Live Reviews

Synthony is a pretty unique concept. Bringing together local orchestras, DJs, vocalists, feature musicians, and a crowd hungry for dance music, Synthony presents some of the biggest tracks of the last thirty years, live on stage, in an energetic and exciting event. Since kicking off a couple of years ago in Auckland, Saturday night was…

After the breakout success last year on Ekka Eve, Sesh And The City has graced Brisbane for the second time with a top billing line-up and a Saturday takeover at Brightside. Ambitious to compare Brisbane to New York? Hardly. Is there any correlation with Sex and the City other than the punny name of the…

A surprising mix of artists descended on the Budweiser Stage in Toronto tonight, with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds shortly into their set when I arrived, after an earlier set from openers AFI. What does link these acts though are ever growing, rabid fanbases. You mat not feel like you’ve heard much new music from these…

As part of their latest North American tour, Australia’s Rüfüs Du Sol (formerly just Rüfüs) made their debut at Washington DC’s 6k capacity venue The Anthem last week, selling it out and bringing along an updated version of the incredible light show and production you might have witnessed via that Coachella live stream earlier this…

On the final day of the 21st year of Portland’s iconic Pickathon festival, I arrived on site in time to catch the end of a morning art tour that runs throughout the festival and showcases the hidden art gems that you can find in the main festival space, as well as the expansive camping area….

Mumford & Sons kicked off their North American tour this week, with Portland-based Portugal. The Man opening things up for the first run of shows. This made last night’s show at Moda Center – the second of the run – a hometown show for the supports. Indeed, given how big they are here, it felt…

Throughout all four days of Lollapalooza, you could tell what the most anticipated show of the weekend was. No, it wasn’t Tenacious D’s or even Shaquille O’Neil’s DJ set… It was the Queen of Lollapalooza 2019, Ariana Grande. It is a very big deal to me that Grande was the Sunday night headliner. There are…

Saturday was definitely filled with a little something for everyone. If you wanted to see a show with fire, crowd involvement, and crowd surfing, twenty-one pilots were for you. If you wanted to see the first-ever Lollapalooza Latino headliner in J Balvin was where you need to be. Or if you just wanted the greatest…

Kicking things off for Saturday at Pickathon, Zia from The Dandy Warhols was DJing when I arrived, as DJ Rescue, who grooved us into the first set from New York’s Bodega, who delivered a high energy performance that asked everyone to “sweat the toxins out”. The five piece are described as “art rock”, but they are…

Set about 40 minutes out of Portland in idyllic wilderness, Pickathon is a boutique festival with a strictly limited capacity that brings up memories of festivals back in Australia like Secret Garden, Peats Ridge and Dashville Skyline. Crowds are quiet and respectful, here for the music, and surrounded by good food and amazing drink. It’s…

Music festivals can put their attendees in tough spots. Lollapalooza is known for doing this every year. With over 100,000 fans in attendance, festival organizers have to devise plans to scatter the crowd and they do this by booking the biggest names of the festival against each other. Saturday brought two of the hardest decisions…

The 15th edition of Lollapalooza in Chicago kicked off with the greatest weather you could ever ask for. The annual festival which always takes place on the first weekend of August is usually met with scorching sun, torrid temps, and severe threats of dehydration. But this year by the grace of the weather gods it…

This August, we’re celebrating the 11th birthday of the website. As of now, we’re not throwing any parties this year – though we are going to be doing two things. The first one is that we’re finally moving our new site out of beta at the “launch.theaureview.com” domain and moving everything – and almost all…

No one wails quite like James Blake. The Enfield artist has a unique way of catching his listeners and drawing them deep inside of his music, coaxing them to the very centre where his vocals are at their most penetrative. He touches your soul, truly, in the same way legends like Sam Cooke and Marvin…

After a couple of stellar Splendour In The Grass sets between both The Lumineers and their opener, Tyne James Organ they were able to back them up again during the only Australian sideshow The Lumineers provided. Tyne-James Organ was a brilliant opener for The Lumineers, while his sound had an abundance of energy, Tyne-James has…

