A few weeks ago, I had the chance to review Omar Apollo’s new album God Said No, and I quickly realized the US pop artist had seriously flown under my radar. Following the album’s release, the artist has brought his brand of funk-filled dance-pop to Australia for three dates across the nation, allowing me to…
It’s been over a decade since the duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass have graced Australian shores as Tenacious D, so it was that two sold-out arena shows would grace Sydney’s ICC and put a lot of smiles on a lot of dials. Know as Crusade, the duo of Jonn Konesky and Mike Bray…
Everywhere I look, Vegas is full of Deadheads. The deathless hype that surrounds Americana icons The Grateful Dead knows no bounds. Or age. At any given moment, Las Vegas is full of just about every type of person you can think of, all of whom have descended upon this great city to let loose and…
Lady Gaga shone this week in the eighth and presumably final iteration of her Las Vegas residency Lady Gaga: Jazz and Piano. Though garnering fame as a pop artist, Lady Gaga began her career singing jazz as a teenager, it was only a matter of time for her to produce a show like this. All…
Escaping from a brisk Brisbane winter mere minutes before showtime, I found myself wedged far from the stage between the mixing desk and merch table, surrounded by a sea of eager fans filling the upper and lower decks of Brisbane’s iconic venue, The Brightside. In this little corner of Fortitude Valley, Sydneysiders Reliqa continued their…
Luke Hemmings‘ show in Melbourne on Wednesday, June 12th, marked a significant milestone in his career. This was his first solo performance in Australia, a highly anticipated event for fans of the frontman of the beloved Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer. The band’s latest album was released in 2022, while Luke’s solo journey began…
In 2004 MF DOOM released Madvillainy and MM..FOOD, often cited as the two best albums of his career, in 238 days. For the years following up until DOOM’s death in late 2020, these two albums and the entirety of his discography have garnered consistent critical acclaim, frequently appearing in year and decade-end lists. Universally accepted…
Despite it being quite a warm day, there were threatening clouds on the horizon at the start of the third day of Porto’s Primavera Sound festival. On the main Porto stage, Best Youth, Portugal’s indie pop band showed that a little rain was not going to dampen their enthusiasm. They played their infectious music and…
On the final date of her North American tour for her latest album – the brilliant Cyan Blue – Canadian R&B artist Charlotte Day Wilson sold out one of Toronto, Canada’s most popular new venues, History. “You know it’s a big night, right?”, Wilson said as she stared out into a crowd full of fans,…
I love my hometown. I know its ins and outs, the traffic to avoid, best food and drink spots and most importantly, it is comfortable, familiar and feels like home. For Middle Kids, their Enmore Theatre show was a triumphant homecoming showcasing the best from their recent album Faith Crisis Pt 1 and their ever…
The second day of Porto’s Primavera Sound Festival was marked by threatening rainclouds overhead. Despite this the rain stayed mostly away and raincoats were not really needed. But the action on stage was what people were there for. The Vodaphone stage was strangely under construction which meant that artists such as Justice did not perform….
