Live Reviews

Contemporary act-plus-orchestra shows aren’t a new phenomenon in rock, with arena-size bands churning out orchestral projects since the 80’s; an attempt at legitimising corporate rock, re-selling already existing albums and making mums proud. With dance music reaching maturity, EDM acts and DJs are beginning to jump on the bandwagon as their audiences age and new…

For what was a return to music after over a decade, Art of Fighting‘s live return on Thursday night was a low-key affair. Sporting a sold out crowd, the mid 2000’s outfit, brought Leo Mullins, along in support, with Mullins quickly garnering a crowd as excited to see them as they were the evening’s headliners. Leo Mullins…

Mallrat brought the party atmosphere to the Corner Hotel over the weekend with a run of four sold out shows in Melbourne, catering to both under-age fans and those over eighteen. The massive pop draw card brought with them a long list of talent on an expanded list of artists that displayed all the right…

Matt Corby is on a home run in support of last year’s long awaited Rainbow Valley, with a national tour booked a little later than the album’s release and following a run through Europe. Melbourne singer Eliott opened the show with a brand of electro soul and a huge voice, while second support Blessed turned…

An assemblage of scrunchies and cheerleader bows spilled into Sydney’s Enmore Theatre for what was many young Anne-Marie fans’ first ever concert. The tweens filled the venue with high shrills and shrieks, waiting in anticipation for their UK pop princess. Warming up the sold-out night was Sydney-export GLADES, with lead singer Karina Wykes dressed in…

In a spontaneous, last minute decision, tonight I attended the latest arena spectacular by rock legends Muse in Toronto, Canada. The show comes off the back of their latest record Simulation Theory, with the tour in question given the same name. Hype articles have been floating around over the last few weeks talking about how the current arena show…

Earlier this month, I was invited along to an impressively pitched day party / festival / experience called the “Revival Experience“, about an hour out of Austin during SXSW. Curated by Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit, the event took place in Dripping Springs, Texas, at a place called “Camp Lucy”, and promised a VIP…

After debuting his first singles “Golden Age” and  “What Are We Waiting For”, the young streaming rising star Fergus James has already taken crowds by storm. Fitzroy’s very own Workers Club was fortunate enough to host his first ever Melbourne headline show. After packing out the intimate Workers Club Bandroom, he started off the night…

After a drizzly week in Sydney, the skies miraculously cleared for a radiant Wine Machine day at the Roche Estate in the Hunter Valley. Little did upbeat punters know, Mother Nature was planning to absolutely blindside them with a literal show-stopping electrical storm in the evening to come. Hold on to your ponchos because this…

UK indie outfit The Magic Numbers returned to Melbourne this week playing songs off their new album Outsiders, for the first time since 2010. Supported by BATTS and Nat Vazer, this was an all round excellent night of indie rock. The band have one remaining tour date in Australia this week: Tuesday March 27th at Capitol in…

American Composer/Conductor Evan Ziporyn opened a two-night residency in Elder Hall with a world premiere featuring new arrangements of Fripp/Eno’s “Evening Star, Side A”; Laraaji’s “Dances From Day of Radiance” plus his own “Frog’s Eye” and an Ambient Orchestra arrangement of Satie‘s Gymnopedies. Ziporyn addresses the audience at the start of the show to explain…

Julia Jacklin has had a massive start to 2019. With international tours and the release of her second album Crushing already in the bin, it looks like this year could be one for the record books. Returning to Sydney’s Metro Theatre almost two years since her last headline national tour, the Blue Mountains native wooed…

With the sun pelting down as you walked in, Download Festival was off to a hot one in Melbourne. Luca Brasi helped kick things off, with a set on one of the two main stages. I Prevail were an early highlight, too, as punters piled into the Flemington Racecourse. Eric Vanlerberghe’’s vocals punched through the air and drew a…

Finding a way to continue Eagles without Glenn Frey, who passed in 2016, must have been difficult. How does one treat a legacy so treasured by music fans the world over, after a loss so deep? The answer, in this case anyway, is actually quite simple. “We aren’t the same band we once were”, founding…

The first year of the new showcase festival The New Colossus kicked off on Thursday night, taking over the lower east side of New York City not unlike CMJ had done for so many years. In fact taking over venues like Pianos, The Delancey (home to The Aussie BBQ during CMJ) and Arlene’s Grocery brought…