It once seemed like St Albans’ party-starters Friendly Fires were destined to become one of the biggest bands of their time, back in the days of their 2008 self-titled debut. Frontman Ed Macfarlane, earnestly goofy in his stage presence, seriously clever in his delivery, could light a room on fire; their music was remarkably detail-oriented…

Adelaide played host to the Spin Off Festival, the annual mini-Splendour event which featured headliner Childish Gambino, alongside an impressive lineup of international and local acts. The one-day festival took place at the Adelaide Showgrounds on what turned out to be a sunny Friday for Adelaide in winter. The event tried a new set-up this…

Splendour In The Grass’ final day of performances saw the acts wind down and a softer mood take over the festival. Folk performances were aplenty with Matt Corby and The Lumineers putting together some incredible moments, intermingling with the raucous energy of masterful performances by SZA and Hilltop Hoods. Of course, the day was haunted…

Completing their run of Splendour slideshows before their inevitable super set on Saturday, Maribou State put on a brilliant set for those unfortunate enough to miss out on the festival action over the weekend. The London duo used the evening to stamp their quality as they melded live instrumentation with some golden production work. While…

After the high spirit opening day of Splendour In The Grass’, its second had a lot to live up to. Of course, this was no problem with a line-up that would be the envy of most other festivals in Australia. While a minority of the crowd skulked through the gates, looking a bit rougher around…

After selling over 40,000 tickets this year – a sell out, as always – Splendour in the Grass led up to headliners Tame Impala with a string of stunning performances by both international and Aussie acts. A testament to how strong the festival’s curation has gotten, those strictly in it for the love of live…

While Australia fancies in the upcoming Splendour In The Grass and the indie/pop music it brings with it, folk guns and Grammy award winners; The Punch Brothers have snuck in under the radar to put on a memorable evening. The group made up of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, banjoist Noam Pikelny, double bassist…

Melbourne was treated to a wonderful selection of artists on Saturday night as Eliott celebrated her release of “Shaking My Hips” by performing at Northcote Social Club alongside Shannen James and Morgan Bain. It may have been a late night out, but it was worth braving Melbourne’s cold travelling to Northcote to see all three…

The Waterfront Blues Festival, now in its 33rd year, was held from July 4th to the 7th in Portland, Oregon. The venue was Tom McCall Park, a narrow green strip on the western edge of the Willamette River in the city centre. With four stages and dozens of performers, this is the largest festival of…

Melbourne’s 170 Russell St was lit up over the weekend by the high energy soul-rock of Polish Club as a for a big bash celebrating the release of their new album Iguana. The Sydney duo brought along Perth group Dulcie and Melbourne locals Approachable Members of Your Local Community for the party, giving the groups…

I was still in High School when Washington first started making a name for herself with the singles “Clementine” and “How To Tame Lions”. A lot has changed in the decade since those singles put her at the pinnacle of Australian pop. One variable that hasn’t changed in that time is her ability to not…

Brisbane creative collective The Boxties (that’s “box-tees” not “box-ties”) have returned to the QPAC stage, with A Net of Souls: Songs of Dislocation and Common Ground. The ten piece chamber ensemble have pulled together a collection of songs of change, upheaval, and a longing for community. Industry, love, and war all come forward as disruptions,…

Last week, Father John Misty headlined the Celebrate Brooklyn stage in New York City, accompanied by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – who he’s on a co-headline tour with at the moment – and Jade Bird. It’s the 41st year that Celebrate Brooklyn has been held, with a mix of free and paid gigs…

Heading out on a national tour is always a big deal for bands, irrespective of whether it’s their first or thousandth. Selling out said tours is probably always the goal. Touring in support of their third album, Methyl Ethel not only managed to sell out their Enmore Theatre show in Sydney, but sold out the…

Methyl Ethel put on a couple of shows to remember over Thursday and Friday night, gracing Melbourne with the celebration of the band’s newest album Triage at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre. Along with them came Ada Lea and Broncho to help warm up the Forum’s crowd for a dreamy Methyl Ethel set. Ada Lea and Broncho…