The late Amy Winehouse, who died in July this year, aged 27, is following a long line of musicians to have their material released to the public after their death. Plans have already been made for an album to be released on December 5 titled Lioness: Hidden Treasures and feature 12 tracks that are yet…
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While we were in Los Angeles last month for the annual Filter Magazine Culture Collide Festival we sat down with Sydney born, UK based artist Alex Burnett aka Sparkadia to talk about playing America for the first time, upcoming plans in Australia (where he just played Fat as Butter) and much more…
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Sydney natives Winter People play a pleasant mix of folk, pop and post-rock that for me was an instantly forgettable affair. Their stage presence was only so-so and while they write pretty melodies they just weren’t doing it for me, with the band lacking the intensity and energy to elevate their performance from being an…
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Just after they’d recorded some tracks at the world renowned recording studio Stratosphere Sound in New York City (partly owned by James Iha, formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins), we caught up with Nic and Josh of Pittsburgh based band 1,2,3. AH: Hey guys how are you both? Nick & Josh: Good! You guys have a…
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It all started in June 1984. Although I could barely function independently as a five-month-old child around the same time, Australian electro-pop group Pseudo Echo were breaking their way into the top of the charts during the release of their debut album, Autumnal Park, in a successful bid to make their presence well known in…
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A group of young talents from the other East Coast capitals took over The Standard in Sydney last night, officially celebrating the debut LP of Ball Park Music, Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs, released in September. Fellow Brisbanites The Jungle Giants opened up proceedings, one of the latest additions to the indie pop regiment coming out…
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In my fourth day of CMJ, I made tracks to catch up with 1,2,3, a band from Pittsburgh who were heading into James Iha’s recording studio (complete with Smashing Pumpkins memorabilia), Stratosphere Sound, to lay down a few live tracks as part of the Fred Perry Artists Lounge sessions. They were quite the tight band……
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The third day of CMJ proceedings was primarily occupied by a slew of interviews I had to undertake (you’ll be seeing them online soon) and the CMJ College Day and College Radio Awards, which saw college radio personalities and stations recognised for their talents and hard work. Sounds Australia were behind the day itself, putting…
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Warming the stage for the hometown leg of Big Scary‘s album launch tour were five piece Buckley Ward, who have recently signed to Shock Records. Buckley Ward make pretty, sweeping indie rock and really seemed to be enjoying their time in the spotlight. Their live presence was only so-so, which was probably due more to…
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So, you may be asking yourselves: what the hell is CMJ? Well it’s probably a fair question. And much like SXSW in Austin, Texas, it’s the sort of event that needs to be experienced to be fully understood – but let’s see what I can describe to you here. CMJ (or “College Music Journal”) is…
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Rat vs Possum may be the support for tonight’s Melbourne Festival show at the Toff in Town, but their party-time set doesn’t waste time, even with people who just want to stick to the walls of the venue. Their live shows in more recent times have moved away from their tribal, thunderous vibe to a…
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American psych rockers Prince Rama will be hitting our shores in January to partake in the MONA FOMA and Sugar Mountain Music Festivals. Kat Mahina caught up with Taraka Larson from the band to discuss the music, cosmic portals and ritual sacrifice ahead of their impending trip down under. Hi Taraka, how are you, whereabouts…
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This night was a night for the clock. Considering I ordered dinner at 8:00pm, it was a bit of a disaster to not see anything at my table after half an hour waiting. And I waited some more. In the end, I would like to thank the East Brunswick Club kitchen for making me miss…
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A tiny crowd gathered early to catch supporting act Wolfy & The Bat Cubs strutting their stuff on stage, which was a shame as their set was highly enjoyable. The five-piece play old school psych-rock with a passion, and they do their thing properly, with era appropriate outfits and a staunch devotion to their sound….
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White-boy rap is something I’ve always struggled to take seriously, and was not what I was expecting to be subjected to, as I arrived at the Buffalo Club for my weekly dose of art wank. Locals Brothers Hand Mirror put on an interesting show, with a comical set that was highly entertaining. Oscar Vincente-Slorach Thorn…
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Geelong natives The Frowning Clouds got the party started with their breezy surf infused tunes. The five piece are a tight live act who play music that was made for the beery good times. Their set was a lot of fun and they got the crowd up and moving with their incredibly catchy rock. They…
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For those of you who haven’t been keeping tabs on our coverage of the Los Angeles based festival Culture Collide over the last week, let me bring you up to date. From last Wednesday night until Saturday, a series of live events took over a variety of venues in the Echo Park/Silverlake area of Los…
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Cathartic is an appropriate term to describe the new sounds being made by Sydney based troubadour Roland Ellis and his musical cohorts – Ernest Ellis & The Panamas. With a separation from their label and a slight alteration to the band’s name their new direction has been firmly established and their latest LP Kings Canyon…
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My third night at Culture Collide was a rather brief affair due to other engagements, but I got to catch some fantastic performances from a couple of bands I know very well, and a couple others I didn’t know much about at all… First up were Netherlands based duo Death Letters. With both members under…
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And the music continues! We kicked things off on day two with the Dutch Impact Party and enjoyed the sweet sounds of bands from The Netherlands. Unfortunately we missed Death Letters (more on them later in week), but made it just in time to see the energetic performance from De Staat. Their brand of heavy…
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Wow. The weather gods do NOT like Parklife. Is it just me or does it rain on the first Sunday of every October? Though we avoided a torrential downpour, the rain did little to stop the punters from jumping in the mud – and the extreme cold did little to stop the rest from taking…
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Following a special evening of Culture Collide celebrations on Wednesday night, which included the LA premiere screening of Nirvana: Live at the Paramount (which literally had people cheering in their seats), a special DJ set from The Rapture and some entertaining dancing courtesy of Playstation Move, the festival officially kicked into gear last night with…
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Sydney trio Cameras are the next big thing in Australian music and they’re sure to have the hype machine buzzing in the lead up to the release of their debut LP this month. In Your Room is a fantastical record that plays on the light and darkness that lives within all of us. Cameras sound…
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Backstage at Parklife, Larry Heath catches up with German electronic duo Digitalism to chat about touring Australia, the world, their new album – and releasing a greatest hits record!?
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Larry Heath catches up with New Zealand group The Naked & Famous backstage at Parklife to chat about their rising popularity around the world, what’s next for the band, Lollapalooza and how the Parklife tour has been going…
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Larry Heath catches up with Canberra electronic duo The Aston Shuffle backstage at Parklife Sydney.
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