There was a quiet excitement through the crowd as Shaad DJ’d through the opening half hour at Estonian House in Brunswick on Friday night. Obviously, there was something to look forward too with the final of two shows performed by band, Snail Mail beginning within the hour. Artist Lindsay Jordan has had a cult following…

I couldn’t tell you how many hours I would have spent listening to Millencolin as a teenager. All I can say is it was a lot. Now in my mid-twenties, I can go months without even thinking of the Swedish four piece. But my lord, when I do manage to put them on, they’re always…

Download Festival debuted on Australian shores in 2018 with a single Melbourne date and following that success, the festival decided to expand and add a Sydney date this year. Taking place in Parramatta Park, it’s a wonder how the festival immediately found its legs in a new city and venue to put on a well-organised…

This year, the RCC in the Adelaide University has presented a bold and diverse range of acts for the Fringe and one of those has to be the combination of two iconic electronic musical acts, Orbital and Severed Heads. Held outdoors on the Maths Lawns, Severed Heads opened with an easy collection of beats and…

I can remember sitting in Maths class when I was sixteen and receiving a text from my dad saying Rita Ora’s Radioactive concert that night was cancelled due to illness. I was devastated. After six years of waiting, I was not disappointed as she graced the Big Top at Sydney’s Luna Park as part of…

The Internet, at Melbourne Zoo, closed out the week with some of the smoothest sounds going at their ‘Zoo Twilights’ concert. With a bubbling and excitable crowd, the evening couldn’t have gone better for the North American five-piece and their opener, Baro. Baro proved to be a great lead in for The Internet, with a juxtaposing sound…

This past weekend Adelaide has enjoyed the fun, festivities and fumes of the Superloop Adelaide 500, with three nights of after-race concerts featuring some of Australia, and the world’s biggest performers. The annual event sees tens of thousands descend on the city with many procuring their tickets for the concerts alone.  The summer sun blared down on Adelaide, and with largely…

Set alight with the classic Australian indie sound, Melbourne’s Croxton Bandroom hosted a number of growing Australian bands on Friday night. There to celebrate the Melbourne outfit, The Delta Riggs on their ‘The Unscramble Your Lids’ tour, Eliza and The Delusionals, Bec Sandridge, and Tiny Little Houses were all present for the final show of…

I thought I knew what to expect going to see Hanson perform as part of Zoo Twilights at Melbourne Zoo. Being the fan that I am, I also saw them earlier this week at the Palais Theatre on their String Theory Tour – and to say I was underwhelmed by this tour would be an…

It’s been widely reported that the opening line of Arctic Monkeys’ most recent – and divisive – album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, was about Alex Turner just wanting to be one of The Strokes. If you’re going to take away one thing about that line ( a line that very well could have been…

The Melbourne summer peak may be on its last legs, but musical and cultural events are still in full swing around the city. A series of concerts under the name Zoo Twilights are currently underway at Melbourne Zoo, lasting from January to March. Visitors are encouraged to arrive early to see the animals then bring…

It was an empowering night of young female talent at Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel on Saturday. Mackay-local Tia Gostelow brought along vocal-powerhouses Lola Scott and MANE to support her sold-out show, and boy was it a showcase for the books! Lola Scott’s dark-indie pop offered a dramatic and energetic start to the evening. Her performance drew…

It was a late night for the Melbourne crowd who garnered the Northcote Social Club in large numbers on Saturday night, but it didn’t seem to put them off from turning out early for the opening acts. The evening’s first opener was Melbourne local and hip-hop/pop artist Maya Hirasedo. Her set was a stunning mixture…

Bananarama, Tiffany and Amber walk into a bar. It’s not 1989, even if it may feel that way. These artists know that girls just wanna have fun and they delivered joyous sets filled with nostalgic pop music. The Enmore Theatre could have been the setting for fluro outfits, large perms and shoulder pads, but these…

The Red Hot Chili Peppers scorched the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney last night. Regardless of the band’s longevity, these classic rockers proved that their performance is far from stale. Warming up the crowd was George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic – George, a long-time friend of the Peppers who produced their second studio album, Freaky…