Waking up for the final day of Splendour in the Grass has always been tough. You’re generally two or three days into an ongoing party, you’re tired, sore, ears are ringing and haven’t had a proper meal in days. I’m sure this was a fair assessment for most punters on site, irrespective of whether they…
Read More
Day two of Splendour in the Grass kicked off under sunny skies and solid vibes all round. My lower back has pulled up reasonably well after realising yesterday I am now about 400 in festival years. While I loved my camping days of Splendours past, nothing can heat a warm and dry bed, insulated walls…
Read More
Ever had an existential crisis at a festival? Because I sure did at day one of Splendour In The Grass 2023. Respectively looking and feeling 10 and 25 years older than the median age of all attendees, it dawned on me as I walked into the festival that I’m surely coming towards the end of…
Read More
When was the last time you heard a band make their debut album a double album? I can only think of one and I’m fairly confident that unless you’re also thinking of The Regime and their Love Funky Revolution release then you’re going to struggle. After a few years of lighting up hometown stages with…
Read More
With 2023 just past its half way point, we’re taking a look at look at some of our favourite albums released over the past six months. 2023 has started off with plenty quality releases that are sure to remain on repeat as we head into the second half of the year. With the year already…
Read More
Months after announcing they were breaking up, Camp Cope has confirmed one final show at the Sydney Opera House. On the back of three critically acclaimed albums, the Australian band has developed a loyal and fierce following over the past 8 years, all the while taking on the industry and misogyny one ripping song at…
Read More
With anything in life, when you know you’re onto a good thing, you’d be a fool to change it up. Whether a lifestyle, relationship or career, for most people consistency in their life is key to success. This extends to musicians. And yet, sometimes even when you’re at the top of your game, change is…
Read More
On the coldest May night in living memory for Sydneysiders, venturing out to a gig wasn’t on the top of my priorities list as I sat in front of the fire wondering if I should have a beer while my girlfriend got ready for night shift on a hospital ward. Fortunately, I decided drinking at…
Read More
With the 21st edition of Splendour in the Grass announced to go down from 21-23 July, we thought it was about damn time to get both the magic 8 ball and crystal ball out and begin to speculate as to whom might be playing the North Byron Parkland this July. With a strong history of…
Read More
I’ve been fortunate to see Florence + The Machine five times, and every time it’s been one of the best two-hour experiences of my year. This time was no different. Returning to the country for the first time in more than four years, Florence Welch and co greeted the Sydney crowd like old friends and…
Read More
Me (a casual Bon Iver fan actively trying to troll my die-hard Bon Iver fan mate before the show): I really hope he opens with “Skinny Love”. Imagine the scenes. My mate (very matter-of-factly): He won’t open with it. He won’t even play it. Little did we know we’d both be wrong (my mate especially),…
Read More
Considering I’m still relatively young, 20 years is a long time. It’s been more than 20 years since I first heard a song by Andrew McMahon, but they still hit as well in 2023 as they did then. Touring under his own name and moniker Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, this three date solo tour…
Read More
On a warm summer night in February, a small English band lit up a small Sydney stage in a display of class, wit and banter. This could be the start of a joke, but Yard Act are no joke; they’re the real deal. In the country for Laneway Festival, Yard Act put their debut album…
Read More
It’s that time of year when our team of music writers and editors get together to count down the 40 best albums of the year. And while this has been no usual year, the quality of music that has been released has been incredibly high. Suffice it to say, this has been a very difficult…
Read More
With 2022 just past its halfway point, we’re taking a look at some of our favourite albums released over the past six months. 2022 has started off with plenty of quality releases that are sure to remain on repeat as we head into the second half of the year. With the year already off to…
Read More
Slowly building their sound over the past 4 years, Sydney lords Johnny Hunter are here with their debut album Want – and it’s everything you could have hoped for from the band. For the uninitiated, Johnny Hunter have been slogging away since emerging from the shadows of Sydney’s grim (read non-exist) nightlife in ’18/’19. They…
Read More
Vivid Live returned to Sydney for the first time in three years, giving Meg Mac a chance to return to the stage and successfully close out the festival. Playing her first Sydney show in close to three years, the Melbourne artist was better than she’s ever been and returned to the stage with more confidence,…
Read More
Is there a better way to celebrate your 500th show than with 5000 of your closest friends? I’m here to tell you the answer is no, dear reader. Seven albums in and on the back of their newest album Weirder & Weirder, Ball Park Music returned to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion and showed the crowd how…
Read More
Almost 15 years since the release of their debut album Antidotes, English legends Foals are back with LP 7, the incredibly dance and groove heavy Life Is Yours and I’m here to tell you it’s a pop laden masterpiece. One of the best bands to ever do it in a studio and on a dance…
Read More
You know that TikTok that says something along the lines of ‘things in my x that just make sense’? Well that’s sort of like listening to a Ball Park Music album; everything in it just makes sense. It must be hard being Australia’s loveliest band. Not only do you have to worry about releasing album…
Read More
It’s been close to a decade since I first heard of Annie Hamilton. Since her time in Little May, there’s been a gradual smattering of treats from Hamilton as she developed her sound. Having worked and played with a myriad of artists in recent years, including Jack River and The National’s Aaron Dessner, Hamilton has…
Read More
What feels like a million years in the making, Mallrat‘s debut album is here and it’s ready to win over everyone willing to be won over. Coming six years after her debut EP and a plethora of massive singles, Butterfly Blue has been worth the wait for Mallrat fans and music lovers alike. After slowly…
Read More
In our new series, we’re taking a dive into local independent breweries and doing our best impression of being a Cicerone, by matching the brewery’s beers with a band. We’ll be taste testing the best a brewery has to offer and teaming tipples with tracks, all to make that drinking experience even more special. This…
Read More
The third album has always seemingly been the make or break album for a lot of bands. Often garnering some love on the first album after a string of successful EPs and singles, a band might follow up with the fabled sophomore slump or recycle reliable sounds from their first album and release as new…
Read More
Wet Leg feels like a band that would have absolutely dominated that teen blog/ tumblr period of 2007-2012. Maybe it’s because I was at the peak of my awkward teen powers in that period, but having listened through the self-titled debut album from The Isle of Wight act a couple of times now, their sound…
Read More
Camp Cope recently covered Sam Fender’s track “Seventeen Going Under”. There’s a line in the song that’s gone TikTok viral, but also equally represents the progression of Camp Cope pretty well. ‘That’s the thing with anger/ it begs to stick around’. It’s poignant and pertinent but easily highlights the longevity and mentality of the Melbourne…
Read More
In a brand new series, we’ll be taking a dive into local independent breweries and doing our best impression of being a Cicerone, by matching the brewery’s beers with a band. We’ll be taste testing the best a brewery has to offer and teaming tipples with tracks, all to make that drinking experience even more…
Read More
Darren Hanlon is one of this country’s most underrated and best storytellers. That’s a fact. Now more than 20 years in the game, Hanlon is back with Life Tax, a tender and wholesome take on life in 2022 and living simply. Coming almost seven years since his last album, Where Did You Come From?, Hanlon’s…
Read More
Now a month and a half into the year, 2022 has started off well with plenty of notable albums and singles released so far both domestically and abroad. But what about those acts that we think are going to burst out and make waves this year? Below we’ve compiled a list of 22 artists that…
Read More
There’s always something fun about artists throwing it back to a time where music was nothing more than stories, vocals, guitar and percussion. Here on his third album, Wiradjuri Country artist William Crighton is all guns blazing as he takes the listener into his mind and experiences with Water and Dust; a vast and sprawling release that…
Read More