The best shows are when they are intimate like this, and we can do whatever the fuck we want”, shouted ATL hip hop veteran Ludacris as he headlined the frenzied first night of the Vevo House at SXSW. For the next three nights, Vevo will be posted up at 508 Bar & Pelons Tex Mex…
Hip hop artist Sampa the Great has won the Australian Music Prize for 2018 for her debut album Birds and the BEE9, making her the thirteenth annual winner of this prize. The Zambian-born Sydney based rapper has beaten out 8 other competitors to take home the prize, securing a place among some of Australia’s best talent as…
And SXSW is off once again! The annual Austin, Texas festival kicked off its Interactive and Film streams tonight with a series of film screenings and special events all over the city. The New York Times Magazine took over Irene’s with one of the night’s biggest parties, steadily building up anticipation as a lively queue…
There are very few names in music that define the very concept of collaboration more than The Legendary Roots Crew (AKA The Roots), so when you’re an enormous brand celebrating “music, friendship, and collaboration” at SXSW you’d be remiss not to call upon the iconic band to lead the party. That’s what Bud Light are…
Playing shows six years after breaking up and seven years after releasing an album can be a dangerous move. It can easily be written off as a quick cash grab especially when coming back to play songs almost purely off their biggest records. When you throw a band like Thursday in there in it could…
Tash Sultana has been here, there, everywhere over the last year in particular and going by this news, the Melbourne muso isn’t slowing down. Sultana can now add Bluesfest headliner to her belt, today being added to the festival’s Main Stage to close it on Thursday, March 29th. She joins a special line up of…
International Women’s Day saw the Aussie music industry turn out and support the badass ladies currently on their grind. In Melbourne, the One of One International Women’s Day Breakfast saw the debut of a brand new initiative helmed by Bakehouse Studios and Bad Apples. The newly established award has been crafted with the aim of…
Byron Bay’s resident metal legends Parkway Drive recently released the visuals for their latest single “Wishing Wells” and as you’d expect, the final result is frenzied and goes from 0-100 quite quickly. Just like the song itself, the music video itself simmers in darkness initially, before erupting in intensity. It shies away from the usual out…
Once again, Rachael Ray will be hosting her annual Feedback party at SXSW, set to take over Stubb’s BBQ on Saturday 17th March from 10am to 4pm. It’s going to be a packed, incredibly diverse line up of big acts throughout the day, including hip hop veterans Salt-n-Pepa, masterful party starter Girl Talk, and the…
Vibrant and almost confronting with its colour scheme, the music video for “Free My Mind” from Melbourne’s Neon Queen is as luscious as the song itself. Putting their city on show, the R&B soaked groover of a song takes the viewer to Melbourne and puts the spotlight on an enviable city skyline, inner haunts that look like…
With a new album set to be released next month, a new single out and two CMC nominations, The Wolfe Brothers have much to smile about. The new single “Ain’t Seen It Yet”, from their upcoming fourth album Country Heart, is a celebration of home and displays a more mature sound for the band. Catching up…
Returning for its 17th time at SXSW, the famous Fader Fort will once again be bringing the ruckus to the enormous festival with hot-ticket hip hop and R&B acts mixed up with a little variety. Running from March 14th to March 16th, the Fort will change spots and move on over to 1501 East 7th…
Adelaide trio DONNARUMMA have really made an impact since they first emerged onto the scene last year. Packing their new music with a tonne of heartfelt melody as well as a refined handle on songwriting that has proved this band is in it for the long haul, DONNARUMMA have come through strong with this, their new…
Catching up with Vacations‘ own Campbell Burns recently ahead of the band’s upcoming debut at SXSW, it’s evident that the magnitude of this festival has not escaped the Newcastle indie group. Already gearing up to kick through 2018 with brand new music and a smashing live show to match, it seems that the America should be the perfect…
With the release of his catchy third single “Ain’t Coming Home”, off his upcoming new album The Good Life, Casey Barnes’s star continues to rise. Nominated for a prestigious Golden Guitar Award earlier this year, I spoke to the Tasmanian-born now Gold Coast-based country music artist about his latest release ahead of his performance at…
