Music

Oh, BIGSOUND. You’ve done it again. Returning to Brisbane for my second time at the conference/music festival in 2016, I approached the trip with a list of my own personal non-negotiable, must-see artists, some recommendations from friends and a steely determination to not burn out too hard on the first night. That steely determination lasted until…

For one magical week of the year, Fortitude Valley transforms to a musical haven; a subtropical playground bathed in the auditory ambrosia that is BIGSOUND. Christmas for the music industry has just passed, and what a week BIGSOUND 2016 has been. Dissection, examination and support of the Australian music community sustained the BIGSOUND conference during the…

Post-rock band Tortoise will be returning to Australia and New Zealand for a couple of dates and to share their love for music through their recent album release, The Catastrophist. First up is New Zealand, with stops in Auckland and Wellington, before they come over to Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth. It’s been seven years…

Who’s up for some metal and progressive rock? Meshuggah, one of Sweden’s pioneering metal bands, is marking their 30th anniversary with a world tour and Australia and New Zealand is on the roster! With stops in Auckland, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle, there are lots of opportunities to catch Meshuggah in action. With the release of…

With BIGSOUND serving up a live music lineup that no doubt brought solid highlights across all genres this past week, we were lucky to spend some time with some of the artists who performed some bloody amazing shows over the course of the event. Photos by Zakarij Kaczmarek. SAMPA THE GREAT An artist who came to BIGSOUND with a lot of…

Melbourne’s “high priestess of soul”, Kylie Auldist, is returning to her homeland for a tour that promises to be special. Supported by the effervescent NZ artist Aaradhna, this tour is shaping up to be a mesmerising celebration of vocal power. Kylie has been globetrotting of late as the voice of the Kungs vs Cookin’ on…

In a fortnight The Workers Club is set to be lit up by the Rolling Stone Live Lodge for another year. Today Rolling Stone have unveiled the third and final lineup of artists, and it’s big. Kasey Chambers will close out the final night of the event on Sunday October 9. AFL Grand Final Night, aka Friday October 1st, will boast a…

In this issue: A bona fide artistic legend, a skuzz pop up and comer and maybe the coolest band in the world walk into a bar… YOKO ONO Sooo… this sounds cool. Yoko Ono is rereleasing a bunch of stuff. This will come in the form of The Yoko Ono Reissue Project, comprising of 11…

Multi-instrumentalist and visual artist DRELLER has come through with a new music video for his third single release, “A Signal That Comes Back” – the sounds Tom Rawle has been experimenting with and fleshing out with this new project has seen some incredible material be unveiled so far and this tune falls perfectly into line as well. Check the…

This week in the music industry, the Australian music industry service provider UNIFIED announced the launch of a new grant targeting young people looking to make it into the behind-the-scenes of the music industry, APRA AMCOS successfully won a copyright legal battle with a Soulfest promoter, and the first lineup of guest speakers have been announced…

‘Twas the night before BIGSOUND, when all through the Valley, Not a showcase was playing, it was quiet as a mouse. Except for the pumping opening parties running at venues across the Valley, as well as a few thousand punters, delegates and musicians beginning their BIGSOUND 2016 frivolities early. Unable to wait to dig into…

Have a slice of hip hop for your Thursday morning, courtesy of Gold Coast duo Lane-Harry x Ike Campbell. New single “Keith Richards” is the latest from their forthcoming visual record YOUTH, inspired by a vivid dream Lane had where he was the Rolling Stones legend himself circa Exile on Main Street.  Produced by Campbell, the tune is…

While in Sydney recently, we caught up with Grouplove, who are in the early stages of what’s looking to be a huge run of tour dates through the States and in Europe. Beginning their Big Mess cycle in Australia, the boys of the group chat about how such initial shows have been treating them and how preparation…

Dusky, aka UK duo Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman, have linked up with Solomon Grey for the infectious tune “Long Wait” – a new cut from the house duo’s forthcoming album Outer. With Outer coming out at the end of the month, “Long Wait” is one hell of a tune to sink your teeth into in the lead up. With Grey’s intoxicating, yet…

Like an audible fist in the face, Indigenous Australian emcees Briggs and Trials, collectively A.B Original, are back to shake you awake with a powerful song and clip directed at one of Australia’s most contentious issues. With the video revealed at a recent BIGSOUND keynote, “January 26” is a bouncy, funk-inspired track that moves away…

