Live Reviews

Just hearing YelaWolf spit a verse live is a show in itself. The Alabama emcee has an innate talent for the kind of machine-gun rap very few can do so well, making it look easy as he confidently, and clearly, spins verse after verse with head-spinning proficiency, jumping from word to word without ever losing…

After four very long years, Muse made an extremely welcome return to Australian shores at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday night for their first of only two shows in the country this year.  Having skipped Australia on the recent Drones World Tour, it was wonderful to get the opportunity to see them on this…

Armed with her acclaimed debut album Telefone, Chicago rapper and recent Australian live music scene debutant Noname attacked her final show in the country (her second sold out show in Melbourne) on Monday with the finesse and confidence of an artist older than her 25 years. Noname’s 170 Russell show was kept tight, with the music wrapping…

British India returned to The Metro with songs from their latest album Forgetting the Future and two support acts, Deadlove and Planet, in tow. First support act Deadlove were loud and energetic, their set could be heard from the bar at The Metro. Playing to a small crowd that gradually grew throughout the set, the…

The Pleasure Garden is what I imagine tea with the Mad Hatter would be like. Sitting on a couch in the middle of a garden, sipping on gin, greeting people dressed as exotic birds who offer you lollipops whilst Fat Freddy’s Drop plays in the background. Add Hula Hoops, delectable street food, a smooth musical…

Wednesday marked the second and final performance of the legendary Sir Paul McCartney in Sydney, as he continues his One by One Tour around the country. By now, you’ve likely heard just how brilliant these shows have been, cramming in upwards of 40 songs in 3 hours – the vast majority of those tracks Beatles…

Ari Lennox, EarthGang, J.I.D and Bas. North Carolina emcee J. Cole, now one of the most commanding names in hip hop, is certainly chiseling his Interscope imprint Dreamville Records into something truly impressive, and positioned to grow well beyond 2018. It’s nothing new for a successful rapper to start fielding and fostering their own roster…

For this writer, seeing Jack Johnson live has been fourteen years in the making. I vividly remember being at a family-friends’ house and their youngest son playing Johnson’s break out track “Taylor” on repeat (or near enough) for the entirety of the night. Little did I know that in 2017 I’d get the chance to…

It is always great seeing artists you’ve followed for a while finally receive the recognition and sold out venues their skills deserve. In this instance, it was the brilliant Gordi who got to sell out a hometown (sort of) show and show off to the Oxford Art Factory crowd just why she’s been copping a…

FIVE years since gracing Australian stages, Sia has made a monumental come back with a performance like no other- transforming Melbourne’s AAMI Park into a brooding arthouse. After critical success touring North America, the Nostalgic For The Present Tour saw the Adelaide born singer play her first arena concert, the first of three performance to…

On Saturday, the 25th of November, the Spilt Milk festival brought its A game with the weather, location and acts. Commonwealth Park in Canberra was beautiful with the lush green gardens in the sunshine with everyone’s sunny outfits to match. Starting early was Mallrat looking super cute in a green baby dress with the moves to…

Saint Paul’s Cathedral has been playing host to some of Melbourne’s most talented artists over the last week. The 126 year old neo-gothic church, located in Melbourne’s CBD, proved to be a striking backdrop for the centre of Melbourne Music Week and promised a music experience like no other. On Friday, the cathedral saw Sampa…

Hip hop shows are a funny thing when the artist transcends in popularity. It’s an issue I have with many of these big name arena gigs, but it’s also an issue I’m well aware of not changing any time soon. In place of deep, great, cuts of music, comes an emphasis on ensuring the ‘turn…

Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens endured one hell of a beating on the weekend as it, along with the rest of the city, was battered by torrential rain and storms for most of Saturday afternoon. A Weekend in The Gardens, which had previously run the night before (headlined by Paul Kelly), was teetering on the fence of…

In the midst of restarting his current Boy Meets World tour down in Australasia, Drake took to Sydney for his first Australian show of the tour, fitting his exceptionally designed stage show into the Qudos Bank Arena where he will perform a total of three times over the next week. Foregoing any traditionally big name…

