Music

I’ve never heard a Vince Staples song I didn’t like. The tough, nihilistic tone of his own brand of no-frills hip hop is perfectly placed over just about any contemporary production with even the slightest bounce to it, frantically transforming each beat with his elastic flow and nasal cadence whether it lean towards EDM or…

With their fourth record A Fever Dream, Manchester outfit Everything Everything delivered what ended up being my favourite release of 2017. Taking what they’d done with Get To Heaven, the band refined it into a perfect body of work; an album in the classic sense of the word, a well articulated effort that embodied everything…

Run the Jewels – the acclaimed project of US rappers El-P and Killer Mike – are currently in Australia for their first tour of our country in three years, and their first since the release of their third LP Run The Jewels 3. The duo were quick to point out how much bigger the shows…

Entering the last day of Falls Festival Byron Bay, you could sense festival fatigue was starting to hit the masses en masse. The campground was quieter for longer in the morning, the toilet blocks were giving off a lovely earthy odour, and security started to be less hands on than they’d been in the previous…

Bringing the music of Marlene Dietrich, Edith Piaf, Liza Minelli and more to Adelaide for the brilliantly programmed Adelaide French Festival this month, French chanteuse Caroline Nin presents Songs and Stories of the Paris Lido. Injecting vivacious energy as well as poignant and stirring emotion into the character of Lola Lola, the Paris Lido’s enchanting lead singer, Nin…

Tash Sultana is already locking in a huge 2018 and we’re only a few days in! The songwriter has already elevated her international profile impressively through 2017 but in landing a spot on this year’s Coachella line up, the Melbourne gal is truly levelling up. The Australian contingent (as yet announced) for Coachella this year is…

Edith Piaf remains one of the world’s best known performers, bringing French music further into the contemporary music world, while Piaf herself has become a icon portrayed on film, on stage and in studio thanks to countless tributes. At the Adelaide French Festival coming up this month, Piaf’s music comes to life with Exposing Edith, the brainchild of…

Here for its 25th instalment, the Falls Festival has become a staple diet for the many punters up and down the east coast of Australia who enjoy listening to quality tunes to bring in their new year. Returning for its fifth edition at the North Byron Parklands, Falls managed to put in place what has…

With heads pounding and only the cicadas and Kookaburras making noise, the eerie silence of a camp ground at 6am on New Years Day is something to behold. Making the seemingly genius decision to get up early and have a cold shower was the kick start needed to get 2018 underway. What wasn’t envisaged was…

This week, we brought you an end of year list detailing some special Australian albums released this year, the Top 20 in fact, that have made their mark. With Gang of Youths‘ Go Farther in Lightness taking the Number One spot, and the likes of Jen Cloher, Ecca Vandal, Winston Surfshirt and more also featuring prominently, we revisited some of…

There’s no mistaking it, 2017 has been a stellar year for Australian music. We’ve seen Aussies surge forward internationally, while the term ‘household name’ has never been truer for some as this year has rolled out. As we approach the end of 2017, we’ve put together our annual End Of list, representing the 20 Best Australian…

Kim Churchill is no stranger to the Australian festival scene. Easily one of the country’s most popular and hardworking performers, Churchill found himself home from Europe and back into the swing of things earlier this month, hitting the Festival of the Sun stage in Port Macquarie. We checked in with Kim as the weekend rolled out! It’s always…

When US indie giants The National received a Grammy nomination for best packaging, it seemed fitting that the band would translate their acclaimed album art into video form. The new music video for “Sleep Well Beast”, like the album art, is a collaboration between the band, graphic designer Luke Hayman, artist Casey Reas and photographer…

The Jack Daniel’s Barrel House, as well as the White Rabbit Saloon, is coming to the Falls Festivals in Lorne and Byron Bay this year, hosting local and international artists, ensuring that the party keeps on kicking. The Barrel House offers punters intimate performances and DJ sets, while the White Rabbit Saloon is coming to…

