we’d be stepping up the uber-fun soul and funk vibe of last week. I walked into the gig misjudging the start and missed a few…
As part of Vivid Creative Sydney and in conjunction with the third day of the Sydney Film Festival, Friday night at the MCA celebrated the relationship between film and music with the Australian premiere screening of the Pop Art film LBF (Living Between Fucks), followed by the live stylings of Kids at Risk and Fergus…
I entered the doors to the sounds of Melbourne via Munich trio Verdaine, who had deep dark tones and ploughed through their set like no-one’s business. I was standing there with drink in hand trying to think whether or not the band were giving off some sort of shoegaze vibe, but at the same time,…
As I was heading to this gig I started to think about weird existential issues about the Australian music scene: why isn’t soul and funk given the attention it well deserves? Hell, there are bands and singers who sweat and work to the bone to deliver great gigs each week in and around Australia, yet…
It’s always interesting when you get to see a performer for a second or third time. Tonight was my second chance to spend the evening in the company of Joan As Police Woman, the first having been on her last Australian tour: a gig that was standing room only at Jive, while she was touring…
With a massive day of Vivid behind me, I moved onto FBi Social at Kings Cross Hotel to close out my night, catching an acclaimed Vivid artist who I unfortunately missed earlier in the week: Manchester’s Wu Lyf. Having sat down with Ellery and Tom of the group a few days prior (you’ll be able…
With Dom finishing earlier than expected, I was able to make my next performance – Chicago’s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble at the Sydney Opera House Theatre – with plenty of time to kill. So, I grabbed a glass of wine, took my seat, and proceeded to enjoy an amazing hour and a half or so of…
I kicked off an epic day of Vivid early, catching Yo Gabba Gabba! ahead of some fascinating chats at Creative Sydney. Dubbed “Creative Futures”, today’s talks were streamed live online, so I hope you had a chance to catch it too! The segment “Building the Brand” was of particular mention, with intriguing insight into the…
“Thank you for staying with us. This is very much the weirdest gig we’ve ever played. Sorry that it wasn’t loud enough.” I almost feel like DZ Deathrays, who are quoted here as they brought their show to an end, summed up the night better than I ever could. As the night hit 1am, the…
There’s nothing quite like a Sunday night where you’re serenaded by some truly beautiful performances, in the relaxing atmosphere of a venue like The Vanguard. This particular Sunday night in question featured the talents of Georgia Fields, Brian Campeau and Tara Simmons – three wonderful performers who gave me the sort of end to a…
Katie Noonan’s voice is so powerful, yet so delicate it’s hard to think about anything else than what is happening on stage. Elixir is a trio who have been one of Katie’s many musical projects in the jazz world ever since the festival rollicking days of george. Her voice is perfect to this style of…
Things started out chilled enough. Cilla Jane and her acoustic guitar were charming, with her cutesy vocals and tunes about the important things in life, like riding your bicycle. She had the seated crowd in quiet wonder, with songs that meant so much more than that, such as “‘Til The Morning Comes”, and “One Deep…
Featuring a decidedly more ‘underground’ lineup than in 2010 or 09, the third annual Big British Sound event was downsized from the Metro to the Gaelic Theatre, and the ticket price was a ridiculously affordable $10. Throw in the fact that many guests were able to walk away with a couple of free drinks and…
