Music

Last weekend on the Gold Coast, Australia voted for its Eurovision 2020 Contender. In its second year running, the Gold Coast hosted Eurovision 2020: Australia Decides live on SBS. The results ended up being neck and neck between Montaigne and Casey Donovan – but in the end, no one could stop Montaigne with her song…

We are super pumped to be premiering the debut album Pink Elephant from Sydney psych-rock group WAWAWOW.  These lads clearly don’t do things by halves, with their debut album being a 13-track wonder, packed with some epic grooves, lashings of humour, deft guitars and hypnotic rhythms. Their crafty musicianship brings this album back from the…

For today’s Track of the Day, we’re showcasing the latest from Melbourne singer-songwriter Eilish Gilligan. A lush slice of dream-pop, “I Just Want To Look At You” follows on from singles including “Someone Else” and “S.M.F.Y”. Perhaps better known as the Frida frontwoman, or as a touring vocalist with Japanese Wallpaper, Gilligan branched out on…

Last month, for the first time in the almost 12 year history of the AU review, we were thrilled to offer one lucky winner a coveted Track of the Day spot on the AU review. And today we’re excited to announce that the winner of that competition is Georgie Fahey, a 16 year old artist…

The weather was warm and overcast in Adelaide which made for perfect conditions at Laneway Festival.   This year there were four stages playing a good variety of genres. There were so many highlights, from Hatchie, Kučka, and local favourites, Stabbitha and the Knifey Wifeys early in the day. Hockey Dad and DMA’s rocked, Ruel was…

Emerging Melbourne alternative-pop artist Max Lawrence has been gigging around town for a few years now and it was his performance at the 2019 Gaytimes Festival which led to a collaboration with Evan J Lawson and the Forest Collective orchestra for the Midsumma Festival. Forest Collective is a not for profit arts organisation focusing on…

Late last month saw Sydney pysch pop six-piece Misty Lane release their new single, “Charmer”. Their first release of the year, it follows the news they’ll be supporting Japanese psychedelic masters Kikagaku Moyo in Sydney next month.  “Charmer” is only the band’s second release since they dropped their debut record in late 2017. It sits…

In the hectic nature of big city life, everyone can appreciate the importance of making the most of our precious weekends. Friday evening allowed the delightful Bobby Alu to set the tone for a lucky few in Melbourne; busy brains were wound down after a long working week, forming positive mindsets to enter the weekend…

It was a warm and overcast day on Friday in Adelaide, which made for perfect conditions for Laneway Festival. Since humble beginnings in the laneways of the Adelaide University grounds, Laneway Festival has grown in harmony with the improvements around Hart’s Mill on the Port River. This year there were four stages playing a good…

London based, Sydney raised singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ed Wells has long been a friend of the AU, and today Ed is releasing his debut EP, Home, produced by Luke Gerber. Musically, the EP is a vibrant mix of modern soul and R&B, a collection of songs of which Ed has reflected on different aspects of modern life….

Fresh from an impressive summer of festivals and gigs, Canberra’s up-and-coming grunge rockers Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers return with their new single, “Desk Chair”.  Formed at a Year 10 sleepover after watching School of Rock, the Canberra four piece are only nineteen and fresh from high school. But, thanks to their gritty and…

So, who’s coming to the UK with us in August? Boomtown, an annual multi-day music festival held at the Matterley Estate in Hampshire has got us feeling all kinds of envy (and hope – we want to go to there) with their 2020 line-up, which was just announced and has subsequently been plastered all over…

In what is surely one of the biggest rock tours Australians will see in 2020, a triple-headliner bill of Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer is set for shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane through November. Appropriately dubbed “The Hella Mega Tour”, Live Nation and Triple M will take all three iconic bands…

There are music festivals (think Laneway). There are conferences with a showcase festival that runs alongside it (think BIGSOUND). And then there are events that are in a class of their own. There’s SXSW in Austin, Texas – an event that is at such a large magnitude, there’s no way to describe it but to…

8pm on a Tuesday night and 170 Russell St was completely sold out. There were no gaps leading up to the stage – no room to move, barely any to breathe. It’s never comfortable to feel like a human sardine, but Mahalia made it well worth it. A self-proclaimed “sexy R&B princess” hailing from Leicester,…

