Music

Contributor’s Poll: The AU Review’s favourite gigs of 2019

In no particular order, we asked our contributors to share their favourite gigs of 2019. Here’s what they had to say about the gigs that stood out for them in 2019: BRUCE BAKER Iggy Pop at Bluesfest (Easter Long Weekend) I’d seen him at the BDO in 2011 and was disappointed. His performance at Bluesfest…

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Live Review: Beyond The Valley Music Festival Day Two, Lardner Park, Victoria (29.12.19)

Known for its beautiful sweeping valley, green hills and exotic stage designs, Beyond The Valley’s sixth iteration started off the second day of the festival with a whimper and then a bang as the rising heat and music fused for a memorable day. The constant heat and wait for festival entry seemed to frustrate guests,…

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Re-Discovery: 40 of the best songs from the last decade you need back in your life

We’re excited to introduce a new Spotify playlist, designed to take you down memory lane, looking at a selection of songs that you might have forgotten about, or missed when they were first released. Our first Re-Discovery playlist looks at the last decade, taking you through some of the best music between 2010 and 2019….

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Track of the Day: Rick Sextant “Mingle with Kringle” (2019)

We bring your our final Track of the Day for the year.  It is only fitting that we finish with a Christmas song. Or perhaps it isn’t. Nonetheless, here goes. Enjoy the catastrophe that is Rick Sextant’s ode to the festive season, entitled “Mingle with Kringle”.     Feel free to follow Rick on twitter in case…

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Tour Diary: Stu Larsen takes us through his South American tour

It’s been a couple of days since Stu Larsen wrapped up his South American tour, including taking on a support slot with Passenger. This self-styled musical nomad never stays in one place for long, have been on the road for nearly twelve years, moving across five continents. And his talents don’t stop on the stage…

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Photo Gallery: Paul Kelly – Making Gravy – The Domain, Sydney (14.12.19)

Paul Kelly and friends enriched our lives again at the Domain in Sydney, for the latest edition of Making Gravy. It was a quality line-up, with Thelma Plum, Kate Miller-Heidke, Marlon Williams and Courtney Barnett lighting up the stage. This event is the pre-cursor to Christmas in Sydney, with Paul Kelly giving us an uplifting…

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All aboard as Paul Kelly’s Making Gravy train pulls into Sydney

It’s a pretty amazing thing to see an artist who’s been around for 35 years continually reinvent themselves while managing to engage both the newest and oldest of fans. Returning for the third year of his Making Gravy tour, Paul Kelly brought along a heap of musical friends to well and truly welcome in the…

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Track by Track: Kilns take us through their debut album You Can Bet Your House on Me

Last month Melbourne indie-rockers Kilns released their beautiful debut album “You Can Bet Your House on Me”.  It’s an album that regularly visits themes of relationships, their fragility but is also joyous. Guitars riff and vocals soar with some sweet harmonies. There is also some sweet humour in there as well. It’s hard to believe these…

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Live Review: Dead Prez are still bigger than hip hop – Metro Theatre, Sydney (11.12.19)

Sincere motivational rhymes about veganism and leading a healthy lifestyle may have been the last thing you would have expected from a dead prez concert. That is, if you thought the anthemic chant of their signature hit, “Hip Hop”, was nothing more than an infectious hook. The now veteran duo of stic.man and M1 don’t…

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Track of the Day: Fragile Animals “Waiting” (2019)

Brisbane / Sunshine Coast trio Fragile Animals have released their latest single “Waiting”, and we are pumped to have it as our track of the day. It’s a wonderful amalgam of genres. Shoegazing is front and centre, but there’s a splash of indie rock and a smidgin of 80’s Manchester. The song was written by frontwoman Victoria…

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Guest Post: Bootleg Rascal take us through their top regional venues

Sydney’s Bootleg Rascal are bringing the party to regional Australia! The Booty Camp: Summer Vacay Tour will hit metro and regional venues from January next year, featuring 17 emerging artists and their very own sideshow alley, packed with crowd participation games. “Touring in more remote areas has always been something close to our hearts,” says guitarist Jimmy Young. “We…

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Interview: Tyde Levi (AUS) on “Flying So Far”, touring with Troye Sivan and Hanukkah.

You might have come across Tyde Levi as “Troye Sivan’s younger brother” – a distinguisher synonymously attached to most of Tyde’s work. However, that tagline is quickly becoming irrelevant as he solidifies himself as his own accomplished artist, having released a handful of alt-RnB tracks with a cumulation of over 2 million streams on Spotify. His…

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Track of the Day: Maz Green “Moving Slowly” 2019

Our track of the day comes from a rising star in Melbourne singer-songwriter Maz Green. With the country literally burning around us, Maz has addressed many of the issues facing us in her sophomore single, “Moving Slowly”. Her debut single was “Somewhere Else”and was released earlier this year. Maz explains the inspiration for the song:…

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Photo Gallery: Fairgrounds Festival – Berry (06.12.19 – 07.12.19)

The 2019 Fairgrounds Festival has come and gone and it was another cracking edition. This is truly a festival for all ages, catering to a wide variety of music tastes.  Female artists were well represented at this festival. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. The Friday night started strongly, with Clews and Hatchie up on…

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Track of the Day: Klue “Coming Home” (2019)

