Music

The Laneway Festival hit Sydney for the 14th time on Sunday, and it was a triumphant day. Brilliant sunshine and outstanding performances from the local and overseas acts graced Callan Park. Amongst the many highlights were Mitski, Courtney Barnett, The Smith Street Band, Parquet Courts, Camp Cope, Middle Kids and bringing home the finale for…

Whelp, this year’s Super Bowl could have definitely turned out better. The game’s finishing score unfortunately became the lowest overall points scored in Super Bowl history (13-3) since 1948’s game between The Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Cardinals (7-0), even surpassing that of Miami’s win over Washington (14-7) in 1973. At halftime, the New England Patriots were leading…

The classic “if it ain’t broke” phrase will always apply to The Prodigy and their exemplary live experience. The genre-bending rave that the UK trio have been tweaking and perfecting for decades makes for one of the most explosive, frenetic and intense live music experiences one can have. That’s always been the case. And it’s…

The minds behind cult favourite Mary’s Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham are opening a new live music venue as they take over and reimagine the former site of The Basement into Mary’s Underground. The venue, which has hosted everyone from Slum Village to Prince during its 45 year history, will very much continue as a…

In prepping their third EP, Bodies, for release later this month, Melbourne indie rockers The Avenue have lifted the lid on their new single “suburbs.cities.towns”. Given the wide acclaim for Names, their sophomore EP released last year, we’re expecting this one to really take off, thanks to it’s poppy The 1975 vibe and perfect marriage…

The line – up for So Pop read like the best of the Nineties – Lou Bega, Eiffel 65, Blue, Vengaboys, Aqua – it was the soundtrack of my High School years. Nostalgia hung heavy in the air as the first act of the night, Mr President, took to the stage. By the time B*WITCHED captivated…

The Prodigy returned to Melbourne for the first time in four years, and blew the roof off Melbourne Arena. Photo gallery by Rebecca Houlden.

The sun was shining as Laneway Festival took over the Sydney College of the Arts for another year. Arriving at 4pm in an effort to protect myself from the blistering sun, Camp Cope were playing tacks like “Lost: Season One” on the newly named Dr Martens stage, to a strong crowd; though there did feel…

Well, we’ve made it into 2019 and have put 2018 behind us, and in this new year, music is still going strong. We’ve recently been through Triple J‘s Hottest 100, where the top spot was rightfully stolen by Ocean Alley‘s song “Confidence”, beating the insanely popular “Sicko Mode” (Travis Scott, featuring Drake, Swae Lee and Big Hawk) by two…

Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion was a chorus women and men alike, diving their voices down an octave as they tried to be one with the holistic round sound of George Ezra on Thursday night. Kicking off the sold-out evening was Brisbanite Eves Karydas, who’s had an impressive 12 months of climbing up the support act ladder….

Kyoto band Zahatorte are a genre-defying trio who blend old-world European cafe sounds with the undeniably Japanese penchant for perfectionism. They’ll be coming to Australia next month for the first time, and before we show them our own country, we asked them to share with us their nine favourite secret hangouts in their hometown. So…

“Death (or S.F.?)” is the new single from Twain, and the second single from the new EP New Miami Sounds, a collection of unreleased songs from the sessions that birthed 2017 album Rare Feeling. Twain is an indie folk project led by Mat (or Mt.) Davidson, who’s also spent time playing in both The Low…

English rock band, Nothing But Thieves, are heading Down Under next month for a mini-tour after a busy 2018 of touring and festivals, even finding the time to release a new EP What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way. Ahead of their dates in Perth, Adelaide and the Central Coast, which mark…

Technically, this excellent Theophilius London collaboration with Tame Impala guru Kevin Parker (collectively, Theo Impala) has been available in the less ethical corners of the internet for a few years now. “Whiplash” has long been a treasured deep cut for fans of both the New York rapper and Fremantle rocker, and now it seems the…

With a career that already spans half a decade, the evolution of American indie duo, Girlpool, is second to none. For five years, Harmony Trividad and Cleo Tucker have composed music that captures your attention and implores you to listen by tugging at your heartstrings rather than invading your personal space and screaming in your face….

