Music

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…

NEW ALBUM FEATURING THE ‘FORKCAST’ SINGLE ‘HYENA’ Snowman bring you a new body of work; the brooding, haunting album Absence, set for release on 22 April 2011 via Dot Dash / Remote Control. The once Perth-based four piece met on the edge of the known world (aka Perth), formed a band and released two albums…

Heytesburg perform music which my iTunes wonderfully characterises as Darkwave. Which is clearly one of the best genre names I have come across; it to some extent also serves as a great definition of the band’s sound. Their music is dark, brooding and multi-layered. There are elements of psychedelia and industrial rock drifting through their…

Now, here’s where things get really fun. The Auditorium Stage sees some of the festival’s biggest names play free shows to the public. So, you can imagine the shitfight to get into the venue – some 40,000 people making their way to witness the now legendary New Yorkers. In fact, the only reason I got…

My Friday began with a bit of running around, grabbing the obligatory complimentary breakfasts that a couple of the events were running. This resulted in me catching up with Jonquil again (see part one), as I surprisingly sung along to a few of their tracks in the process. It seemed that they had caught on…

While at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Larry Heath caught up with Adam Cohen – son of Leonard Cohen, frontman of Low Missions and talented solo singer/songwriter. We discuss his latest project, Like a Man, his first album in six years, the possibility of an Australian tour, the concept of legacy, his conception of ‘art’ and…

It was my second morning in Austin, and decided I best check out some of the free day music on display at the Convention Centre. First up, Erland and the Carnival, whose debut album I gave a glowing review to a year or so ago. They’ve since released a new album, Nightingale (their North American…

The Corner band room was packed on a Sunday with plenty of revellers ready and waiting for Brisbane’s The John Steel Singers to take to the stage. The band took a few songs to warm up, but the crowd was very receptive as they broke into the opening bars of “Overpass”, and from there on…

Gareth Liddiard delivers the second film clip for the title track off his debut solo album Strange Tourist. Filmed at the singers homestead in Havilah, produced and directed by Jasmin Tarasin (Pure Pictures) who has also created clips for Gareth before as well as The Drones, Augie March, Little Red, Mia Dyson and more. The…

In between my visits to the Canadian Music week in Toronto and SXSW in Austin, I spent 48 hours in New York City, catching the 2nd leg of the Aussie BBQ tour at the Bowery Ballroom on the 13th and the cinematic stylings of Godspeed! You Black Emperor at Terminal 5 (where LCD Soundsystem will…

Day turned into night and I found myself with a bit of running around to do. First up were NewVillager, a three piece based out of New York, playing at Maggie Mae’s. While the sound at the venue left a lot to be desired, they impressed the crowd, producing unique and entertaining music off their…

Electronica duo Collarbones will launch their much anticipated debut album Iconography in Sydney and Newcastle next week. Catch Collarbones at the Croatian Club in Newcastle next Wednesday 30 March, and at the Marrickville Bowling Club in Sydney on Friday 1 April. Please note the Sydney venue has changed – this show is no longer at…

With the music portion of SXSW officially kicking off today, so did the mountain of day parties to conquer: free food, free booze and a whole heap of amazing music. I first headed to the annual Canadian Blast BBQ in the park opposite the convention centre, fitting in a few interviews which you’ll see soon,…

This week, Papa Vs Pretty announce their debut album, United In Isolation. The follow up to 2010’s Heavy Harm EP, this album will see Papa Vs Pretty move into a new headspace that’s all about the energy of their rave reviewed, enigmatic live shows. United In Isolation will be released on May 27th 2011, with…

Photo provided by Douglas Kirkland. Announcing 2nd AND FINAL SYDNEY CONCERT SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE CONCERT HALL – MONDAY MAY 2 Legendary jazz pianist and musical pioneer Herbie Hancock has added an extra Sydney show to his forthcoming national tour this April – May. Hancock will play Brisbane and Melbourne before heading to the Sydney Opera…

A NOTE FROM MY DISCO. It’s with great regret that we have to announce some cancellations for our upcoming Australian tour. Last week Liam was involved in a traffic accident and was rushed to hospital for surgery. He is now in recovery, which is slow and painful. Unfortunately our Sydney, Geelong and Canberra shows will…

FOO FIGHTERS COMPETITION WINNERS – GIANTS OF SCIENCE – ANNOUNCED AS FINAL SUPPORT BAND FOR BRISBANE CHARITY SHOW + FINAL 200 TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY Following an overwhelming number of fantastic submissions in response to the ‘Brisbane – Foo Fighters Submission’ competition, Foo Fighters are pleased to announce local band Giants Of Science will be…

WHITE LIES SHOWS CANCELLED The Frontier Touring Company regretfully announce the cancellation of White Lies’ Melbourne and Sydney shows originally scheduled for April. The band were very much looking forward to visiting Melbourne and Sydney after their Japan dates but with those shows now cancelled following recent disasters, it is unfortunately no longer financially viable…