In This Issue: Plenty of debuts up this month to check out from some southern styled sounds to flat out post punk and even some ol’ Jeff Buckley released from the archives, check it out! The Cat Empire It had been rumoured for a few months, but The Cat Empire finally released their new album…
While Mike Baird’s highly contentious lockout laws controversy continues, Reclaim the Streets, a global protest movement, have come on board to organse a 10,000-deep rally this Saturday 19th March with mobile sound systems and a very diverse line up of live music planned to soundtrack a protest outside of The Star in Pyrmont. Reclaim the…
On the announcement of her addition to the Coachella 2016 lineup, Australian artist Sia seemed to confirm her return to the touring scene, some four years after calling it quits on her live shows – which would go onto create her much talked about “blonde bob” alter ego for 2014’s acclaimed 1000 Forms of Fear,…
There’s no denying the fact that Sarah Blasko can sing. It’s not like we needed any proof. But under extremely challenging conditions on Sunday at WOMADelaide, she proved it anyway. Keyboards were melting, sweat was pouring and still Sarah delivered a vocally dominant performance that put the crowd in a trance. Earlier in the day…
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better (or hotter), WOMADeladie 2016 served up a mind-bending day 4 lineup on Monday. At 2pm, with sun blazing and people sweating from places that can’t be mentioned in this publication, Quarter Street took to Stage 2 to Latinise proceedings. Heat, humidity and more salsa dancing than…
A band that needs no introduction, Radiohead, will be performing their first shows since 2012 at various festivals around the world, something we already knew. Now, it seems like the iconic band will be heading out on a full world tour with a string of headline shows in the leadup to their mysterious next album….
In The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat, Urthboy has released what may be his most personal (and successful) album yet. The record has been reaping in the praise and his recent preview gigs in Sydney and Melbourne went down incredibly well – perhaps expected from the hip-hop stalwart who has remained a strong part of…
South Australian music industry group Musitec have announced an exclusive partnership with the globe’s most prestigious music college out in the US in a push to foster opportunities for SA uni students. Linking up with the Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship (BerkleeICE), Musitec will be developing a program allowing SA students to develop, explore and…
A festival like WOMADelaide is not for the faint hearted. I suppose no festival is, really. But WOMADelaide is different. Other music festivals take a lot out of you physically, I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t ready for, was the rollercoaster of feels you get moving from soulful dirges into rocking blues into…
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…