Fresh from another life over in Europe, Klue has zipped back to Sydney for the summer and is celebrating with the celebratory “Coming Home”. The Aussie-born producer, also known as one third of True Vibenation, has caught our attention numerous times with his slinky, summery productions and penchant for pulling in inflections of jazz, tropical…

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An entire year of Scottish music and arts is coming to Australia for 2020

They might not be bringing the wild landscapes and unparalleled whiskies (although there will be some of that) with them, but the great country of Scotland will be sending some of their best musicians and creatives over to Australia for “The Year of Scotland”. Charmingly abbreviated to (#)YOSA2020, the year-long 2020 program will build a…

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Live Review: Ziggy Alberts and Kim Churchill at Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth (01.12.19)

There couldn’t have been a more fitting venue than the back lawn at the Fremantle Arts Centre for the two bare-footed boys from Byron, Ziggy Alberts and Kim Churchill. It’s a venue that Alberts had always had on his bucket list to play, and he finally did it – to a capacity crowd – on…

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NLMAs 2019: Electric Fields named Australia’s Best Live Act; female musicians win all instrumentalist trophies for the first time

Last Wednesday night, at 8 simultaneous events around Australia, the winners of the 2019 National Live Music Awards were revealed, with the awards once again highlighting the strength and diversity of the Australian Live Music Scene. Electric Fields were the big winners of the night, with three trophies, including the night’s two biggest artist awards…

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Track of the Day: Serina Pech “Isolated Strangers” (2019)

The Northern Territory is a breeding ground for insanely talented story-tellers. There’s no better example than Serina Pech, with her latest offering “Isolated Strangers” hitting the airwaves. This is the third release from Pech this year, following on from “Take A Look Around” and “Sing Your Own Song”. Serina hails from Katherine, in the NT,…

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Track of the Day: Neverkid “When It Comes” (2019)

Indie pop meets 80s vibes in “When It Comes To You“, the debut single from Brisbane’s Neverkid. Complete with a music video filmed in the garage of Neverkid’s apartment complex, we’re loving this moody, retro take on electro-pop – and we think you will too! Neverkid says: “Normally I write songs when I’m in a…

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Exclusive Video Premiere: Cedarsmoke “Pure Heroin” (2019)

Last month Brisbane 5-piece Cedarsmoke dropped their single “Pure Heroin”, which featured the story of Syd and Nancy (Syd Vicious and Nancy Spungen), a touch of Jane Austen and a heavy helping of heroin. Today we are proud to bring you the exclusive video premiere to help bring to life this romantic tragedy. It’s their…

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Deftones and Jimmy Eat World announce Download sideshows

The Download Fest lineup already has music fans across the country booking flights to Sydney and Melbourne. But there’s good news for those of us who planning on staying a little closer to home, as Deftones and Jimmy Eat World announce shows either side of the festival weekend. Alt-metallers Deftones will hit up Brisbane on…

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What it’s like seeing a concert in Colorado’s legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Honestly, is there any live music experience as prized in the U.S as seeing a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for the first time? Sure, there’s South by Southwest, Austin City Limits, Billy Bob’s, the jazz of New Orleans, and the blues of Memphis, but none quite compare to the myth and majesty of this…

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Track of the Day: Nathan Ball “Borders” (2019)

Ahead of his debut Australian headline tour this week, UK-based singer-songwriter Nathan Ball has dropped his mesmerising new single, “Borders”.  As singles go, “Borders”, is understated and subtle in style and the delivery of its message. Beautifully melancholic and ethereal, the tone is set by the guitars, but cemented through Ball’s atmospheric vocal melodies. Despite…

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There are free parties happening all over Australia tomorrow celebrating Live Music: Here’s how you can attend!

Tomorrow, in 8 cities around Australia, the National Live Music Awards are holding a series of events around the country – 6 of which are completely free and all of them are open to the public. They’ll all have live performances from nominees and special guests, and along the way more than 62 awards will…

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Track of the Day: Future Haunts “Far Away” (2019)

With a new EP due in 2020, Brisbane’s Future Haunts have released another little teaser of what’s to come! “Far Away” is the third glimpse we’ve had of the upcoming Rushmore, and we’re loving it! Vocalist and guitarist Ben Speight says: “‘Far Away’ takes a dive into themes of distance and being away from your loved ones…

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Track of the Day: Benji Lewis “New Day” (2019)

Suffering from those Monday blues? Give Benji Lewis‘ “New Day” a listen and see if you don’t feel better! Upbeat and uplifting, this lush slice of electro-pop will definitely get you through those sweaty summer days! “New Day” is the latest release from Benji’s upcoming EP, Here, Then and Now, scheduled for release in early…

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Tour Diary: Jaguar Jonze takes us on her Australian tour and Like A Version with Hermitude

Meeting the Hermitude boys for the first time, and rehearsing for Triple J’s Like A Version. “Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana for Triple J’s Like A Version done and dusted. Last-minute painting of a mural in the middle of tour is not something I want to do again haha, but glad I got it done in…

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Here are your ARIAs 2019 Winners and all the red carpet action

The best of the best in Australian music flocked to Sydney’s The Star to celebrate the industry’s greatest achievements for 2019. Sweeping the awards gala was Tones and I, who took home four of her eight nominations. An incredible feat for someone who was, under a year ago, busking on the streets and living out of her…

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