The independent music scene in 2011 seems to be inundated with skinny jean wearing synth pop maestro’s and minimalist experimental mayhem that is all starting to sound tired and blasé. Perth quartet Boom! Bap! Pow! have bucked the trend and are bringing back the swingin 60’s with their joyous motown inspired grooves and a recently…

Just after they soundchecked at the UNSW Roundhouse in Sydney, we caught up with Frank Delgado (Keys, Samples) and Abe Cunningham (Drums) of legendary Californian troupe Deftones. We talk about the Big Day Out tour, their latest album, we check up on bassist Chi Cheng (who suffered serious injuries following a car accident in 2008)…

One of the most exciting bands to come of of New York City in recent years, Battles made waves with their 2007 album Mirrored. In fact, it still makes regular appearances on most of our iPods. Thankfully, it sounds like it won’t be long before Battles finally deliver on their promise on a follow up…

In May, Gary Numan and his band will be returning to Australia to perform The Pleasure Principle in full, in the continuing celebration of its 30th anniversary. But it’s not the first time that the legend of the electronic music world has performed a past album in full. Replicas and Telekon received similar treatment in…

It’s that time again! Laneway has arrived in town, a week or so after Big Day Out left us all rather exhausted. In its second appearance at the Sydney College of the Arts in Rozelle, let it first off be said that the organisers nailed the venue layout. Gone were the problems plaguing the festival…

The Laneway Festival has outgrown the tiny back alleys of its humble beginnings and come into fruition at its new home the Footscray Community Arts Centre. The sprawling grounds and grassy knolls were perfect for festival madness, although it was a fair hike between two of the main stages which made it difficult to try…

ESCAPE THE FATE is running straight for rock stardom, exuding a spirit of chaotic mischief, reminiscent of the riotous Motley Crue, which they capture brilliantly in their electrifying live shows. Hailing from the world’s most outlandish city, Las Vegas, ESCAPE THE FATE are conquering crowds and packing venues throughout the world, enslaving a legion of…

Leone Western are a couple of lads from the Western suburbs of Melbourne who got their hands on a collection of drum machines and synthesisers, wrote a few tunes and independently released their debut EP Hearts’ Still Beating in late 2010. Their music is very raw, as self-produced work often is, and far be it…

Minimalism seems to be the new black and there’s a lot to be said about the power one man, his voice and a guitar can wield. Local Sam Winters doesn’t have the story telling prowess of his contemporaries, but there is something earnest in his vocals and the delivery of his latest project (as a…

Playground HQ are thrilled to announce Cut Copy will be joining the Playground Weekender Class of 2011! Taking place 17 – 20 February at Wisemans Ferry, Cut Copy will share the main stage with artists such as Lamb, Tricky, Kool & the Gang, De La Soul, Kate Nash and Architecture in Helsinki. Coinciding with today’s…

This morning, Jam Music announced that Aloe Blacc & The Grand Scheme will be joining the line up for the 2011 Good Vibrations Festival! This no doubt fills the gap left by Cee Lo Green, who pulled out of the festival earlier this year due to unexpected Grammy commitments. Often likened to a contemporary Marvin…

Soundwave announced today that it would no longer be holding the Sydney show at the Eastern Creek Raceway – hinting that they would return there next year, however, as they continue to work on site improvements: increased shade, water taps etc. In its place, the festival will now take place at the home of Big…

Ahead of their appearance at Laneway Festival – which kicks off this weekend – I had the privilege – nay, the honour – of speaking with the legend that is Tim Harrington, the lead singer of New York rockers Les Savy Fav. He was sitting at home in New York and I was just waking…

The hippies were out in force and flooded the Forum with their dreadlocks, ponchos and eager anticipation to see the great messiah Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros weave their magic upon a welcoming Melbourne crowd. Supporting the ramshackle crew were delightful locals Wagons and their tongue-in-cheek alt. county styling’s. Henry Wagons becomes more endearing…

