Music

The 2018 Mullum Music Festival got off to a flier last night with the sold out Gala Opening. MC’d by the incorrigible Mandy Nolan, it included samples of many of the fine acts set to play the festival this coming weekend. Including searing performances from William Crighton, Gideon Preiss and Husky Gawenda; not to mention Lior, Hat Fitz and Cara, Wanderers,…

Musicians seem to be a pretty multi-talented bunch. Some of them find themselves in television and movies el la Cher and others find themselves walking the runway like Young Thug. What you might not expect however, is the amount of musicians who have delved into a different sort of profession. Writing children’s books! Rockstars expanding…

Melbourne duo Slum Sociable have released their new uptempo and dance ready summer single, “Afterthought”. The track, out now via Liberation Records is striking, combining a playful sound with slightly melancholic lyrics, all of which shine thanks to Miller Upchurch‘s impressive vocals. Full of drum machines and synthesisers, “Afterthought” is a summer-party-ready track that is…

Launching into its seventh year, Shaky Knees Festival is back and bigger than ever with one of the most epic line-ups we’ve seen this year. Situated in Central Park, Atlanta from the 3rd – 5th of May 2019, the festival not only boasts tonnes of high quality acts, the best bites in town and an…

An influential element to the roaring Australian music scene, acclaimed Geelong rock band Magic Dirt are to be inducted as Live Legends at the 2018 National Live Music Awards on the 6th of December. Known for their ground breaking, ARIA award nominated album Life Was Better (1994) with stand out tracks such as “Ice” and “Amoxycillin”, the…

Last month, we sat down with UK rock duo Slaves while we were backstage at the Cal Jam Festival in Los Angeles. Today, the group have been announced alongside the likes of Sum 41, Pennywise and Thy Art is Murder in the second round of announcements for Download Festival, being held in Sydney and Melbourne…

Indie rock trio Girl York have teased the release of their upcoming, sophomore EP, Dreaming in 505 with new single “Lost At Sea”, which we’re pleased to premiere today ahead of its release this Friday. With elements of gritty 90s shoegaze, this track, the last little taste before the EP’s release at the end of the month,…

Las Vegas four-piece Imagine Dragons are probably best known for their incredibly overplayed songs “Radioactive” and “Thunder”. They fuse genres from Pop, to EDM and Hip Hop on one LP, and strike up a wide angle of important topics like world peace, depression and love. A mixture that might sound intriguing, but the outcome is…

Vance Joy has been round the world over the last eight months, putting on an impressive 83 shows on the back of his most recent album, Nation Of Two. If you somehow missed this massive run of shows or are just suffering from post concert depression, he is now releasing a 16 track live record which…

Oozing in a blend of electronic, urban soul and RnB, Melbourne’s Diamond Vargas has launched onto the scene with her debut track “Don’t Tell Me”. Written about the experience of having a strong connection with someone that is so deep that it threatens to corrupt your identity, this song is a luscious and exposing introduction…

Following the announcement that Rolling Loud, the world’s largest new-wave hip hop festival, will be making its Australian debut in 2019, the one-day event has unveiled the first wave of big names that’ll be taking to the Sydney Showgrounds for the event. Set for 27th January, over the same weekend once dominated by Big Day…

50 years ago, The Beatles released what is considered by many, one of the greatest albums of all time. The double album featuring 30 tracks, although technically self-titled, quickly became known as simply, The White Album. Now, five decades later, Spotify has facilitated the release of The Beatles White Album Experience, a 107 track audio-visual playlist that has attempted…

Back in 1998 when Maxwell released Embrya, a follow-up to seminal debut Urban Hang Suite, the famously suave purveyor of sophisticated and mature R&B (casually referred to as “Grown Folk Music”) was met with piles of critical backlash. Although the album was a success, reaching platinum status and earning the Brooklyn artist a Grammy nod,…

The blues sisters from Atlanta are back with their long-awaited fourth studio album, Venom & Faith, which follows up on the critical acclaim of last year’s Peach, which was nominated for a Blues Music Award, with a collection of ten bluesy tracks. Don’t be fooled Larkin Poe is not a man, but instead two sisters, Megan and Rebecca…

YoWo Music, a Melbourne based music program for girls and gender non-conforming young people, have announced their debut album Work Like That, which is set for release on November 23rd. With guidance and mentorship from professional musicians, the nine-track album is a heartfelt exploration through music by some of Melbourne’s brightest young female and GNC…

Oh, the power of music. This is what happens when you get four songwriters in a room and see what happens. Photos from Bruce Baker from the incredible night at “In The Round at Leadbelly”, inspired by the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. The event featured Melanie Dyer, Brendan Maclean, Sarah Belkner and James Van Cooper .