How about some Swiss synth-pop for your Friday? Definitely get around TRUE and their latest single, “Holiday Tickets”. Rico Baumann and Antoine Katz have fused some excellently produced pop music with a dominating vocal courtesy of Daniela Sarda that just wraps you up and keeps you hooked. Taken from the band’s forthcoming album release Wrapped in Air, “Holiday Tickets” is definitely…

R&B songs about love and heartbreak are all too rare nowadays, even more infrequent when we’re talking ones that sound distinctive and sincere. The 21st century is riddled with shallow hits of sex and drugs that rely on catchy hooks or smart production to have any lasting appeal beyond a radio expiry date, so it’s…

The Ruminaters are set to hit BIGSOUND for the first time this week, with an eagerly anticipated set at The Flying Cock lined up for tomorrow night. Ahead of the show, we check in with the band to see how they’re looking forward to getting amongst it all. How are you anticipating the event, if this…

The first names for SXSW Music have been unveiled this morning, with a solid number of Australians included in this initial artist release. Along with confirmed keynote speaker Lee Daniels (Empire), some impressive speakers have been announced too, making for an eclectic and entertaining program for another year. Featured on the first artist announce today are the likes of Vera…

While in Sydney recently for their wildly popular shows at the Oxford Art Factory, Grouplove spent some time hanging out with Larry to chat about all the changes that have happened to the band since we last caught up. Of course, with the arrival of baby Willa and the impending release of their new album Big Mess, Grouplove…

The Lulu Raes are on the road this weekend with their new EP All Our Parents Are Divorced but in the meantime, clap your eyes on their new music video for “Change My Tune”! Musically, the song takes on more a garage-tinged edge compared to some of the more pop numbers The Lulu Raes have made in the past,…

Yesterday, we premiered a special music video for Bec Sandridge‘s ridiculously catchy single “You’re A Fucking Joke” – a great precursor for what are set to be some awesome live sets at BIGSOUND for the Stanwell Park local. With this year’s BIGSOUND being Sandridge’s first as a performer, she lets us in on how she’s anticipating…

Another huge tour is coming British India‘s way, with the Melbourne group set to be out on the road from October right through until December. Touring their new single, “I Thought We Knew Each Other”, British India emerge from the studio confident and raring to go. Since the release of their latest acclaimed album Nothing Touches Me,…

As we edge nearer to the release of Katy Steele‘s debut album Human, we find out some more about what the songwriter is hoping the record will showcase to fans and newcomers to her music alike. Having spent some time away from Australia in redefining her creative style away from Little Birdy, Steele returns with a collection of…

Shapeshifter invite you to take a peek into tour life with their latest music video for single, “Stars”. The New Zealanders, who are readying the release of their sixth studio album this November, have been blazing through Europe, the South Pacific region and Asia recently with sold out shows impressively being delivered upon. That journey has been…

Adelaide duo Auguste have continued to display promising potential with their new single, “Siren Sounds”. Straight up the alley of everything dreamy and atmosphere, a path illuminated by the likes of London Grammar in recent years, the song a great production by the girls who already made a significant impact with debut single “Kingdom”. The song itself…

There was so much great music released in 2015. But now, 9 months into 2016, it’s easy to forget some of what might have come before us. So, we’re looking back at what a bunch of Aussie bands rated amongst their favourite albums and songs of 2015. Did you listen to all of them? Featured…

Well, I’m just about to jump on a plane up to BIGSOUND, and many of you probably are as well. So while your editor-in-chief Sosefina delivered her comprehensive nine picks earlier in the week, today I’m going to assume you’re as time poor as I am and just cut to the chase. Here are the…

In the second instalment of our new industry profile series, we head from the west coast down south to the home of Golden Era Records. Based out of Adelaide, the hip hop label has been providing a platform for not only the Hilltop Hoods to cultivate and release music, but their friends as well. Helping to foster…

Trying to snag some of Marlon Williams’ time off road this year been a bit of a task. For the Lyttleton native with the voice that has captivated audiences around the world, his tour schedule has gone from an album tour here and there in Australia, to a full blown foray into the international scene….