Music

Live Review: Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires + Odette Mercy and The Soul Atomics – The Bakery (14.03.2012)

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…

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the AU interview: Heytesburg (Perth) talks new EP PÝR

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…

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The Boss kicks some "Tex-Ass" with a star-studded SXSW performance.

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…

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Live Review: St. Vincent + Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire! – The Hi-Fi (14.03.12)

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…

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The 12 artists you shouldn't miss at SXSW 2012.

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…

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Live Review: Future Music Festival – Flemington Racecourse (11.03.12)

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…

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Newton's Nation Festival Line-Up Announced!

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…

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New Music Video: Here We Go Magic "Make Up Your Mind"

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…

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Live Review: The Rapture – Metro Theatre (08.03.12)

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…

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the AU interview: Alfio Alivuzza of The Cairos (Brisbane)

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…

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the AU interview: Toby Leaman of Dr. Dog (Pennsylvania)

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…

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Live Review: Adam Cohen – The Idolize Spiegeltent, Adelaide (08.03.12)

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…

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Single Stream: Beach House "Myth" (2012)

It has been awhile, but the wait is (almost) over. Beach House has just released their first single, “Myth”, taken from their recently announced album, Bloom, which will be available from May 15th. Tracklisting for the upcoming LP is as follows: 1. Myth 2. Wild 3. Lazuli 4. Other People 5. The Hours 6. Troublemaker…

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New Music Video: DZ Deathrays "No Sleep"

In a track which is perhaps already a bit of an ode to the Beastie Boys, Brisbane it-kids DZ Deathrays are now citing Paul Simon as an influence in their new video for “No Sleep”. They’ve enlisted the help of the one and only Arj Barker to perform a bit of a parody of “You…

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Ben Kweller + Young Revelry + Royston Vasie – Hi Fi Bar (05.03.12)

Kicking off the proceedings were local lads Royston Vasie who play generic pub rock with no strings and their set was pleasantly middle of the road. They were one of those bands who you listen to and instantly start picking apart their plethora of obvious influences, which in their case range from The Dandy Warhols…

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Live Review: Manchester Orchestra + Nantes – The HiFi Sydney (04.03.12)

Some bands should need no introduction, but unfortunately Atlanta, Georgia’s Manchester Orchestra still do. The band whose three studio albums and six EPs have made them a household name amongst critics around the world, still have yet to crack it into most households elsewhere. And with tonight (re)confirming my suspicions that they’re also a phenomenal…

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Live Review: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and the Cairo Gang – Sydney Opera House (05.03.12)

There’s something quite understated about Will Oldman, aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy‘s, eccentric talent, and a packed out Sydney Opera House got the opportunity to experience this first hand on Monday night with a spellbinding show with his backing band The Cairo Gang. Complete with beautiful three part harmonies, the vocals of Angel Olsen, guitars and…

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New Music Video: Passenger "The Wrong Direction" (2012)

We’re big fans of Passenger here at the AU review, and with the release of his new video “The Wrong Direction”, we’ve been reminded why. The video features some great animation and plenty of running in the wrong direction. Enjoy!

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New Music Video: Bluejuice "On My Own" (2012)

Great video, or greatest video? Bluejuice pay homage to the great karaoke videos of living memory in a video of “On My Own”, directed by Samuel Bennetts. The track is taken from the album Company, out now. It’s tops. Enjoy. Check out tour dates for the band here: http://www.bluejuice.info/

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Album Review: The Carolina Chocolate Drops – Leaving Eden (2012 LP)

The Carolina Chocolate Drops have released Leaving Eden, the follow up to the critically acclaimed Genuine Negro Jig. It’s fairly clear from the outset that this record isn’t going to be for everyone. You’re not going to be seeing singles from this record racing up the charts. What you do get however is the chance…

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Live Review: Bush + Staind – The Palace Theatre (01.03.12)

I’m going to preface this review with a disclaimer regarding my own personal ambivalence toward the metal genre – I do not understand metal/hardcore music, I don’t emotionally engage with it and nor can I distinguish one artist from the next, as such Staind‘s set (pictured above) didn’t do much for me. This said, Aaron…

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Live Review: Neon Indian + Collarbones + Boatfriends – The Standard (02.03.12)

Industrialised, yet aptly-named venue, The Standard, played humble host to an eclectic bunch of young revellers decked out in a variety of attire, from floral print dresses, geometric print leggings and asymmetrical haircuts to a range of headgear, in the way of fedoras and baseball caps to hoodies. The fashion was as fast as the…

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Live Review: The Barons Of Tang + Mikelangelo and the Tin Star – The Brunswick East Club (28.02.12)

The second last night of music at the East Brunswick club was an occasion to remember and celebrate. A snippet of a little reminder on the men’s bathroom door was very to the point: “I hope the new owners go financially bankrupt. While it was probable that piece of graffiti was going to be wiped…

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Single Stream: Arcade Fire "Abraham's Daughter" (2012)

I have to admit that Arcade Fire are without a doubt one of my favourite bands. So I jumped for joy when I heard about a new song being released online today, for the upcoming film The Hunger Games, which features an inspired soundtrack from artists like Kid Cudi, Taylor Swift and The Decemberists. A…

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Live Review: Closing Night of the East Brunswick Club with Oscar 'N' Martin + The Parking Lot Experiments (29.02.12)

It was a night of bitter sweet sentiments as punters flocked to the East in droves to enjoy one last drink at Brunswick’s best live music venue. The atmosphere was electric as the beers flowed and the revellers got loose, determined to make the final night at the East bandroom one of the best of…

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Opinion: The Evolution of Whistling

For most of us, the evolution of whistling first came to light when Otis Redding charmed us with the timeless classic, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” in 1968. Strangely enough, his intentions were to change the whistling in favour of words around the time of his death but it never came to be….

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Playground Weekender cancelled due to flash flooding concerns.

Some unfortunate news to those who had planned a weekend away to the sixth Playground Weekender. Following the advice of NSW State Emergency Service, the festival has been asked to cancel its event with the following: “New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSWES) directs the Playground Weekender boutique music festival be cancelled under the State…

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Live Review: Geoffrey O’Connor + Dick Diver + Joey Telafone + Velcro – East Brunswick Club (24.02.12)

Walking into a sparse East Brunswick room to be greeted by a trio playing fairly uncomplicated songs wasn’t too bad in a way. Velcro provided a simple set of songs which set a semi-suburban scene. Maybe the sun should have been streaming in, as we enjoyed these three minute pop songs. They were kind of…

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Live Review: Neon Indian + Snakadaktal + Miami Horror DJs – Prince Bandroom (24.02.12)

It was a stifling night in Melbourne, and the revellers were out in force, making quick work of the bar service in an attempt to stave off the unrelenting heat. While the general dick-headed behaviour of the heavily intoxicated punters was unpleasant, unfortunately, the music was too. This was due largely to the atrocious sound…

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