Music

After the manic week that was SXSW, it would be fair to say that the idea of going to another festival was nothing short of horrifying. But after a couple of nights in Vegas, and enough sleep to return some energy levels (along with the attendance of David Copperfield), we once again hit the ground…

Aussies are always well represented at Canadian Music Week and this year was no exception. The last two days of the festival ended on a particularly Australian focused high with The Aussie BBQ, The Indies (headlined by Passion Pit, and seeing Gotye winning an award) and Melbourne’s The Temper Trap closing the festival out with…

Unlike my first night at Canadian Music Week, tonight was all going to focus on one venue: El Mocambo, for what became one of the best showcases of music I saw the entire trip. But more on that later. First it’s important to mention that today I saw the first and only talk I was…

Just after he jumped off the stage with Jonquil at SXSW 2012, we caught up with Hugo Manuel from Oxford, UK, of Jonquil and Chad Valley to chat about Jonquil, their new record and much more… Interview/Edit: Larry Heath Camera: Andrew Wade

Here at The AU Review, we love nothing more than supporting our local talent. Here are just a few reasons why we believe you should listen to more Australian music… 1. Keepin’ it real – First and foremost, the majority of songs are about the reality of hardships, love, unrequited love, being happy and many…

Alex Horne returns for the second year to prestigious Melbourne International Comedy Festival, bringing both The Horne Section as well as his brand new solo show Seven Years in the Bathroom in tow. The British comic had only just arrived to our shores less than 24 hours prior our chat, and seemed to be in…

Third time’s the charm for The Jezabels, as the synth-rockers release the video (directed by Ben Reed) for upcoming single, “Rosebud”. The Triple J darlings have cleverly decided to capitalise on a stunningly visual arrangement to accompany the ’80s reminiscent sound, featuring hazy, idyllic tones and kaleidoscopic pleasantries. If that’s not enough to make you…

The third official day of SXSW music was jam packed full of parties. In between interviews and meetings I tried to pop into as many as I could. I checked out the Sounds from Spain party though couldn’t tell you what I saw, meanwhile at the Taiwan Party I enjoyed a “Woo Hoo” sort of…

The presence of diversity made for an entertaining evening at the Metro Theatre, be it exhibitionists proudly lassoing their sweaty shirts, the blindsighted raising their sticks in unison, the older folks putting in their ear plugs for added comfort or lapping up next to the majority of the ludicrously loud young’uns and watching them crowd-surf,…

Day three of Canadian Music Week got off to a reasonably slow start as we enjoyed one of the few sleep-ins of our trip, ahead of our usual slog of interviews and meetings. As we ran from one place to the next, however, I did manage to catch a couple of bands… albeit briefly. First…

One of the mainstays of the SXSW festival is the Fader Fort. Held just outside the centre of all the action, the Fort has been home to hundreds of performances over the years, in front of just about anyone who has a computer and can RSVP. With the walk to the event always seeming a…

PÝR is the latest EP from Perth rockers Heytesburg, and is only the band’s second ever release. I feel the need to point that out only because they don’t really sound like a band in the early years of their career. As with their first EP, the ambitious and atmospheric From The River I Come,…

In 2011, the Music portion of SXSW was extended a day to cross over with the final day the interactive event. This now gives Film, Music and Interactive badge holders the opportunity to check out the wares of one and other, as the Interactive badges show their signs of fatigue, giving Music badges a glimpse…

The undisputed most talked about singer of 2012, Lana Del Rey, has released the follow-up video for her new single, “Blue Jeans”. With a thematic and nostalgic swimming pool setup, the black and white clip depicts the sombre turn of unrequited love, with the recurring feature of partner in crime, Bradley Soileau, of “Born To…

The trip to SXSW is always fraught with adventure, and this year was no different. Flying into Los Angeles on Friday afternoon – and arriving earlier that morning thanks to the wonders of the international date line – we hit the ground running and enjoyed the spoils of the Universal Studios to keep ourselves from…

Ahead of his run of sold out shows we catch up with Irish folk sensation James Vincent McMorrow to find out a bit more about what audiences can expect from his impending visit. We also discuss his debut album Early In The Morning and discuss the influence of soul music and Sufjan Stevens on his…

Mercury Prize nominee and British folk multi-instrumentalist Seth Lakeman, along with his band, will be coming to Australia for the first time next month. The tour will see Lakeman joining forces with friend and touring companion Carus Thompson on a series of dates that will see him playing Bluesfest and the Fairbridge Folk Festival, along…

Wednesday night saw The Bakery play host to one of the world’s latest soul sensations, Charles Bradley. Backed by His Extraordinaires, Bradley put on an impressive show, and one, which will surely stick in the memory for quite some time. DJ Charlie Bucket warmed up the crowd, with a few choice selections, including the odd…

Ahead of the launch of PÝR the bands second EP we check in with Perth’s Heytesburg to have chat about the inspiration behind the new EP, working with Matt Gio and where the name Heytesburg came from as well as their plans for the future. PÝR is being launched at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday…

When Bruce Springsteen was announced as the keynote speaker for the 2012 SXSW music conference in Austin, Texas, the addition of a one off, intimate show was inevitable. Not only was this added, but tonight, in front of two thousand or so lucky fans at ACL Live, he brought his sixteen piece E-Street Band along…

Annie Clark AKA St. Vincent brought her sweet voice and ripping guitar riffs to the Melbourne Hi-Fi Bar in impressive fashion. Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! were a very nice surprise for the support act. The Adelaide natives put on an apt performance of some of their latest material that the crowd lapped up and then…

Andrew Wade: SXSW has rapidly become my favorite event of the year. Travel, free booze, music, free booze, partying, good friends and… free booze. There’s also a massive opportunity to meet and watch some of the best musicians and groups in the world today. Here are my highlights for the 2012 event; I’ll be endeavoring…

I, like many of you, have had my doubts about attending Future Music Festival. A festival noted for having crowds of shirtless meatheads, ripe with Southern Cross tattoos, of girls with shorts so short and shirts so non-existent that you think they’d have had to have sent their dads comatose just so they could leave…

One of the most anticipated festival line-ups of the year has just been announced… and it’s massive! The fourth annual Newton’s Nation, to be held at Mount Panorama in Bathurst, will offer festival-goers a plentiful dose of emerging rock and hip hop acts, as well as DJ and electronic sets. The three day event is…

New York electro-pop group, Here We Go Magic, sure know how to get people talking, thanks to the release of their controversial video for lead single, “Make Up Your Mind.” The Nat Livingston Johnson and Gregory Mitnick directed video features scantily-clad women in a state of possession and experiencing epileptic fits, which may not be…

As I sit in Los Angeles, on my way to SXSW, the Future Music Festival is making its way around Australia. Thankfully, just before I departed (in dates that continue), those in Sydney and Melbourne were provided with a plethora of sideshows to choose from. On Thursday night in Sydney, in advance of their appearance…

We caught up with The Cairos to talk about their new single “Shame”, tour life and much more! About the tour, you guys just played your first show the other night, then had a massive drive to Sydney from Brisbane. Tell me a bit about the adventure so far? Their pretty standard adventures. We’ve done…

We caught up with Toby Leaman of Dr. Dog to have a chat about the new album Be The Void, touring and much more! How are you going there? Yeah, really well. Where abouts are you at the moment? I’m at my house in Delaware. How has the year been treating you so far? You’re…

Being the progeny of influential songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen would no doubt have one draw back; how do you live up to expectations? Judging by the size of the turn out for Canadian musician Adam Cohen’s one-night-only Adelaide Fringe performance on Thursday, and the enthusiasm of the crowd, Cohen clearly has a following of…