Amidst the COVID-19 quarantine, musicians have been left practically and financially uncertain, losing a substantial portion of their income having lost the ability to play live shows. Thankfully, new opportunities are popping up, and in a time where the touring industry has been effectively made redundant, the music industry has found a new way to…
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The annual Australian Music Week Conference is back for its fifth year and is returning with an impressive lineup of speakers and performers. Taking place November 2019, here are the five highlights of the week we know you won’t want to miss out on. And with many more announcements still to come, this is merely…
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A lot has changed for Jet frontman, Nic Cester, since the Australian rock icons first shot to international superstardom. It’s been over fifteen years since the band first released their debut album, Get Born. Two more albums followed and then a decade long hiatus. In recent years, the band have finally made a return, supporting Bruce…
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Parramatta’s CBD will be livened with the sound of music this weekend, as the City Of Parramatta hosts its now annual “Live and Local” event. For the second time, over 70 artists of Sydney’s West will perform throughout the CBD, taking place this Saturday, April 14. The mini-festival will last for five hours, spanning across…
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Not to be confused with fellow musician and daughter of Willie Nelson, Canadian singer songwriter Amy Nelson has long been forging her way as one of the country’s hardest touring independent artists. In Australia for shows that brought her to the east coast, Amy caught up with us in Sydney. “I came to Australia as a backpacker years and…
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Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, indie group Scenic Route to Alaska have been impressing us out on their debut Australian tour. Joining us on the couch at Leadbelly in Newtown, the trio take us through their experiences on the road for Australian Music Week and other shows scattered down the east coast. “I think a lot of…
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With his new album Adolescent Nature, Canadian troubadour Dylan Menzie has put his heart on his sleeve yet again. In Australia for Australian Music Week and also the Canada Down Under showcase in Sydney, the songwriter takes us through his new music, the reaction to it and where he’s going from here. “It’s a strange feeling, to…
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Naomi Shore and Lindsay Pratt of Twin Peaks talk name confusion, how the band formed, koalas, Australia and the supportive Canadian governments arts’ funding ahead of their showcase at Canada Down Under at Leadbelly, Newtown. “We’re just an elaborate boob joke,” the name is explained. “The whole name ‘Twin Peaks’ is because we both have…
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Vancouver’s Louise Burns has been a true highlight of the recent Canada Down Under takeover that hit Sydney’s Leadbelly venue earlier this week. The songwriter has a smashing album in Young Mopes to her name and following on from her Polaris Prize nomination, Burns has already blazed through 2017 successfully, and looks forward to a bright 2018. “It’s…
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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…
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Thursday night, American act Spoon performed to a fully packed Metro Theatre, travelling in the wake of their latest release, Hot Thoughts. The most noticeable and impressing aspect of the band’s performance was its intentional understatement: the set was free of gimmick, distracting light design, or larger-than-life rock star ego, and yet was effectively captivating in…
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Last night, 80’s parody band Steel Panther rocked The Big Top in Sydney’s Luna Park. If you’ve heard even one Steel Panther song, you know exactly what to expect from their live performance and god, I hope for their sake there was not a single feminist without a sense of humour in the audience. The…
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Playing one of the venue’s last shows ever. English rock band Def Leppard hit the Qantas Credit Union Arena this Tuesday, accompanied by openers Baby Animals and Live. Aussie rock outfit Baby Animals kicked off the night, starting off with limited energy that picked up as more and more fans trickled in for their early…
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Friday night I donned my most obnoxious striped pants to see 80’s power rockers The Darkness play the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. The band took the stage with flamboyance, Justin Hawkins sporting a gregarious black and white pinstriped suit, complete with suspenders and his name emblazoned in metallics across the back, validating my calculated fashion…
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Last night, the legendary singer of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach, hit the stage in Sydney for the first time in seven years as part of his “18 and Live” tour. The flaxen-haired front man performed at Sydney’s Metro Theatre, playing, in his words, a “sold out motherfucker.” Backed by guitarist Brent Woods, Bach was welcomed…
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On Wednesday night, award-winning singer/songwriter James Bay achieved a feat new musicians touring Australia all aim to accomplish, selling out the iconic Metro Theatre. The Sydney venue was packed to capacity as a rowdy Australian crowd waited impatiently for James Bay to join his keyboardist/guitarist, bass player, and drummer on stage. The spindly artist took…
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This year, an epic 35 year run in music is coming to its inevitable end, with Mötley Crüe making their last ever stop in Sydney at the Allphones Arena. The glam four-piece was accompanied by legend in his own right, Alice Cooper. There are few other ways to describe Cooper’s opening act as aptly as…
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Friday night, Sydney’s iconic Metro Theatre was graced for the first time by Melbourne/Sydney rockers, The Delta Riggs, who were joined by openers, Food Court and Harts, and I was lucky enough to catch it all live. As a person with a need for immediate gratification and a “skip to the main event” personality, admittedly…
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As part of our On The Rocks feature, the AU review’s Alex Houle caught up with Max Kerman, frontman of award-winning Canadian rock band, Arkells. Kerman shared with us his insightful opinion on the “death of Rock and Roll,” chatted about his musical influences and latest album, High Noon, and explained why he might never…
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As part of our On The Rocks feature yesterday, the AU review’s, Alex Houle, recently caught up with Elliott Hammond, the opinionated singer of The Delta Riggs, to chat about their recent Foo Fighters tour, their latest album, Dipz Zebazios, and the current state of Rock and Roll. In this no holds barred interview, we…
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Photo Credit: Andrew Wade No one ever asks if Hip-Hop is dead, if Pop is dead. Rarely, if ever, does any one bother to pit Country and Rap music against each other. Yet for the last 60+ years, as each decade comes to a close, there has always seemingly been an advocate for the death…
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