The 6th Australian Music Prize (The Amp) continues to reward excellence in home grown talent with the announcement of the shortlist. Nine standout artists have been chosen by a judging panel of media, artists and retail staff to vie for the title. In the running for the $30,000 prize money courtesy of principal partner PPCA,…

The much-loved GTM recipe of taking a tasty selection of the most memorable, talented and exciting national and international artists to regional Australia and the Nation’s capital for five value-packed shows returns in April/May 2011. The program features acts to satisfy all palates and is guaranteed to have everyone dancing, rocking and jumping around from…

New Farm’s iconic theatre is still filling up when an immediately-recognisable tall, slouching figure walks onstage: Ben Salter, a well-known Brisbane singer-songwriter and The Gin Club/Giants Of Science/The Wilson Pickers mainstay. An unannounced support act, he switches between an acoustic and a white Fender Strat for his various solo songs (later announcing he’s readying his…

One of the champions of the 2010 Triple J Hottest 100, The Wombats have returns with a slightly slower number for their second single off their forthcoming album. Here’s the music video which shows the band performing in a hotel! Their new album is scheduled for an April release locally.

Finding it a handy way to catch the vast majority of bands who took over Sydney Olympic Park for Big Day Out in 2010, I once again decided to venture out to the festival grounds for the two consecutive days of the 2011 event. Having seen such a ridiculous amount of amazing music over this…

MXPX has made more of an impact on the pop punk scene than any other band hands down. After 18 years and 2.5 million album sales they still manage to capture the energy, confusion and rebellion amongst their fans. As Absolute Punk so succinctly put it “Without MXPX this website would not exist.” THE ATARIS…

I was lucky enough to see Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, live a few years ago and I was enamoured by her captivating performance. I knew only a handful of the songs that night, having listened only briefly to her first album Real Life. However, I was really there because I am a…

I’m so excited about this album. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been this happy to listen to music. Crystal Fighters have had a home inside my portable music device and many of my mixes for quite some time. However I haven’t really heard the full power of the happy go lucky Spanish…

In my final “About an Hour’ excursion for the Sydney Festival, last night I had the pleasure of attending Anthony Black‘s one man show Invisible Atom, a hit of the Edinburgh Fringe, and a production of the 2b theatre company (Nova Scotia). At its heart, Invisible Atom is an exercise in storytelling. Told on a…

Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce that Sarah McLachlan, the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, will be honoured with the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award in recognition of her longstanding commitment to charitable initiatives. The award – bestowed to an individual having demonstrated the highest ideals and qualities of humanitarian service and in doing…

When it comes to “totally epic weeks of music” in Sydney, rarely do you get more “epic” than the week of Big Day Out. Not only does the festival and its sideshow dictate most of your nights out, but so do the Sydney Festival shows, the emerging Laneway sideshows and even the odd “Police”-esque stadium…

On behalf of Crystal Castles, their Australian promoters Select Touring confirm that Crystal Castles will be performing their scheduled Big Day Out side-shows in Sydney and Melbourne. Stephen Wade from Select Touring comments, “The shows are definitely going ahead & we were lucky enough to see Crystal Castles amazing first performance at the Gold Coast…

Young the Giant write the sort of soaring, melodic music that allows for chiming guitars, haunting harmonies and up-tempo sun stained pop to all find their own purpose. Hailing from Orange County, California, their self-titled debut album is imbibed with the freshness of Newport Beach, where the band wrote much of the album Although the…

Playground Touring and Stop Start today announce The Best of Doves: Australian tour has been cancelled. Following on from the weekends announcement from the band direct to their fans, Playground Touring can today confirm that Doves are unable to honour their touring commitment to Australia this February due to a personal matter within the band….

Bella Union’s new signings for 2011, Treefight for Sunlight, are currently playing their first ever shows in London, and we have come across their most recent music video. It’s a playful clip, for a pretty damn wonderful song. It’s no surprise that it was 6 Music’s Record Of The Week and Gary Lightbody’s Track of…