Music

JUNO winning Canadians, A Tribe Called Red, are heading to Australia for their debut shows next month! Set to hit up venues along the east cost this November, the producer/DJ collective are bringing a full swag of throbbing hip-hop, electro and reggae-infused beats. The unique atmosphere and musical environment A Tribe Called Red constructs is injected with…

Missy Higgins has been spending 2015 adjusting to life as a parent, having given birth to son Samuel back in January, following a successful national Australian tour in late 2014. During her time off the road though, she says she’s been writing new music while being Mum and it’s material she’s looking forward to sharing…

The FBi SMAC Awards have long celebrated the Sydney music and arts scene – the cultivation and nurturing of a thriving artistic hub that constantly sees some brilliant emerging and established individuals bringing some awesome ideas to fruition. For seven years now, the Awards have acknowledged these accomplishments and the 2016 event stands to be…

In This Issue: We have you covered on blues to pop this week with a bunch of acoustic and synthed up records up for release. Check it out from home grown goddess Sarah Blasko to a member of Grinspoon dabbling in children books. Sarah Blasko Eternal Return is the new album from singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko,…

The program for the 2015 Face the Music industry conference has been announced. With fifty various music talks, meetings, workshops, parties and performances under the Arts Centre spire and surrounding arts precinct, the conference is designed for musicians, creative business people and music fans alike. Opening Face the Music 2015 will be Mardi Caught (Warner…

Oh, Frank. Frank, Frank, Frank. After the antics of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes‘ video for “Juggernaut”, we find our hero in a whole new heap of visceral hijinx, this time in the clip for “Trouble”. Directed by Niall Coffey, Carter is hunted and then tortured in this clip – it’s dark (obviously), harrowing and, if you’re a…

“This is probably the most nervous we’ve been performing,” Julia Stone half stammers as she and her brother Angus stare out onto a soccer stadium’s pitch that is consistently being filled with eager music fans during their support set. The Sydney siblings are of course, opening for Fleetwood Mac tonight and the gravity of the situation is not…

And the Lord said ‘let there be more sick Halcyon Drive tunes’, and there were, and all was well. “Reset” is the latest from the Melbourne duo and it’s nothing short of a cracker. Elements of indie, rock, and electronica are all on display in this three and a half minute offering that definitely deserves…

Transvaal Diamond Syndicate (TDS) have dropped an EP you definitely need in your life. The Shadow is a 6 track blues / roots album that is channeling some 70’s Deep Purple vibes. If you haven’t heard TDS before you are going to get a pleasant surprise with a release full of riffs that are going to…

Hailing from Sydney, the dynamic duo behind Oxford & Co., Samuel Stephenson and Cameron Potts, took to the Big Apple to play the CMJ Music Marathon. Check out their tour diary for behind-the-scenes action! The gentleman’s guide to New York with Oxford & Co. Day 1. Navigation Make time to see the sights. Acclimate. Navigate. A gentleman is…

Adelaide duo Nakatomi have been making a bit of a splash recently, popping up at various venues around Adelaide with their synth drenched electro goodness and even more recently, with the release of their brand new music video for “The Knife”. Ahead of their upcoming local gig at Rocket Bar and some sweet east coast…

American rock band, Sleater-Kinney, have announced three extra shows in addition to their Golden Plains and Melbourne shows. The band are confirmed to appear at The Triffid in Brisbane and the Sydney Opera House, with their full No Cities To Love tour in March 2016. Sleater-Kinney have become known for their no-frills, hard hitting rock…

Melbourne’s own Northeast Party House are currently on their first global tour, bringing along with them their unique brand of “guitar soaked dance tunes”. Touring inevitably means plenty of downtime between cities. To bring us closer to life on the road, the band have supplied us with their must-have songs on their road trip playlist. Drake –…

Easily one of the breakout names in US rap this year, Vince Staples will be visiting Australia for the first time next year for the Laneway Festival and like those who have come before him (Raury, Earl Sweatshirt, Vic Mensa…), he’s set to make quite the impact. Staples has been around since 2011 but he began…

Things have been going well for Brisbane outfit Kingfisha of late. From the release of their first single in two years, “Water Running”, to being announced on the 2 biggest music conferences in the country (BIGSOUND & AWME) and a booking agency deal with 123 Agency freshly inked, Kingfisha are facing forward. The track comes ahead of a much anticipated…

