Music

While the official music program of this year’s SXSW event is yet to kick off (it’s time is coming on Monday…), a run of unofficial label and company parties have filled up Austin’s downtown district as part of SXSW Interactive. One such party saw Grouplove return to the stage for their first live show in a…

“Don’t Look”, the new single from Brisbane-via-Cairns artist Machine Age is full of warm guitar, pulsating drum loops and electro production – an impressive release from an artist sure to have an exciting 2016. The single takes its time in burning up, with the vocalist’s entrancing vocals drawing the listener in with each prompt, ‘Don’t look back…‘….

The sun is shining in Austin, the beers are flowing and the smells of Texan BBQ are teasing us into what’s going to be a week of indulgence. Monday spells the beginning of the SXSW Music program for 2016 and we’ve done for the last few years, the AU will be bringing you some exclusive…

When David Bowie passed away recently, his final album Blackstar took on a whole extra weight and meaning for the fans who were rocked by the news of his death. It was an album project that continued to grow as well in the weeks following, with the news of a special visual accompaniment to to the album in UNBOUND:…

  2015 treated Adelaide’s Timberwolf incredibly well, with the release of his Flux EP sending him around the country and abroad performing and introducing his music to many new faces, while impressing the fan base he’d already been cultivating at home even more. With 2016 already in full swing, Timberwolf (aka Chris Panousakis) has some special live dates in…

I’m ancient enough to have been around when Madonna‘s career was in its infancy.  I can clearly recall Molly Meldrum championing her on Countdown as a huge talent, and I have vivid memories of dancing around the bedroom with my cousins to “Holiday” and “Lucky Star”.  She has featured in my musical consciousness for almost…

My favourite thing about SXSW (aside from the cheap pizza and cheaper alcohol, where you can find it) undoubtedly, is the discovery of new music. It sounds like such a generalisation and for an event the sheer size of SXSW, it can be hard to figure out how to establish an approach to the festival with a)…

This week in the music industry Australia celebrates the women who keep the wheels turning, a brand new licensing platform opens the industry for newcomers and grants for all. Music Industry Celebrates Women In Music Tuesday March 8 was International Women’s Day a time to recognize, celebrate and appreciate women the world around and the incredible…

Melbourne’s Sex on Toast have continued to build the momentum and love surrounding their tunes with the release of the film clip for newbie, “Doubt”! What’s great about the ten piece (yes, ten piece) is that even though they’re so obviously tongue in cheek, it’s never a schtick thing with the band. Their obvious talent as musicians…

In new single “Song He Never Wrote”, Fierce Mild have shown yet another facet to their musicianship and talent as writers, one we’ve been consistently impressed with over the last year especially. The guitars, the vocals, the ticking nature of the song fills their musical space so well, typifying the approach of a band who are unafraid…

The nominees for the Western Australian competition WAM Song Of The Year have been revealed, with 16 different categories covering a wide range of genres. Featuring acts like Joni In The Moon (who are in the lead with 4 nominations in total), Pat Chow, The High Learys and Riley Pearce, just to name a few,…

Natasha Khan, who more commonly goes by Bat For Lashes, has shared her new single “In God’s House”, following the release of single “I Do” which debuted only a few weeks ago. Both releases will appear of Khan’s forthcoming album The Bride which is scheduled for a July release. The Bride is said to follow…

The first night of WOMADELAIDE 2016, much like its predecessors, has exceeded expectations. Tens of thousands filled Botanic Park in Adelaide to enjoy a night of world class music. Hazmat Modine kicked things off with some very impressive instrument mastery that flowed its way through Blues, Folk, Fusion and Jazz. And as the crowd built,…

Well, we’re days away from SXSW kicking off now and we’re still finding out  more about the talent set to make their Austin debuts next week. One such artist we’re looking forward to seeing out there is Sydney’s Julia Jacklin who, off the back of her latest single “Pool Party”, has been generating a considerable amount of buzz…

In welcome news for fans of classic rock, legendary Runaways lead singer Cherie Currie recently announced a debut five-stop Australian tour in May. Having waited nearly forty years for the opportunity to see the iconic “Cherry Bomb” singer in the flesh, Australian audiences should go wild for the rocker who, as a 15 year-old in 1975,…

