Music

I was greeted to Bassist Charles Cave from the White Lies by their tour manager, as they were loading out from a show in Stockholm. In the background, I could hear people asking for autographs, while the band shuffled into their tour bus to escape the minus 5 degree temperatures. Why they were fitting an…

Adelaide indie rockers City Riots have brought us a video tour diary from their first nine dates with British India as part of their national “March Into the Ocean” tour. So far the City Riots boys have visited towns they never knew existed, braved grasshopper plagues and blown up PA systems, while still allowing time…

We can’t get enough of this new track from Sydney’s WIM – check out the beautiful new music video for their new single “See You Hurry”. Thanks, Modular Records! Do note this video contains nudity and may not be safe for work! The video was produced by Collider production studios, under the watchful eye of…

“…you could barely wipe the smiles off our dials. Thank you Splendour for anticipating our every whim, and fulfilling them. A truly unforgettable weekend.” Groupie SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS – the annual, ephemeral city of sounds that exists solely for sweet music and good times will transform Woodfordia, near Woodford, south east Queensland from Friday…

There’s a general conception that everything James Lavelle touches turns to gold, and this idea still stands, even this many years into his career. The Mo Wax labelhead, celebrated DJ and electronic musician’s main project has always been UNKLE, an electronic/rock act that have now cemented their status as one of modern music’s genuinely eclectic…

Carus Thompson has been at this music lark for a while now. With good reason too, he is bloody good at it. Recent proof being is his latest album Caravan, a truly wondrous collection of songs written and recorded between Australia and Europe. Reflecting his life on the road split between the two continents. Carus…

We’re really digging these guys! They’re a four piece out of Melbourne pumping out some impressive indie rock. They’ll be launching the above single at the East Brunswick Hotel on Friday, April 15th. Make sure you check ’em out! MORE ABOUT THE BAND: Drawing inspiration from bands like Jimmy Eat World, Weezer and The Cars,…

The Middle East blew everyone away – in their own subtle, quiet manner – when they released a collection of songs in 2009 known as The Recordings of the Middle East. Since then, some noteworthy festival inclusions and well placed support slots (Doves, The National) has created a lot of buzz around the band. But…

With Raval gone and the Annandale under similar threat, Sydney is once again set to witness a facelift of its live scene. Hotel Hollywood, around the corner from the Macquarie Hotel, is looking to pick up from where Raval left off, while two new venues have popped up, looking to fill a gap in the…

Ted Danson. Beastie Boys. Jack Black. Will Ferrell. Cowbell. Awesome. This is hilarious.

Ah, this is no good! “Its with great regret that Paperchase Touring announces that Timbaland has cancelled his appearances in Australia for the upcoming Supafest Tour that starts tomorrow at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Paperchase Touring has been delivering the best urban acts in the world to Australia for many years and this cancellation is…

Sydney’s Chicks Who Love Guns have released not one but TWO music videos for their new single “God, Love & Satan”. We wonder which one you prefer? Take a peak… Don’t miss the launch for the single in Sydney – next Friday!

You’ll well know by now that we’re not defined by genre here at the AU review. So today we thought we’d throw together two very different bands in our new music video series. First up, UK electro pop darlings Metronomy are back with their scintillating third album, The English Riviera, out May 6th on renowned…

At this year’s Laneway Festival, UK promoter Eat Your Own Ears and US agency The Windish Agency teamed up to curate a stage at the national festival for the first time. At the recent SXSW Festival, the three parties joined forces again to present ‘Austin or Bust’, one of the event’s most anticipated day parties…

Acclaimed Australian acid-jazz / groove / funk band Directions In Groove (DIG) are gearing up for their first run of shows in 8 years, and will play three special intimate shows at Lizottes this week, Cronulla’s Brass Monkey next week, and will head back to the scene of some of their most memorable gigs, legendary…

MARQUES HOUSTON LIVE IN MELBOURNE For Melbourne lovers of R&B, Sunday April 24th sees one of the world’s finest, Marques Houston performing a one-off exclusive live showcase. Bursting onto the R&B scene in his pre-teens with the group Immature, Marques Houston quickly became one artist to watch. With popular hits such as “Never Lie” &…

2010 was a big year for Sydney four piece Parades, with their debut LP Foreign Tapes receiving accolades of praise amongst the independent music press. The AU Review had a chat to the band about the past, present and their future plans. How did you guys meet and start playing together? We all went to…

Having already taken in a whole heap of music during the day, my Friday evening remained a bit of a blank canvas right up until the night began. My first destination: Bright Eyes announced a ‘pop-up show’, however as essentially no one was let into this event, and gauging that fact pretty quickly, I made…

The Aussie BBQ has become an institution of the annual SXSW calendar. Organised by Stage Mothers, the event is now put on in four North American cities around the time of SXSW: Toronto (during CMW), New York City, Los Angeles and of course, here in Austin. The event showcases the best in Australian music –…

While most of the South by Southwest contingency say their goodbyes on the Saturday evening, I decided to stay on board for an extra night – primarily to get to be a tourist for once (checking out the capital building, etc), but also to engage in another South by Southwest tradition shared by many. Stubb’s…

One of the worst parts about travelling around on a tight schedule are the delays one encounters while awaiting their next flight. One such delay hit me today, travelling from Las Vegas to San Francisco. The latter is an airport known for its delays – with two runways quite close together, it’s common practice for…

It’s been four years since Liverpudlian’s The Wombats dropped their debut record and made indie kids the world over light up the dance floors with the undeniable energy of “Let’s Dance To Joy Division” and “Moving To New York”. The three piece are finally preparing to release their sophomore effort This Modern Glitch, which features…

Where his 2010 event was very much about the star power, 2011 saw Perez Hilton turn the focus of his annual “One Night in Austin” party to the music – celebrating a selection of often lesser known international artists – including some Aussies and Kiwis – who he had been enjoying during SXSW, and in…

Sugar Mountain Festival – Saturday 30 April 2011 – The Forum, Melbourne FINAL LINE-UP ANNOUNCEMENT The Sugar Mountain Festival is an exciting newcomer to Melbourne’s thriving arts scene, taking place on Saturday 30 April 2011 over multiple locations in Melbourne’s city centre, including The Forum Theatre, No Vacancy Gallery at Federation Square and The Atrium….

Pikelet’s head-swirling second album Stem recently took on all comers to be one of just nine nominated for the 2010 Australian Music Prize. It was a fitting conclusion to a year packed with adventures such as tours with Dirty Projectors, Devendra Banhart and Broadcast, and festival performances at Queenscliff Music Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival…

Due to public demand, Civil Society and 5/4 Entertainment are proud to announce an Adelaide date for Darwin Deez. This newly announced Adelaide date adds to Darwin’s already busy schedule playing headline shows in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, as well as performing at Groovin The Moo nationally. Tickets selling fast! ***** Civil Society is…