Music

Headlining the final night of the Falls Festival at Mt. Duneed Estate, Foals were understandably a large drawcard for many in attendance. The band’s frontman Yannis Philippakis sat down with us before they brought in the New Year to chat about the success of their latest release, What Went Down, and how they’ve been enjoying…

WILD are a three piece indie-folk group out of LA making some sweet tunes. Taken from their debut album, current single “Back To You” is a tune evoking that rousing sing along vibe groups like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Grouplove and Of Monsters and Men have made popular over the past few years….

The return of Bloc Party in 2015 saw much of the band’s fandom and indeed, the industry, draw a sharp breath. With the departure of founding members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes leaving a sizeable gap in the band’s line up, Bloc Party have continued to move forward, with the addition of Louise Bartle and…

It was a bit of a mad 2015 for Sydney’s Gang of Youths. Successful tours, acclaimed debut album, ARIA nominations and multiple AU Live Music Award nods down and these boys still had enough energy to throw down some brilliant end-of-year festival sets down the coast and in Tassie for the Falls Festival. After their…

What is probably one of the most anticipated releases of 2016 (yes, already called it), David Bowie‘s new album has just been hyped a little more with the release of a cheeky teaser reel for the single “Lazarus”. Now available to view online, the video has Bowie seemingly blinded in a hospital bed. It doesn’t…

Another US unearthing today, we take a look at the new music video from Milwaukee synth-pop purveyors, GGOOLLDD, “Dance Through the Winter”. The group recently released a brand new EP entitled For The Night and this cut is just one of the cool cuts from a release that sets the band up as an exciting…

The music video for Metz‘s track “Eraser” here and damn. Directed by Nathan Joyner, the visuals are a distorted and brilliantly dizzying accompaniment to one of our fave tunes from the indie punks last year. The song is a no holds barred riff/percussion-frantic affair and the music video follows the same tone: blurry, frenetic and…

We first came across London act Formation in 2015 when they were supporting Foals on their short European run promoting the recent release of What Went Down. Loved their vibe then and we’ve been keeping an eye on them since. Just before Christmas, Formation dropped a new music video for their tune “Love”, take from…

While at Festival of the Sun at Port Macquarie last month, the AU sat down with Brisbane band Twin Haus to chat following a stomper two set run at the event. With their recent single having been gaining some positive traction, the band has been building up to the release of their much awaited EP,…

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a reason The Falls Music & Arts Festival won our festival of the year for their 2014 event at the recent AU Awards, and it wasn’t just a one-off. With the line-up boasting a stellar and eclectic hoard of musicians and acts, expectations were high for three days of magic,…

Flume gon’ done dropped a preview of his sophomore album Skin this morning, sending fans into an understandable bit of a tizz. The EDM wunderkind of 2012 has been toiling away hard on the follow up to his impressive debut release, pulling off ambitious live shows around the world and more recently, doling out the…

Harrison Whitford, according to his Facebook, doesn’t know how to write a bio, so it’s probably a good thing he’s sticking to making some lovely tunes for us to listen to, right? The New Yorker relocated to Nashville a few years ago to pursue his career in music and as far as songwriting technique and…

Everyone, let’s take a deep breath inward… and exhale. The Coachella 2016 line up has just dropped and once again, we want to go to there. With the news that LCD Soundsystem would be reuniting for the Californian festival and also that Guns N’ Roses would also be banding together for a Coachella romp, the…

Down here for Falls Festival and Southbound Festival, renowned UK rockers Bloc Party have been taking new and old material across the country to great enthusiasm, and it seems to have had made the boys wants to extend their Australian tour, adding one final – and very intimate – show at the last minute, to…

You can’t have a conversation about hip-hop in Detroit without special mention to Slum Village; though the group’s line-up may have changed over the years, they are still an essential part of the city’s sound and play a big role in keeping the legacy of J Dilla, a former member, alive and well, in turn…