Half Moon Run are on a good, well, run at the moment. The Canadians have continued to spur on the good momentum surrounding their latest album, Sun Leads Me On, with the release of the music video for new single “Turn Your Love”. The song itself, written at 5am, during the making of the band’s first album,…

Philly-based duo Girlpool have announced some more headline Australian shows to go with their upcoming Sydney Festival date next January. Cleo and Harmony will be bringing their excellent blend of vocals, guitar and bass music to The Brightside in Brisbane and The Rev in Melbourne, prepared to bring some raw and passionate punk stylings to Australian audiences….

Celebrating the release of their latest tune “On & On”, Byron Bay lads PLTS (say it: Pilots) have confirmed some east coast dates to take them into December. The band worked on the new single with maestro JP Fung in Sydney, producing a song that showcases PLTS’ strong and dynamic handle on indie rock. As a live…

As we get closer to November, so do we get closer to the arrival of The Vaccines, Future Islands and of course, Mumford & Sons. With headline shows already announced for the latter two bands, The Vaccines today have announced a headline show of their own for Brisbane, taking place on November 8th. The Brisbane show…

Recorded at the famous Third Man Records and produced by the one and only Jack White, the latest release from Courtney Barnett was created under amazing circumstances. The track is a B-side on a just released 7” from Third Man Records, a cover of the Roland S. Howard penned song “Shivers”. In classic Barnett style, her tight…

It has been a busy year for Melbourne singer-songwriter Olivia Bartley, the brains behind ethereal goddess OLYMPIA. A multi-instrumentalist, OLYMPIA has recently released a dreamy new music video for “Tourists”, the latest hit from her forthcoming album, due to be released at the end of October. We caught up with OLYMPIA to discuss the inspiration behind the…

Melbourne, Florida finds Dick Diver facing up to an unenviable predicament – their last album, Calendar Days, was released to such critical applause that their follow up release automatically has a huge (and some would say unfair) hurdle to overcome – is it better than the last LP? And the answer is….. maybe. Melbourne, Florida…

The title track from YACHT’s latest album I Thought The Future Would Be Cooler, this song and video present current technology in a strangely confronting light, all backed by a catchy electronica beat and vocals that have a comforting amount of La Roux to them. Even if the future isn’t as cool as YACHT would like it…

In our 88th instalment of “Stumbled Upon”, we meet London’s Amber Leaves, and chat about their brand new release, “This Ain’t A Love Song”, going from being a back-up band to a full blown outfit and what the future holds for the band. Musician/Band Name: Amber Leaves Website / Social Media: Facebook / Soundcloud /…

Tina Arena will be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame at this year’s ceremony in Sydney in recognition of her career spanning an impressive 40 years. Part of the fabric of the Australian music industry since a young age, Arena’s career both in Australia and internationally is well known. From her start on Young Talent Time…

Reunions are bittersweet, often synonymous with transience and hinting at the struggles of times past. Although when Philadelphia Grand Jury – better known to most as the Philly Jays – rolled into town as part of their first official tour in years, the Sydney trio’s cult following couldn’t help but flock to Sydney’s Oxford Art…

Byron Bay lads Skegss recently released their debut EP 50 Push Ups For a Dollar (perfectly titled, really) this month and it’s everything we could’ve wanted from the trio. Fun, rollicking and generally down for anything, it’s a mantra that has applied to the Skegss work and performance ethic since their break out during 2015. Since they…

Homecoming shows are always going to special for bands. But in the age of social media, with so many average videos uploaded to your choice of social media channel, the exclusivity of a live gig is slowly beginning to dwindle. With this in mind, for a band to sell out a medium sized venue without…

Let me set the scene for you… I was at SXSW 2015 in March this year and with thousands of bands playing and endless sets that you could attend, it was virtually impossible for bands to stand out. Possibly one of the only artists that stood out and without a doubt, the only band I could sing you…

Multi-platinum rapper The Game has remained one of the most important figures in contemporary hip hop, holding it down for the west coast scene for a decade now, ever since his debut studio album, The Documentary became a tremendous success. The fiery emcee has been down to Australia several times and a big demand for…