Nestled in the back room of the La Campana Restaurant in Sydney is the latest addition to the Sydney live scene: the GoodGod Small Club – combining the charm of the Spanish restaurant, with the intimate nature of a “back room” venue. It’s fantastic to see locations like this popping up around Sydney, and we…
Most people would find it surprising that the 2009 edition of Homebake was the first time I’d ever paid visit to the iconic Sydney festival. But indeed, this was the first December in which I made the journey to the Domain, to see all that was ‘hot’ in Australian music right now. And boy, are…
Powderfinger rocked the Sydney Entertainment Quarter for Take 40 LIVE over the weekend. Here are a few pics from the show! You can watch the whole thing on Channel 9 – Thursday, December 17th at 7:30pm and Channel [V] on Saturday 19th December at 5pm. And again congratulations to the winner of the VIP double…
Much like Live at the Chapel, the Max Sessions have become an event synonymous with “live music for TV” in Australia – and in this, their 40th show, and their last for 2009, they seem to have no plans to stop anytime soon. And why would they? This is the television series that launched with…
The following review is a two-in-one. In the Oxford Art Factory gallery, we had Bird Automatic closing out their month long residency with a rollicking set. Meanwhile, in the main room, The Veils and Oh Mercy were playing to a just-about-sold-out crowd, in a dual headlining show. Larry Heath attempted to review both gigs at…
When I was in Los Angeles in 2006, I passed up the opportunity to see Zero 7, accompanied by Jose Gonzalez and Sia, at the Hollywood Bowl. Oh, how I still regret this decision. But the result of this decision meant that this gig at the Enmore would be the first time I’d have the…
I arrived at the Enmore Theatre on a warm Thursday evening, greeted by an equally warm venue (air conditioning problems!), and a crowd who were enjoying Sydney’s Mental As Anything – who opened up what was essentially a triple bill, the eccentric group playing through a good selection of their hits. Come to this of…
I am not a fan of outdoor arena events. The concert itself is always something special, mind you, a notion of “epic” that you can’t quite match in any other setting – regardless of the performer. But when you combine some 35,000 people going to one event, alongside unpredictable weather (in this case, one of…
When one thinks of music they love in Sydney these days, it’s unsurprising that most say “Cloud Control!” – their warm on stage presence, combined with some of the catchiest songs since Dappled Cities were “Fly”, always make for a show that leaves audiences spellbound, hypnotised, and shaking their tail-feather. But this was a night…
Two years and one album since they last graced the Metro stage, Maxïmo Park returned to entertain Sydney audiences on Friday night. Supporting Maxïmo Park on their long awaited Quicken The Heart tour were Melbourne duo Denim Owl. Not since Fergie supported The Police have I seen a stranger support choice. One one hand, you’ve…
As I entered the Metro on a humid Friday evening, I found myself somehow pleased that this Midnight Juggernauts concert would be an over 18s affair, right back at the venue I first remember seeing the band, supporting Electric Six way back in 2005. And what a way they’ve come since then! Headlining the same…
Combine a 6pm start, with a rainy Sunday evening, and the fact that everyone who lives near the Annandale would have just been getting home from the Newtown Festival – PLUS the fact that very few people have ever heard of Mark Steiner (more would have heard of the fantastic Des Miller, however) – and…
What’s this!? Larry, reviewing a gig in Melbourne!? Well yes indeed boys and girls, I recently took a trip down south, and got to go to my first ever gig in your fine city! Although, I HAD been down to Big Day Out and V Festival this year and last year, respectively – so I…
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the entire day of the latest “pub” festival to hit the Sydney scene, and as such arrived just as 4th band for the day, Alter Ego Mania, were finishing their set. I didn’t see enough of these guys to comment on them properly, but liked what I saw…
It was only a few short weeks ago that I was first introduced to Lisa Mitchell, via the adorable video of ‘Coin Laundry’. I have to say I was quite stunned when I went on to discover she had managed a near sell-out tour of the country at the same time. Well boys and girls,…
