Music

Red Bull Music Academy alumni Louis Baker is bringing his sharp, soul-penetrating voice to Australia and New Zealand for a tour starting this week, accompanied with a shiny new remix of his single “The Way” by Shapeshifter’s Devin Abrams. Unlike most of Shapeshifter’s better known material, there are no cutting edge drums or deep bass…

Tasmanian singer Asta has had a huge 2015 with copious amounts of touring and her single “Dynamite” ft Allday making it to number 66 on the Aria charts. We had a chat to her about her epic year and what lies ahead. Hey Asta! How are you? Did you survive the Sydney heatwave? Yeah I…

Ahead of tomorrow night’s AU Sessions at Hive Bar in Erskineville, the final one for this year, we catch up with Sydney musician Jordan Léser and get to know a bit more about her style. Léser let’s us in on finding her musical identity and those that have influenced her. You can catch her performing…

Accompanied by an emotional letter written by Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters have surprised their fans with the release of a brand new EP titled Saint Cecilia. Streaming on a landing page and available on iTunes, the five-song package comes after a mysterious countdown on the band’s official website hit 00:00, giving us material which has…

For the past few years Frankie’s Pizza has remained one of the most valuable players on the Sydney bar scene, presenting as much of a platform for local live music as a late-night haunt full of pizzas by the slice and one of the city’s best beer lists. For their third birthday they have called…

Earlier today, US rock group Foo Fighters released a free, out-of-the-blue EP entitled Saint Cecilia. The release is their first since their well received concept LP Sonic Highways, which co-incided with the band’s 20th anniversary and led into what became “The Broken Leg Tour”, following Dave Grohl’s infamous on-stage accident. For those who missed the memo, in…

Wow, just wow. Man, Australian music is so on point at the moment, it’s hard to think there was or ever will be a time in which Australian music wasn’t a world leader. It is ridiculously stellar at the moment. It seems with every week there’s a new artist ready to take control of the…

Deciding to exchange the rustic and countrified vibes of his sophomore folk release, for a more robust, rock sound, Tom Stephens has opted to give voice to naked city streets, blinkers and billboards. Watch the exclusive video of Stephens performing ‘What Lies in the Difference’ at the 9th AU Sessions… You can catch the 10th…

A little while ago, with the release of single “About Us” and the subsequent ODE EP, it became clear that JOY. – the project of 18 year old Brisbane native Olivia McCarthy – was an outrageous talent. Crisp, spacious production with deeply embedded pop hooks, surrounding McCarthy’s lilting vocals – toeing the line between being…

Future Classic’s soulful heavy-hitter Charles Murdoch has wrapped up his poignant three-part short film with the music video for single “Privacy” featuring Oscar Key Sung. Released last week, the film clip, which was created by German collective Jünglinge, gives closure to the emotional journey of a skinhead battling his his repressed desire for love. “Privacy”…

If Guillermo del Toro were to ever make a sequel to 2006 classic Pans Labyrinth then he should probably call David Bowie for some ideas. The legendary musician has released what is perhaps one of the creepiest music videos of all time for his single “Blackstar”, the title track from his forthcoming album, denoted with…

It would seem that the days of female singers being positions as pictures of ideal perfection within music videos to play purely into the male gaze are becoming more and more a thing of the past. We’re at the point with pop music today that seeing skin on skin, revealing costuming and extravagant weave action…

Gideon Bensen of The Preatures has surprised us all with a solo single release and two show announcements. Beginning as a polar opposite to The Preatures’ sound, Gideon’s solo work opens with electronic drums before growing into a very danceable funk inspired track. “All New Low”is taken from Gideon Bensen’s forthcoming EP out February 2016, and his pair…

It’s safe to say that Chris Panousakis has had a pretty great 2015. As Timberwolf, the young South Australian songwriter has been able to not only release his debut EP Flux to a decent round of praise and his live shows have been well-received all around the country. Just recently, Timberwolf’s efforts were recognised at…

RÜFÜS have come out of the gates swingin’ today, dropping details of their much-anticipated sophomore record, the tracklisting and a brand new single. Taken from Bloom, the trio have released a new surefire hit in “Innerbloom”. Once again conjuring up a blissful electronic atmosphere, RÜFÜS have taken all of the things fans have come to…