Vevo returns to SXSW for another year with another bolstered line up of artists set to hit the stage for their 2018 showcase series. Headlining the events running from March 10th – 14th is rapper (and SXSW 2018 speaker) Common, bringing some heavy hip hop cred to the Vevo table. A slew of artists who are either set…
Fancy yourself a massive Silverchair fan or perhaps you’re a bass player/enthusiast looking to get your hands on some new kit? Reverb’s got just the news for you today. Silverchair’s Chris Joannou and the music gear website have teamed up in launching The Official Chris Joannou of Silverchair Reverb Shop – an online store where the bass player will…
Stereophonics fans in Australia had much to get excited about over the weekend, with the Welsh rockers announcing their return Down Under this April. Being the first time Stereophonics have toured Australia since 2013, there’s a lot to catch up on. The time spent away has seen the group release two albums during this period –…
The beautiful, shoe gaze sounds and oft angelic voice of Totally Mild opened proceedings on Friday night at Sydney’s Factory Theatre after Lonelyspeck. They were there in support of Perfume Genius, who was making his first visit to our shores since the release of his critically acclaimed album No Shape. The timing felt quite appropriate,…
Opening our week of new sounds is the latest from Sydney’s Tesse, in “Keep It Simple”. A bright follow up from their debut – “I’ll Tell You in the Morning” – the latest from singer songwriter Tom Stephens is an instant earworm. Keeping the vibe laid back, the quality of Stephens’ writing and arrangement shines on this…
Melbourne songwriter Benji Lewis is soon to take his first steps on the SXSW stage next week, bringing his lush sounds through to Austin, Texas and some undoubtedly eager ears. As part of our pre-event series, we find out some more about this emerging talent, and get to know Benji’s anticipation surrounding SXSW. What are your expectations the…
As we continue to count down to this year’s Blenheim Music and Camping Festival, we’re thinking about what it’s going to be like to spend the Easter long weekend out in the Clare Valley – one of South Australia’s glorious territories. It’s more than just wine country, it’s one of the most gorgeous areas of SA;…
How often do you jump onto Spotify looking for something to listen to and find yourself staring at the screen, unable to make a decision? Like scrolling endlessly through Netflix for something to watch, music streaming platforms are so content rich that users may find themselves paralysed by indecision. They know what they like the…
It’s a big day for Adelaide songwriter Ollie English. Set to support Robbie Williams in his hometown this evening after taking out a coveted spot for South Australian artists at the annual Clipsal 500 – via the ‘Bands on Track’ competition – today, English also unveils his newest piece of music, “How Many Times”. English’s voice growls…
This week’s Fresh Friday Five brings you folk meets grunge from Kill the Darling, genre bending ballads from Heart and Feather, dream pop from Brisbane’s Holiday Party, girl power from Central Coast’s Pussy in the Dark and post punk energy from London’s Meggie Brown. Kill the Darling (Melbourne) Blending 70s folk and 90s grunge is…
British songwriter Jade Bird has recently wrapped up a successful Australian promo trip, her status as one of the must-watch artists of 2018 filtering out to this area of the globe. While in Sydney, Bird stopped by our office to introduce us further to her mesmerising sounds. Performing “Lottery” – her new single – on our…
As always, team Sounds Australia are bringing some serious A-game to SXSW this year, announcing the debut of the Australia House for 2018. Presented by G’Day USA, the site on Rainey Street (aka Lucille) will be the hub for all things Aussie at SXSW this year, moving from the traditional E 5th district out to the…
Next Friday, the SXSW (South by Southwest) Film and Interactive conference and festival kicks off in Austin, Texas… then the Music Mayhem starts the following Tuesday! We’re just days away from flying to the great city ourselves for our 9th consecutive year of coverage, so we thought we’d share with your our top nine festival tips in…
Sydney’s Letters to Lions kick off some brand new tour dates this weekend, bringing their new single “Skeletons” to venues down the east coast; a fine return from the group who spent much of 2017 ensuring their live presence was felt by industry and new fans welcomed to the fold alike. The single itself sees Letters…
In sophomore EP release Rebel Mindtricks, Sydney’s proclaimed ‘Discopunk Rainbowrock’ purveyours Borneo released some of their finest and most cleverly arranged tunes yet. Remaining witty and ever tongue in cheek, the band stayed true its genre-bending roots, bringing together funk, disco, punk and pop influences in creating the five tracks the EP so proudly boasts. Ahead of…