Get some promising rock and roll tunes into your Monday with Twin Ages‘ new single, “Outlaws”. Due for official release this month, the track is brash, heavy and perfect for fans who vibe Kingswood, early Kings of Leon and some dirty bluesy rock coming outta Melbourne at the moment. It’s a passionate release from the…

Scottish trio Young Fathers have been tearing up Australian stages recently with their appearances at the Falls Festival so far and man, have they been a memorable act to have caught. Raucous, relentless and ferocious, the band’s music is incredibly unapologetic and vibrant, especially the material on their latest album, White Men Are Black Men…

Sydney’s first local music festival of 2016 will be taking place this Sunday 10th January at Carriageworks. As part of Sydney Festival, the FBi SMACs will using the renowned art precinct for a massive display of local talent across various styles of music and art, bringing in the likes of Future Classic‘s Wave Racer, hip…

“We’re here to make you feel good and that’s it” – Leon Bridges, addressing the sold out Metro Theatre as part of his debut Australian tour. Leon Bridges is a consummate performer; something rather extraordinary given the Texan has only been on the scene for 2 years and one record (the brilliant Coming Home). But in…

In the coming weeks we can expect a whole heap of Australia Day (January 26th) events to be announced, but for now this is a nice way to kick start the Sydney options. Sydney Harbour’s Goat Island will be the site of a new small-scale music festival titled Goat Island Sounds, presented by NSW National…

It’s never an easy task to pick five standout acts from a stellar bill comprising of over 60 artists, especially when it includes the likes of Paul Kelly, Banoffee, The Wombats and our Live Act of the Year, Gang Of Youths. Honourable mentions to those four in particular and whilst the music is the focus,…

Mt. Duneed Estate became home to thousands of music lovers last week, with the Falls Festival organisers pulling off something akin to a miracle in relocating a whole multi-day event from Lorne over to the site of A Day on the Green. Even now, days after the dust has settled and my umpteenth shower has…

In our 100th instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Chris Athorne a.k.a Oktoba from Brighton, and chat about his latest solo musical adventure, touring America and his latest album, Smoke Signals. Musician: Oktoba. Website/Social Media: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram Genre: Folk, Pop. Members & their roles: Oktoba is the project of Brighton based singer-songwriter…

Fuzzy’s Field Day is one of Sydney’s biggest remaining festivals. Held on New Year’s Day, it’s promoted as a day to ease into the New Year with a spot of live music and sunshine. With a fairly solid line-up, made up of several Falls Festival drawcards and a variety of additional acts, Field Day 2016…

While in Australia recently, Neon Indian dropped by the AU’s offices in Sydney to have a chat with Larry about his time spent at the 2015 Meredith Music Festival and more. Having spent much of the past 12 months on the road and bringing his music to more and more people in different markets, the…

The 2015 Falls Festival had a line up that brought together some of the best music of the moment, some legendary live acts, as well as the cream of the new crop. Summer is in full swing, and Byron Bay provided the perfect setting to bring in 2016 with its perfect weather and lush forests….

Kanye West started 2015 with a new song, the melodic “Only One” with Sir Paul McCartney, and it seems like it’s kicked off a new trend for the superstar rapper-producer. To kick 2016 off for his fans, West has released “Facts”, a welcome trap infused track that wouldn’t sound out of place on Future and…

As a way of preparing the crowds for the 38 degree New Year’s Eve still to come, the Falls Festival at Mt Duneed reached scorching levels during its Wednesday programming. Acts who should’ve had larger turnouts (GCJ, Ngaiire) bore the brunt of it, with punters opting to stay at camp until sunset or aim for…

Though the full lineup announcement isn’t due until next month, two of the three headliners have been leaked in the leadup to the New Year for the iconic Coachella Music Festival in California. And as they like to do, the festival is focusing on reformations and reunions to bring in the headlines and the punters…

As the head of acclaimed American electronica band Neon Indian, Alan Palomo popped by the AU review offices earlier this month in between Australian shows. Reflecting on the year, particularly the band’s incredible Vega Intl. Night School, Palomo let us know some other musicians which have been leaving an impression on him this year. Watch…