Late last month saw Launceston visual artist, songwriter and musician PARKER release her stunning new single, “Become The Fool”. A striking Bauhaus-inspired clip, which was created in Unity, the iconic game building engine, accompanies the single. Check it out below! Stunning visuals aside, “Become The Fool” is a beautiful song in its own right. The…

Whenever a Dave Matthews Band tour is announced in Australia – which has only been four times now in the band’s illustrious 29 year career – it’s often met with moments of confusion. A “Wait… Who?” response is vocalised, especially when the tour coincides with a headline spot on a festival like Bluesfest (which they’ll…

The home-grown wonder that is Tora are no longer Australia’s best kept secret. Following the success of their first album Take A Rest in 2017, songs including “Another Case” and “Too Little” caught international attention and saw them head overseas to perform. Now preparing to re-pack their bags for another tour of Europe in the…

Our track of the day is “Love Will Come Back” and comes from Scottish band Victoria’s Flight. It’s a song with great hooks,  punchy guitars with sweet vocals and harmonies. It has a lovely upbeat feel to it, with a recurring triumphant refrain of “Love Will Come Back”. It is just the song to help…

The line-up for Boardmasters 2020 has dropped and it is huge! Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, the Cornish-based festival has dropped a hundred plus strong line-up. Skepta, Kings Of Leon, and The 1975 are amongst the headliners of the three day festival. Joining them will be a handful of some of Australia’s finest too. Indie surf rockers Caravãna Sun will take…

Northern Beaches multi-instrumentalist Charlie Gradon has dropped “Grieving”, his new single, and the first taste of his forthcoming sophomore EP, Blurry Ones. Created in his bedroom studio, the nostalgic track documents the bleak moments of a pretty bleak week.  With a near death experience, an album lost, and a band broken up, it was far…

Sydney’s St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival had surprises in store even before the day had begun. With The 1975 being a late cancellation to the previous night’s festival in Brisbane, Sydneysiders were stricken with worry that their the headliner wouldn’t be fit to perform. But as the city got festival-ready in the morning, the UK act…

The 15th edition of the Laneway Festival hit Sydney on Sunday, 2nd February 2020. This year it was in a new location, back into the center of Sydney in The Domain. Weather-wise, it was a day of two halves. The first half was hot and steamy, then the heavens opened up. Much needed rain was…

We’re thrilled to announce that our first party in New York since the final CMJ in 2015 will be taking place on Friday the 13th of March at Lola (169 Avenue A), as part of the 2nd annual festival The New Colossus. The showcase event and conference is a well curated mix of the hottest…

Stupid Baby is a quartet from the Central Coast, and they’ve just released their debut single, “Feline”. They’ve also released a fun manic video to accompany it. The band is made up of life-long friends Liz Drummond (Little May), Jake Dobson (Desert Moons), Eli Milojkovic (Sea Legs) and Will Glencross. They might have just released their…

Last September saw American psych synth rockers Moon Duo release Stars Are The Light. For their seventh album, the duo moved into new territory, drawing influence from the world of disco. This week the band bring the record down to Australia. Kicking off on February 9th in Hobart the tour will take in the East…

A number of big hitting artists decamped on Adelaide at the weekend for Fire Aid. Taking place on University of Adelaide’s campus, the fundraising event was headlined by Pond. Also on the bill were Bad//Dreems, Tim Rogers, West Thebarton and more. Photographer John Goodridge was there to capture all the action.

Abi Tucker had her album launch “Who Do You Really Know” at Foundry 616 on Thursday night. You might know her better as an actor in some iconic Australian dramas, namely “The Secret Life of Us“, “Heartbreak High” and “McLeod’s Daughters“. If you’ve got young children, you might have encountered her on Play School where she…

Over the last few weeks, The New Colossus Festival in New York has announced a slew of new names set to play its showcase festival, hailing from all over the world. Some names, like A Place to Bury Strangers you’ll likely be familiar with, while others – hailing all the way from Brooklyn to Hamburg,…

Although she may have cut her planned quad-run at the Sydney Opera House in half, citing health issues, Houston artist Solange was very much in fine-form as she danced across the Concert Hall last night. The first of two shows (the final one being tonight), Solange and her impeccable band managed to perfectly capture the…