Primavera Sound Porto celebrates ten years of music festivals with an amazing lineup. Created in Barcelona, the Porto, Portugal leg is held in the Parque da Cidade, a large park right on Porto’s shore. With four stages and numerous pop-up installations, there’s plenty to keep everyone entertained. The atmospheric pop and futuristic Portugese R&B artist,…
Something in the air? A buzz perhaps? Or maybe it was just the manic crowd gathering in Circular Quay? No, Air, performing an exclusive debut set as part of Sydney’s Vivid were gathering and providing a rush of excitement from the confines of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall. Moon Safari, their debut record, released…
Just over a year since gracing the stage at Fat Dumpling in Fortitude Valley, Sleepy Benjamin is back better than ever, preforming to a crowd doubled in size! This intimate performance created a unique and immersive experience, with the artist and audience connection at the forefront of this show. With the setlist featuring covers of…
Stopping by Toronto at the half way point of their 26 show stint across North America, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets gave everyone exactly what they needed on one of the first warm Canadian Wednesdays of the year. Originally slated to play the smaller Opera House, a last minute upgrade to the Phoenix Concert Theatre resulted in their largest…
After releasing one of, if not, the best albums of 2023, Angie McMahon returned to Sydney to play the first stop on her Making It Through national tour. Selling out the Sydney Opera House in the process, McMahon greeted the Sydney crowd as old friends by welcoming them into her world and showcasing the stories…
Embarking on the last leg of their co-headline tour down under, Everything Everything and The Vaccines brought their A-games to a near capacity crowd at Sydney’s Roundhouse. It’s not every day you get a co-headline tour. Those days are even less common when the headline bands are two of England’s tightest bands returning to the…
If I’m going to make one recommendation to you this year, let it be this: attend a Sydney Opera House show on a rainy Saturday night. If it’s with Ngaiire as the headline act, then that will make the night that much better. On the back of the release of her new live album, Live…
Niall Horan‘s inaugural Melbourne show on The Show tour at Rod Laver Arena marked a monumental milestone in his solo career journey. Having risen from his One Direction roots, Niall has solidified himself as a formidable solo artist with three studio albums to his name, amassing a dedicated and loyal fanbase. This concert, selling out…
When it came to the individual members of One Direction embarking on their inevitable solo careers, it would be a fair assumption that not many expected Niall Horan to emerge as one of the most successful. Sure, he hasn’t risen to Harry Styles’ level of manic fandom, but Horan, with his easy Irish charm, blend…
For two bands that have been active for over 30 years, it’s a surprise to discover that they have never toured together until now. The tour matches two bands – very popular with the Gen X and Millennial fans – for slightly different reasons. Incubus were born out of the burgeoning nu-metal crave of the…
Just weeks after their successful Australia and New Zealand tour, Queens of the Stone Age are currently touring Canada, playing a mix of capital and regional cities around the country with UK group The Struts. In Ontario, The End Is Nero tour is hitting four shows around the Province, with the first in Oshawa –…
This year, the South Australian leg of The Day on the Green tour was held at Peter Lehmann Winery in Tanunda in the Barossa Valley. The setting is a grassed clearing in a heavily wooded area, with good views of the stage from anywhere on the grass. Those seated close to the stage had an intimate…
It was probably unfortunate timing to start an Australian tour in Adelaide on the Gather Round weekend, as it seems everyone’s attention was on the football. However, times like this weeds out the true fans, who gathered at the Hindley Street Music Hall to hear Holy Holy play their latest album Cellophane. Gumbaynggirr rapper Tasman…
Beginning as a melodic hardcore quintet, alt-rock duo Days Like These have come leaps and bounds since their 2021 debut EP Wide Awake. After releasing their anticipated debut album ICON in 2023, they now make their own brand of dark pop songs with the occasional breakdown. The band kicked off their Suckers for Fame tour…
“I knew that band before they were famous” Does anyone have that friend who seems to say this constantly? For the people in my life, I was that friend. In my 20s, it was my life’s mission to discover every fantastic band before anyone else. I wanted to be the guy who always had an…
The market for R&B festivals in Australia is tricky, but the demand is clearly at a level that seemed unreachable a few years ago. It felt unlikely we’d ever get a modern R&B festival with a solid all-round lineup, especially since Soul Fest folded and Made in the 90s is set on that vintage niche….
In patent leather shoes and a skirt and coat like a school girl’s, Sahara Beck took to the stage and enveloped the bar in warm tones and bright anthems. She might be relatively unknown, but seeing her sing makes you feel like you’ve found a hidden gem–the guy next to me nudged me and asked,…
Melbourne/Naarm darkwave synthpop band, Dark Water, opened proceedings at the Metro Theatre in style. Their moody, atmospheric tunes certainly set the tone for an already packed-out room. Whilst it was a relatively short set they had the crowd engaged. I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in the future, for sure. By the time Ville…
We live in a world where cynicism is constantly mistaken for wisdom or rationality. No one really cares when you tell your own story, unless they can see themselves in it. The best storytellers know this, which is why they’re adept at creating art that is relentlessly human. This is what separates a truly great…
