Teary-eyed delegates. Two feet lodged on a sticky floor. Purple-pink haze on stage. Singer in a black and white polka-dot puffy dress. A red Nord keyboard. I am amongst a crowd of fans, creatives, and industry giants at Eclipse in Fortitude Valley for Heleina Zara’s last BIGSOUND show, trying to name 5 things directly in…
Read MoreThe second instalment of Harvest Rock is back in the Adelaide parklands, bigger and better than even the first. After last year’s wet weather, the event organisers ensured plenty of astroturf would keep the mud away if it did rain. Luckily, this weekend we were blessed with glorious weather after a brief early shower at…
Read MoreYours and Owls Festival have announced their 2023 line-up, and it’s an absolute banger! Setting up shop at the University of Wollongong – the festival’s home for the next three years – the Yours and Owls team are promising great vibes and exceptional entertainment. Welcoming back a wealth of international talent for the first time…
Read MoreThroughout her growing music career, Vera Blue has become an Australian modern pop icon, and her most recent album, Mercurial is a testament to her ability to create exciting and memorable pop music. Her Saturday night Forum Theatre show displayed how well her new album translates to the live stage and reminded Melbourne what a…
Read MoreSaturday night saw Vera Blue finally come back to Melbourne to continue her Mercurial album tour. The night was filled with dancing, music and fun, with Becca Hatch opening the affair with some upbeat dance and RnB numbers. Dan was there to bring you these photos
Read MoreABC TV and Mushroom Studios’ The Sound is returning for its 3rd season this weekend, just in time for Ausmusic Month. And they’ve got a stacked lineup for its season premiere. Series 3 promises to be focused on the live performances, with a big-name guest dropping in to chat with one of the featured acts. This…
Read MoreMosh pits are officially burning up in Brisbane with Factory Summer Festival reviving the dance floor and reminding us how (un)pleasant it feels to be drenched in your neighbour’s sweat. One of the biggest nights of the festival saw a four act bill headlined by Vera Blue alongside Northeast Party House, GRAACE and Stace Cadet….
Read MoreOne of the main attraction of the Falls Festival site in Lorne is the scenic rain forest setting in the Otways. However, as catastrophic conditions of high heat, winds and thunderstorms were predicted for the third day of the festival, the organisers made the decision to cancel the festival to ensure the safety of festival…
Read MoreEarlier this month Yours & Owls Festival brought some of Australia’s finest musicians to North Wollongong for a two-day event that showcased some serious established and up-and-coming talent. Amongst those were sixteen year old pop phenomenon Ruel, the ethereal Vera Blue and the newest kids on the big block Spacey Jane. Having just finished his…
Read MoreAccording to my Uber driver, Yours & Owls Festival is the biggest event in Wollongong’s calendar and apparently cultivates a dedicated returning community each year, which is something to be said about the standard of this regional festival. But as the clouds rolled in for the long weekend, it was beginning to look like a…
Read MoreEarlier this month, we sat down with Didirri, Vera Blue and Clowns to talk about their favourite music of 2018; potentially the songs they’ll be choosing for the Hottest 100 and some of the albums that excited them over the last 12 months. Photo of Didirri taken at Festival of the Sun by Larry Heath
Read MoreThe 2018 edition of Lollapalooza was just announced and the lineup is riddled with big names and massive headliners. From possibly the biggest pop stars of today, to the most iconic rockers of this generation, the Chicago four day music festival will have something for everyone and especially a great Australian presence. Bruno Mars, Jack…
Read MoreAs one of the only remaining Australian touring festivals still enjoying successes year in and year out, Groovin the Moo is an example of an event that knows its market, knows its formula for success, and knows how to execute it each year. With a line up that appeals to the younger, first-time festival demographic, as…
Read MoreThe APRA Song of the Year nominees have been revealed this week, with 20 tunes penned by Australian songwriters up for the main title. With the results being announced in Sydney in April, the APRA Song of the Year has been decided upon by a panel of industry judges, whose task it is to now whittle…
Read MoreThere’s no mistaking it, 2017 has been a stellar year for Australian music. We’ve seen Aussies surge forward internationally, while the term ‘household name’ has never been truer for some as this year has rolled out. As we approach the end of 2017, we’ve put together our annual End Of list, representing the 20 Best Australian…