I find this quite strange to admit, but this performance was the first time I’d ever set foot inside the UNSW Roundhouse. Just thought I’d put that out there. But it’s a venue I quite like – it’s just a bit of a pain to get to! The set up, and the premise, of the…
As the crowd slowly trickled into new “it” night, JUST? at Club 77, The Vignettes launched into their set. While I’ve reviewed this band before (see it here), tonight I felt I was given a much more accurate taste as to what they were all about. Joel, for one, felt much more relaxed to say…
Jamie T is one of those performers with whom you know you probably SHOULDN’T like – but there’s something about him that keeps drawing you back in – and his live show, the first of an impressive two sold out nights at the Metro, proved much the same. Opening for Jamie T was Ernest Ellis,…
DOUBLE TAKE – Alexandra Duguid and Gareth Page each give their takes on this highly anticipated concert. Review by Alexandra Duguid: I entered the venue to be welcomed by Mariachi El Bronx, the novelty alter-ego of the Bronx and an unusual concept executed flawlessly by the LA based-punk band, who were…well not a punk band…
When I heard that Robert Schneider was making his first ever trip down under, I found myself asking… like, Rob “The Hot Chick” Schneider? But on second glance I realised that it was, in fact, the famed lead of one of my favourite bands, Apples in Stereo! This was one rare acoustic performance I knew…
Hopetoun Hotel once again showcases some of the city’s best talent. Danimals, The Laurels and Songs are three of the hottest bands in Sydney right now, and they blew the roof off the venue, in front of an – as expected – sold out crowd. The following The Laurels have, in particular, is quite astounding…
If you know where to look on a given night, the city of Sydney offers some great “secret” shows in warehouse spaces around town, often free, and often (eventually) shut down by the cops due to noise complaints. And it’s on this Saturday evening where I found myself in a Surry Hills Warehouse, watching a…
Tonight, the Hopetoun Hotel outsourced its Headline act to Japan, and with some local support by their side, provided an evening of some interesting musical treats. I unfortunately missed opening act Virgo Rising, but I hear great things about the Sydney band, and will definitely endevour to catch them at a later date. Skullsquadron, up…
While I can’t say I’m as big a fan as some of the others in the room, Ben Folds has been at the top of my “to see” list for quite some time, and not only did he not disappoint, but provided me with one of the most memorable evenings I’ve ever had the pleasure…
SPECIAL REVIEW FEATURE(S): TWITTER FEED For Australian fans of Wolf Parade and their many side projects (Frog Eyes, Handsome Furs, Sunset Rubdown etc.), it’s been a hard run over the years, with not a single visit to our shores. Until now. Behold! The first Australian tour of Handsome Furs, Dan Boeckner’s side project with wife…
The last time I attended an iTunes LIVE gig at the Apple Store, it was last year’s now legendary performance by The Presets. Many of those who had been lucky enough to make it inside had been waiting all day. Last night’s Paul Dempsey performance, however, was far more low key – patrons able…
It’s always interesting to see how a crowd will react to a band they probably haven’t heard of, especially when that crowd is full of people in the fashion and art industries. In other words – people who don’t really consider themselves “into live music”. Last night’s launch of the new fashion-focused “Tangent Magazine” was…
The fantastic concept that is The JD Set has returned to our shores for a second round, showcasing an audience’s pick of relatively unknown bands (Brittle and Starting Sunday) alongside one of Australia’s most popular acts (Faker)… All for free! The way they ran the ticketing system was fairly simple: register for tickets online, bring…
SPECIAL REVIEW FEATURE(S): TWITTER FEED As the crowd began to filter into the Enmore, lone support act CATCALL, formerly of Kiosk, took to the stage, performing “Be My Earthquake” to open her half-hour-or-so set. Reasonably catchy, the song was enhanced by a rarely seen 3-piece backup band. While other songs were brought down by the…
While touted as the “debut [V] Live event”, today’s event was always going to be a hard reminder of the days when Channel [V] ACTUALLY brought regular live music to the streets of Sydney. Free events, usually at Fox Studios, showcased some of the world’s hottest properties (Foo Fighters, Incubus, The Dandy Warhols and Queens…