This Is How I Let You Down is Montreal-based alternative folk-pop band The Franklin Electric’s debut album. The band is headed up by Jon Matte on vocals, piano and trumpet, with Liam Killen on drums and vocals, Alexis Messier on guitar, and Martin Desrosby on bass. Matte is also the songwriter, plus he produced the…

Julia Jacklin is certainly becoming an artist to watch – soon to hit SXSW for some well anticipated showcases, the Sydney artist has our radars switched on with the release of her single “Pool Party”. Her vocals are endearing in that Sharon van Etten type of way, while that striking guitar and old school vibe…

Much loved Aussie band Worlds End Press  have announced their decision to call it a day after over a decade together. The band had worked together for many years, releasing an acclaimed self-titled debut LP in 2013 and the strong Tall Stories EP last year.  The band released a statement of their decision, assuring that…

Coming off of some very well received support slots earlier this year for the likes of Vince Staples and Tuka, Sydney emcee B Wise has given us a listen of some new material with single “40 Days”. Producer Nic Martin has matched B’s relaxed, melodic flow with a steady drum flow, allowing the SMAC award…

Electro-soul group, SAFIA have released their new single, ‘Make Them Wheels Roll.’ The new single comes after their hit, ‘Embracing Me’, and brings in the announcement of a few secret shows scattered around Australia in May. Dubbed ‘M.T.W.R. Tour’, this latest concept tour from SAFIA will see the outfit perform at creative, non-traditional venues. The shows are…

With Record Store Day coming up next month we should be getting some pretty great unreleased material from musicians across the globe. That drip feed has started with a chilling unreleased ballad from unstoppable UK band Foals. Titled “Rain”, the skeletal song was reportedly recorded during the What Went Down sessions, which was released last…

Brisbane’s Quintessential Doll has followed up her 2014 EP Let Not The Monsters Destroy Me with the huge new single “Beautiful Violence”. A solo project of songwriter and producer Steph Linsdell, Quintessential Doll‘s production draws comparisons to Homogenic-era Björk with its warping, intense beats juxtaposed alongside perfectly restrained and delicate melodies. The track was mixed by Haxx from…

Rainbow Chan has proven time and time again that she is a shining light of Sydney’s interesting music set and with her debut album coming out this year, there’s no doubt we’re about to see more layers from this entertaining pop artist. Her latest single “Nest” now has a music video and it’s got everything we’ve…

Melbourne’s Dear Plastic have inched another step forward in preparing for the release of their anticipated sophomore EP Heaven Machine, with the release of the music video for their single “Zero” – premiering today with the AU! For those who have been following the quintet’s antics since their debut album Thieves Are Babes dropped back in 2014, “Zero”…

This afternoon at The Basement, a jam-packed venue of artists and music industry professionals gathered to find out who would be taking away the 11th Australian Music Prize (the AMP) after a panel of judges had spent months deliberating over the hundreds of submissions to pour in. The winner, perhaps unsurprisingly for some, was Courtney Barnett,…

This Friday, the SXSW (South by Southwest) Film and Interactive conference and festival kicks off in Austin, Texas… then the Music Mayhem starts next Tuesday! We’re just days away from flying to the great city ourselves for the 7th consecutive year of coverage, so we thought we’d share with your our top nine festival tips in this…

The Courtyard Sessions at the Seymour Centre continue this Friday, with the free live music series seeing William Crighton, plus a special support set from Baghead, taking to the stage. The music is kicking off from 6:15pm on Friday, with Crighton performing two sets at 7:15pm and 8:15pm, respectively. Ahead of the show on Friday, Crighton recaps some highlights of…

When British alt-pop band The 1975 came into prominence with the release of their self-titled debut album, their name became synonymous with teenage hipsters across the globe. After two years of touring and tracking their pop rock beats across the world, the band promised a reinvention in the wake of their second album – and…

Bag Raiders have been responsible for some certified club hits to come out of Sydney over the last however many years and this new track they’ve produced is no different. Linking up with SAFIA vocalist Benjamin Joseph on “Checkmate”, Bag Raiders have leaned towards a softer, almost delicate indie-electronica direction for the tune, but it’s got all the hallmarks of…

This week, the SXSW festival kicks off in Austin, Texas – and as part of it, organisers have put together one of the most ambitious and impressive collections of music focused films ever seen at the festival. Under the “24 Beats Per Second” program, over a dozen music focused documentaries and films will be lighting…