Read MoreAaaand the countdown to the 2017 ARIA Awards is officially on, with not only the full list of nominees announced in Sydney today, but also the winners of the Fine Arts, Artisan and Comedy categories revealed too. Statistically speaking, 2017 is Paul Kelly and Gang of Youths‘ year, with both artists striking out against the pack with Kelly…
Read MoreThere’s a new kid on the Sydney music event scene, with the huge NYE in the Park announcing its inaugural event this December. Keeping its ethos simple and to the point, the festival is all about curating good times for the final day and night of the year – begone, long lines and stupidly expensive ticket…
Read MoreThe sky is clear, the sun is shining, and a giant replica of Kanye West‘s head is beaming in front of an enormous rainbow. The first full day of Splendour in the Grass 2017 is upon us, packing North Byron Parklands with the kind of life and energy that only comes with one of this…
Read MoreGot your Splendour schedule locked in? You might want to leave a few spots open. One of Australia’s biggest and best music festivals is a gold mine when it comes to discovering new music or watching that mid-card act completely own the entire festival and make you wonder why they weren’t top-billed in the first…
Read MoreThe 2017 APRA Music Awards hit Sydney’s Convention Centre Grand Ballroom overnight to celebrate the songwriting achievements of some of our best artists and for D.D Dumbo and Flume in particular, the night proved to be extra special. With his acclaimed single “Satan”, D.D Dumbo was awarded the APRA Song of the Year gong. A choice cut from his 2016…
Read MoreIt’s here. After much speculation and #fakenews, the 2017 Splendour in the Grass line up has been revealed, with Queens of the Stone Age, LCD Soundsystem, The xx, ScHoolboy Q and more set to head to Byron Bay this winter. Splendour exclusives sit with Schoolboy Q and Future Islands, while returning 2016 artists Sigur Ros are also lined up to make a special appearance. The…
Read MoreThis week, we learned that the nominations for the 2017 APRA Music Awards have been unveiled, with some of our great songwriters being recognised for the fantastic year of music they had through 2016. As such, Flume leads the nominations (perhaps unsurprisingly) with four, while Sia follows closely behind with three noms to her name. Julia Zemiro will…
Read MoreThe Sounds Australia crew have come out guns blazing for their annual line up of showcase events for SXSW this year. Always renowned for their curation of stellar emerging and established Australian talent at events the world over, this SXSW foray is not to be missed if you’re soon to be Austin-bound. The massive four showcases include…
Read MoreAfter much anticipation, Sydney-based singer/songwriter Vera Blue has announced her debut album will be coming this year, after a few final touches. In the mean time, the first single “Private” has been released with an accompanying national tour this April. “Private” is a shift to a heavier electronic sound, experimenting with start/stop instrumentals that complement her elegant,…
Read MoreVera Blue is well and truly part of the new wave of young Australian artists pushing forward with innovative and captivating pop music and luckily for Americans, Vera is headed for them next! Alongside appearances at SXSW at the top of the tour, Vera Blue will be on the road throughout America until the end of March….
Read MoreSLUMBERJACK have returned from a summer spent slaying on festival stages with a new tune primed for hit status – “Fracture”. Featuring the now trademark vocals of one Vera Blue, “Fracture” comes burning out from the West Coast and acts as a perfect follow up to SLUMBERJACK’s “RA” and the Daniel Johns collaboration, “Open Fire”. Onward pushing electro beats…
Read MoreReturning once more to the future CBD of Sydney, The Plot made its presence felt in the Western Suburbs, as the punters got amongst it, and in the process managed to sell out the all-Australian, Parramatta based festival. Having attended last year, if I were a betting man I’d have put money on the festival…
Read MoreNearly two years of work by two Melbourne artists, photographer Michelle Grace Hunder and filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, has culminated in the powerful, multifaceted Her Sound, Her Story. It’s a project created as a response to the conversation observed surrounding women in the Australian music industry, documenting more than 40 female artists who have, or…
Read MoreBefore going to any festival, I like to make a festival playlist to highlight a couple of my must catch acts and also, to pre-game. Anyway, here’s my picks for The Plot Festival! There are some rising goodies, as well as some more obscure and alternate acts for a little mix. TIRED LION I loved…
Read MoreThe nominees for the National Live Music Awards have been announced around the country today, with 51 categories being unveiled across the board. Winners are to be announced on November 29th at events being run nationally, with both national and state-specific categories being voted on by a judging panel of industry professionals from right around Australia….
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