Kicking off in Adelaide next month, the Adelaide French Festival will be celebrating some of the best music, theatre, film and more from the iconic European cultural nation. Incorporating the ever popular So Frenchy, So Chic in the Park festival on January 12th, the likes of Féfé, Juniore, General Elektriks and L.E.J. will perform at Pinky Flat representing for some of the hottest…

Just hearing YelaWolf spit a verse live is a show in itself. The Alabama emcee has an innate talent for the kind of machine-gun rap very few can do so well, making it look easy as he confidently, and clearly, spins verse after verse with head-spinning proficiency, jumping from word to word without ever losing…

Dear Seattle were quick to emerge in 2017 as one of the new bands to be keeping an eye on and as the shows continued to grow in quality and crowd attendance, these young guns really demonstrated their chops as a live act. Out at Festival of the Sun in Port Macquarie, we sat down with the…

We always have a great time with The Preatures; longtime fans of the Sydney band, we’ve loved watching their rise from local favourite to nationally beloved live band. Their latest album, Girlhood, has seen The Preatures continue to step into their own light and as a live band, their shows have been second to none. Catching up…

Festival of the Sun this year brought some stellar sets of music to Port Macquarie; for some, it proved to be the start of the final run of shows for the year and for others, it was a playground on which new material to be tested on. For one of the country’s most acclaimed hip hop…

To say Wafia has blown up in 2017 is an understatement. From a massive headline Aussie tour to playing massive European shows with BØRNS, plus the huge success of previous single “Bodies”, it’s suffice to say that Wafia is a name you should know. The ride only continues into the new year, with a North…

Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun – over a weekend packed with festivals around the country – helped kick off the Summer Festival season in style earlier this month, coinciding with the start of Summer holidays for many university students. The event, which has taken over the Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park on the beaches of…

The last time we caught up with Mark Foster of Foster the People, we were in Chicago; the band was set to play Grant Park’s Lollapalooza, a festival that had come off the back of a trip out to Australia for Splendour, as well as some sideshows to promote their then-latest album, Supermodel. Even then, it was plain…

With New Year’s just around the corner, and Australia’s sweltering summer season vastly approaching, now is the best time for you festival goers to start thinking about which gigs you want to hit, where they will be, and how you can get your hands on tickets. Check out our guide below of our top six…

As with every year, Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun provides a stage for not only some of Australia’s best known talent, but the fresh and emerging faces of our music scene, to show off their skills and continuously cut their teeth as live performers. This year, we met Mild West, who took out the triple j…

Melbournian alt-pop group City Calm Down are known for new wave jams that induce long, thoughtful stares into the distance. Their latest offering is no different, “In This Modern Land” serving up a melancholy exploration of loneliness in the internet age. Frontman Jack Bourke’s bold baritone offers striking vocals, with the slow burning track building…

When Michigan born singer songwriter BØRNS released his first album, Dopamine, it was obvious that he was one to watch. The debut was met with critical acclaim, reaching international fame with tracks “10,000 Pools” and “Electric Love”. The topic on everyone’s lips was his sweet falsetto voice, which at first listen may be mistaken for a woman….

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are known for their psychedelic riffs, crazy storytelling and churning out music quicker than seems possible. With four full length albums already under their belt in this year alone, it seems that King Gizzard is on track to release album number five this year. Without much fan fare the…

When MGMT released their hit debut Oracular Spectacular  in 2007, massive pop hits “Electric Feel” and “Kids” showed a little of the duo’s dark side, but remained largely upbeat dance tracks. As the years have worn on, the bands’ obsession with death has become obvious, with each release venturing into darker and darker territory. With new…

January means a new year, when we try to uphold resolutions and prepare for the year ahead. We’ve picked 0 unmissable gigs that will get you partying well into the new year. The xx British indie trio The xx are back in Australia in support of critically acclaimed album I See You. Here the three musicians bring…

After four very long years, Muse made an extremely welcome return to Australian shores at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday night for their first of only two shows in the country this year.  Having skipped Australia on the recent Drones World Tour, it was wonderful to get the opportunity to see them on this…