If you had wanted to have your pants charmed off and your heart captured by talented Swede José González all the while kicking it at the Melbourne Zoo, bad luck if you were still hoping to grab tickets. Today, González’s Melbourne Zoo Twilights show has officially sold out, the show’s ticket allocation being exhausted in…

Chris Cresswell and his Flatliners brothers are soon to be in Australia for the first time in a little while, touring with Lagwagon. It’s been a decent minute in between drinks and the enthusiasm is clear when the Ontario frontman chats with me about the upcoming run of tour dates (set to kick off next…

The 80s vibes are strong with this new track from Sarah Blasko. “I’d Be Lost” is swimming in synth pulses, moving alongside the ghostly falsetto vocals throughout the verses and convincing choruses. The video is a one-shot take of Blasko with a blurred highway background, and while it could be considered simple it’s definitely effective….

It’s hard to come up with a better way to spend a weekend than in the Whitsundays listening to an exciting and eclectic mix of bands, while also getting to sample all that the beautiful coastal town of Airlie Beach has to offer. Held from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th November, the brilliant Airlie Beach…

In our 93rd instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet Taipan Tiger Girls from Melbourne, and chat about their debut release, 1, new material and upcoming shows. Band Name: Taipan Tiger Girls Website / Social Media: Facebook Genre: Electronic Members & their roles: Ollie Olsen – synthesiser Mat Watson – drums / percussion Lisa MacKinney –…

Playing one of the venue’s last shows ever. English rock band Def Leppard hit the Qantas Credit Union Arena this Tuesday, accompanied by openers Baby Animals and Live. Aussie rock outfit Baby Animals kicked off the night, starting off with limited energy that picked up as more and more fans trickled in for their early…

Brisbane’s Love Like Hate have been further developing their current exploration of some gorgeous and dark pop balladry with “List”, part of their fascinating Unnoticed EP. Recorded with Lachlan Mitchell, the EP has seen the duo really sink their teeth into some exciting blends of post-punk licked guitars and darker pop melodies, a fusion which…

Sydney’s Gang of Youths, currently away in the US focusing on their next lot of new music, haven’t forgotten about their Australian fans – today the band has dropped a new round of national tour dates for next year! When they return home, they return home for the ARIA Awards, where they’re currently grasping a…

The Cutting Edge, the latest release in Bob Dylan’s Bootleg Series, is well named – it covers material recorded in 1965-6, when Dylan was at the forefront of rock and roll, and it also describes his songwriting at the time, which was so sharp and on point as to be cutting. The Bootleg Series was…

Awarding the most exciting new voices across music, arts, and culture, FBi’s SMAC Awards (FBi Sydney Music, Arts & Culture) have today announced nominees for 2015. 11 categories will be carefully chosen from, and we don’t doubt that the judging process will be incredibly difficult, seeing as these shortlists are full of names which have…

With Australian Music Week now underway, we decided we should get to know some of the incredible artists set to perform! So without further ado, let’s find out a little more about Lillyè, Ry, Hannah Cameron and Tenderfoot… Lillyè Who are you, what band do you play in and what do you do in that…

Melbourne’s Tough Uncle are definitely new kids on the scene, but these musos are some slick individuals you may recognise. Rising out of the ashes of Fire, Santa Rosa!, Fire!, the trio of Adelaide expats are here to give us some feel-good indie rock in debut single “Focus”. The bass lines are punchy, Dave’s lead…

As we edge into the first evening of showcases as part of Australian Music Week, we take a look at some more of the artists preparing to do their thing over the weekend. From country to some indie rock, the following artists represent a solid and diverse line up of bands and solo musicians lined…

Almost in December! Some massive tours are just around the corner, not to mention ARIA Week is waiting in lieu for another year too. But before all that, let’s take a look at some of the killer shows the AU team is looking forward to this weekend. Wave Racer – BRISBANE Wave Racer brings the…

Courtney Barnett has just taken out Australian Album of the Year at the J Awards, with the acclaimed Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit claiming yet another accolade for 2015. The album was up against releases from the likes of Tame Impala and Gang of Youths and currently has Barnett continuously…