Currently touring Australia for the first time with Ziggy Alberts, UK rising star Nathan Ball has just dropped a brand new single “Call It Love”, and its one that fans of singer/songwriters like Ziggy, Passenger or Kim Churchill need to get their ears around. Hell, if you like music at all then this is probably…

After 25 five years in the music industry you are either on the way of becoming a legend – if not already one – or awkwardly trying to keep up with what popular music has become in 2019. Somehow, The Dandy Warhols manage to do both at the same time. At their turn of the…

“North” is the new single from Brisbane Indie-pop artist Tara Simmons, who sadly passed away earlier this month following a battle with cancer. We at the AU have known and been covering Tara for the better part of the last decade, and couldn’t be more devastated by her passing. Tara has left us some music to enjoy…

Maggie Rogers isn’t an artist in a hurry. She doesn’t have to be. When you’re making music as pure as what occurs on Heard It in a Past Life, you can take as long as you need; the music listening public will wait for you. In saying that, it feels like Heard It in a…

Florence + The Machine played to nearly thirty thousand people at Sydney’s The Domain this past weekend, and if you’re going to take anything away from this review let it be this: Florence Welch is so much better than all of us, in every facet possible. There’s no two ways about it. It’s as simple…

With Ocean Alley taking out the Hottest 100 over the long weekend, we’re excited to (finally) bring you the AU review’s own favourite tracks of 2018, with an eclectic mix of songs from Australia and around the world that we loved over the calendar year. 40. Tropical Fuck Storm – You Let My Tyres Down…

Client Liason provided an excellent night of dancing and entertainment at the Melbourne Zoo, supported by Kira Peru. Photos by Rebecca Houlden.

Following last week’s massive announcement of a national arena tour for the new-look Fleetwood Mac, the band have unsurprisingly began to fill in the glaring gaps in their Australian schedule by adding a few new shows. Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne now have one new show each, added in response to what has no doubt been…

James Blake has long stood as a unique and talented artist within his own niche of alternative electronic music, with a formidable knack for contemporary hip hop inspired soundscapes as well as the ability to craft twinkling ballads of melancholy. The two sides to his talent occasionally have crossed paths previously (his remix of ‘Timeless’…

Iceland’s Hjaltalín have kicked off their 2019 with a new single and music video, teasing the possibility of a new album on the horizon. Comprised of musicians from a number of different bands, Hjaltalín have been somewhat quiet on the release front, with the last album, a soundtrack, released back in 2014 and the single…

Fifty years in the music business and Phil Collins is adamant that he’s not dead yet. His current Australian tour – named after his memoir that is also marking over 20 years between drinks – may be designed for people to lower their expectations. The English multi-instrumentalist seems older than his 67 years but while…

On Saturday 8th June 2019, Iconic chanteuse Celine Dion will finally bring her run of Las Vegas residencies to a definite close, sixteen years after she first began performing at The Colosseum. The powerhouse vocalist, now almost forty years into a storied career, is currently working her way to a historical moment for Las Vegas’…

One of Sydney’s most popular block parties, the long-running Bad Friday, has announced a huge line up for their 10th anniversary event, featuring some of the country’s finest (plus one international) in what will no doubt be a highly sought boutique festival. Set to kick off the Easter long weekend, Bad Friday will make the…

Just Two People making music sounds pretty standard doesn’t it? Except that Phoebe Lou and Joey Clough are no ordinary people. With their five-piece band Snakadaktal, they gathered a loyal following in the indie pop scene until the outfit broke up in 2014. But this did not stop the childhood friends from pursuing their dream…

Springing from Adelaide, high energy four-piece Donnarumma are a total force to be reckoned with. Following the release of their latest single “Rollercoaster” in November, the band are currently in the middle of their six-date tour across the south and east coasts of the country. This week, the Grace Darling Hotel (Collingwood) hosted their Melbourne show, also welcoming…