While I was walking out of the 2018 Cal Jam Festival in California – the one that was curated by the Foo Fighters and saw Nirvana reform – I bumped into the Melbourne band Cosmic Kahuna, who had played the opening night of the event alongside the one and only Billy Idol. When we both…

Dionne Warwick knows the way to your heart. This glorious singer has been the voice and occasionally the muse for some of the world’s greatest songs. Whether it’s falling in and out of love, the fact is that in her concerts and albums, Dionne shows us that this emotion is all that you need. This…

Friday night gave Melbourne a taste of their own son’s music as buskers-turned-indie-folk success duo the Pierce Brothers rocked the Forum Theatre, showcasing their recently released album Atlas Shoulders. Joining the duo on tour was their backing band and opener Garrett Kato, who put in a stellar performance to kick off the duo’s home show. Opening with…

Thundamentals were here to not just bring the music over the weekend, but support it to, as the hip-hop trio hailing from the Blue Mountains – Tuka, Jeswon and Morgs – brought along Australian hip-hop legends of the future to open the celebrations of their I Love Songs album at The Forum in Melbourne. The…

Tuka, Jeswon and Morgs – aka Thundamentals – brought along Australian hip-hop legends of the future – Ziggy Ramo, Billy Davis & the Good Lords and Jesswar – to open the celebrations of their I Love Songs album tour at The Forum in Melbourne on Saturday night. Daniel Hanssen was there and brings us these photos…

Friday night gave Melbourne a taste of their own son’s music as buskers turned indie-folk success duo, The Pierce Brothers, rocked the Forum Theatre showcasing their recently released album Atlas Shoulders. Joining the duo on tour was their backing band and opener, Garrett Kato, who put in a stellar performance to kick off the duo’s…

Today we are excited to premiere the debut EP from Brisbane’s Royal and The Southern Echo, the brainchild of singer-songwriter Bryce Schneider, ahead of its official release tomorrow. Partly written whilst living in Berlin, Correspondence is Schneider’s attempt to bring some of the Queensland sunshine to Europe, and find a sense of home.  Listening to…

Milk! Records hit the Leadbelly in Sydney with 4 of their artists to showcase some old and new tunes. Evelyn Ida Morris kicked off the evening with tales of identity and beautiful arrangements. Loose Tooth followed with a high energy set, with a sound and vocals seemingly much greater than the 3-piece. Not to be outdone…

Last Friday saw Melbourne trio LÛMIS release their debut single “Drift”, and features vocals from Imogen Brough.  The Melbourne based trio initially began collaborating on music back in 2014, and are heavily influenced by 1980’s synthesisers and cinematic film scores. Those influences certainly shine through on “Drift”, with those retro synths front and centre from…

Bill Murray and Jan Vogler could be the odd couple except that that name was already taken. Okay, “odd” is probably too strong a word. An unlikely pairing seems more appropriate because Murray is a Hollywood actor, comedian and occasional bartender, and Vogler a world-renown cellist. New Worlds saw both men making their Sydney Opera…

There’s an indescribable level of anxiety that comes with being a Muse fan any time a new album is announced. It’s the heady mixture of excitement, overwhelmingly peppered with fear of the unknown. It’s been a divided fandom for as far back as I can recall, with old-school versus the progressives, and there’s no shortage…

Thursday night saw Didirri’s Measurements Tour hit Fremantle, for the first of two shows across in the West. Joining the Melbourne singer-songwriter were fellow Victorian Merpire and Brisbane’s Emerson Snowe.  Merpire, tasked with kicking off proceedings, did a good job of warming up an already substantial crowd. It was a wholly stripped back affair with…

Bootleg Rascal came out firing on Monday night at the Howler, showcasing their newest album Anònimo. Along for the ride were blossoming RnB artist Zac Slater and Alternative pop rock band, The Moving Stills. Daniel Hanssen was there and brings us these photos from the night:

Earlier today, I stood on the steps of the Sydney Opera House with one of the most iconic names in entertainment, Bill Murray, and acclaimed classical cellist Jan Vogler. The pair are performing tonight and tomorrow night with “Friends”, including cellist Mira Wang, and violinist Vanessa Perez. This marks the first time Vogler has made it to…