A few months ago I happened to hear a song called ‘Location’ that was filled with soulful lyrics to a cool beat and became obsessed with a nineteen year old singer from Texas named Khalid (pronounced Kuh-Leed) who has recently blown up on our radio stations and in our charts. On Tuesday night I had…

The sun shone down strongly on Wangaratta as the numbers poured into the regional city for the 2017 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues. Any hints of rain that may have lingered on the drive out from Melbourne were done away with quickly, as the festival lasted out three sun-drenched days with international and Australian musicians…

Last night Newtown’s Leadbelly saw a Canadian invasion, with some of Canada’s top rock and country acts gracing the same stage that recently housed iconic Australian rockstar Nic Cester. Amy Nelson, Twin Peaks, Dylan Menzie, Louise Burns, and Scenic Route to Alaska were amongst the artists to bring the music of Canada Down Under. With big…

As someone who grew up on the music of Midnight Oil (as I think most people who came up in the 90’s did), I never thought I would be in the position to see the band perform, much less be in a professional capacity to see the band perform. But there I sat yesterday evening, six…

Piling into the Croxton Bandroom on Thornbury’s High Street on Thursday evening, an audience representing a broad demographic of music fan take in the tones of two of Melbourne’s own, Oh Pep! – a long anticipated return to home turf gigging for Olivia Hally and Pep Emmerichs, who have spent a good deal of the past two years on…

Friday night saw the 2017 Fremantle Festival kick off, with events taking place in venues across the port city. Helping kick off proceedings, and taking over the Fremantle Town Hall, were American ‘country’ musicians Justin Townes Earle and Joshua Hedley, as well as local talent Ruby Boots. It also happened to be the last night…

Running from the 16th to 21st October, the second Nuuk Nordisk Kulturfestival kicked off to a passionate start. Celebrating contemporary Nordic arts and co-creation in the northern landscapes, the festival began with a grand parade and opening show at the Nuuk Community Centre with balloons and flags, followed by a selection of outstanding films at…

“It’s so good to be home,” says Alex Lahey, exerting a big sigh of content. The crowd cheer in response, echoing their equally pleased gratitude towards her return. She smiles. “This is a song called “Wes Anderson”…” and just like that, the packed out band room of the Corner Hotel erupts into a giant singalong,…

Craig David has a new song about Instagram (it’s not good), TLC love Australia so much that they are coming back down under in 2018 (announced via a video package halfway through the gig), and Ne-Yo doesn’t nearly get the credit he deserves as a performer. These are just a few of the things we…

It’s exciting to see how far Casey Donovan has come! If you’ve read her autobiography, you’d know of her struggles and journey she’s taken over the last twelve-years of being in the spotlight. After her recent I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! win; she’s on the road with her Off the Grid…

For anyone not in the know, CalJam is the birth child of Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. Debuting in San Bernadino, about an hour and a half drive from LA, the festival hosted a huge lineup including Cage The Elephant, The Kills, Royal Blood, Liam Gallagher and Babes in Toyland. Like any…

The Bombay Royale are one of those bands who are impossible not to feel affected by. Their positivity that drives each and every song they perform permeates through the crowd effortlessly – you want to dance if you’re not a dancer, you want to sing, even if you cannot understand the language. The dynamic the band exerts,…

Securing for themselves a well respected and enduring presence within the Japanese pop punk upper echelons, Shonen Knife have been favoured by their contemporaries in the Western scene since the 1980s. It seemed slightly surreal to have the band in Adelaide at the Nexus Arts Centre knowing their legacy, and yet, the large shadow they…

By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around, it’s suffice to say that everyone was a little worse for wear. Despite some questionable decisions over the past few days, the crowd was buzzing with positivity; lashings of glitter on everyone’s faces, and The Rev’s Bloody Marys to make everything a little less painful. Easing us into…

There’s something surprisingly relaxing yet equally daunting as watching an orchestra accompany a contemporary artist. As I sat looking down at the side of the Sydney Opera House stage, you’d have been forgiven if you forgot that fronting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was Megan Washington. On night one of her current tour showcasing the tracks…