Luke Benge’s new project Rohypnotise made their live debut at the Phoenix on Saturday and their particular brand of chilled out dream pop made for pleasant listening. The band had a very relaxed vibe and while they aren’t the liveliest bunch I’ve ever seen, the strength of their music was obvious during the last few…
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Udays Tiger got the party started, playing to a small crowd, which was a shame as the two piece are one of the most exciting new acts in town. Nathan Morris and Devin de Araujo played a fierce set with their raw energy amplifying the brute force of their sound. Udays Tiger perform with the…
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At the tender age of 30 Ben Kweller has carved himself a remarkable career that has been going strong for over a decade and captured hearts around the globe. The nice guy of rock and roll had a chat with the AU to discuss his new record, the upcoming Australian tour, stalkers and fermented soy…
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Locals Candy To Claw kicked off the evening in fine form with an enthralling display of hard edged alt rock. Their style of music is not my thing but their live show was fun to watch as the trio lost themselves in their songs with an incredibly passionate vocal performance courtesy of Patrick McGill. Definitely…
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Those of use who live amongst the local independent scene are well initiated with the many incarnations of Zayd Marcel Thring. There is no denying the effervescent force that exudes from the man when he takes to the stage, whether it be with Pets With Pets, Towels or his latest project Ladydreams. The music is…
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The chillwave bromance was on as two of America’s hippest electronic maestro’s teamed up for a double headlining extravaganza at Melbourne’s Hi Fi bar. The sound at this venue always leaves a lot to be desired and tonight was no exception with barely audible vocals and deafening bass marring the first few minutes of Washed…
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Locals Twerps had the arduous task of warming up the crowd on an early, Wednesday evening. Their dreamy laid back pop goes down well on record, however the bulk of their set didn’t do much for me. Twerps play with no thrills, their live performance doesn’t add much to the studio recordings, they didn’t seem…
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The irony of hosting Melbourne’s hippest festival in the western suburbs will never grow old and while the party has been in its new home for the third year running, some minor teething problems are yet to be eradicated, so let’s get the whinging out of the way first. The actual set up of the…
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Berlin based duo Kool Thing performed one of the best sets of live music that I’ve seen so far this year. As soon as the house lights went down, the droning electronics kicked in and Jon Dark and Julie Chance began to move trance like to the beats, it was obvious that we were about…
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Big props to locals Loon Lake who took on the massive crowd of revellers with all the bravado of a headlining act and managed to keep them engaged and dancing for the duration of their set. There are so many guitar bands floating around at the moment that I personally find it difficult to distinguish…
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Being a pretentious wank, I’m used to attending gigs in tiny rooms with a handful of other conceited punters who spent half their night looking disinterested while composing a smarmy Facebook status update on their smart phones to show the rest of the world how cool they are. So it was a grand experience to…
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There were only a handful of punters present to witness Jimmy Hawk & The Endless Party warming the stage, which was probably for the best as the disappointing work from the sound desk made their set much worse then it otherwise would have been. The band opened with “A Fever” and the sound mix that…
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London based lo-fi rockers Yuck made waves across the blogosphere with the release of their eponymous debut LP in 2011. The AU had a quick chat with guitarist Max Bloom ahead of their upcoming Australian tour, and performances at Laneway Festival. How did Yuck meet and start playing together? It’s quite a long story but…
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A handful of punters gathered early to watch local four piece Tehachapi warming the stage. Those who arrived late deprived themselves of a sensory feast as Tehachapi put on an amazing display of aural and visual delights. Front man Costa Stefanou’s awkward banter was offset by his incredibly intense presence as the band worked seamlessly…
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New Years Eve is the most anti-climactic night out of the year and attempting to leave your house in Melbourne amongst the thousands of drunkards who take to the streets is always an interesting affair. Fortunately the crowd at the Corner Hotel were reasonably well behaved and a sizable audience gathered early to witness Ouch…
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I blame the digitisation of music, and its push for a singles-oriented market, for the host of bands who have been releasing albums this year that aren’t records in the true sense of the word, but merely a collection of tracks with no unifying purpose, featuring a couple of incredibly catchy singles buffered by mundane…
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The Phoenix Public House is quickly becoming my favourite band room in town with their cheap liquor selection and eclectic mix of both local and international talents that grace the stage. Saturday night they played host to two of the more interesting acts that operate far outside the boundaries of Triple J’s far reaching, commercially…
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Many, many years ago I randomly brought an FBI 94.5 FM mix CD called Kill Your Idols and became smitten with a relatively new act at the time called Expatriate. The Sydney based four piece later released a fantastic record and then promptly pissed off to Berlin for three years and completely dropped off the…
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Even in the midst of a torrential downpour, a large crowd gathered in the band room refusing to let the miserable weather dampen their enthusiasm for the music. First up was solo act Kikuyu a.k.a Sez Wilks who you may have already seen playing keys in Aleks & The Ramps. Her solo shows are far…
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A few brave souls withstood the sweltering heat to witness Brisbane’s DZ Deathrays in action. The two piece have a massive sound that goes off live and while it’s obvious they’ve digested a lot of DFA1979, there is enough of their own personality in the music to overcome their influences. Their set was very polished…
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Folk is a genre that doesn’t gel with everyone but occasionally an artist comes along whose music is so inherently beautiful and honest that it commands your attention. Dan Flynn is one such musician and his third LP to be released under the Major Chord moniker is gorgeously constructed pop that soothes as it inspires…
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The torrential downpour on Saturday kept the crowds at bay, with only a handful of eager punters rocking up early to catch the supporting bands. Those who opted to turn up later for the headliners missed out on a mesmerising display from locals Love Migrate. The sound mix in the band room was atrocious, with…
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Reading reviews of female artists usually gets my blood up as the rampant sexism ingrained in society overflows with reckless abandon. Bands with female members are referred to as a ‘chick band’, women are lauded for their ‘rock chick’ stylings and being ballsier then their male counterparts – as though wielding a guitar and ripping…
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Crowds in Melbourne can be a fickle thing. When going to see live bands of the softer denomination the musicians can often be drowned out by the sound of the paying punters who loudly and rudely converse for the duration of their set, which arguably defeats the purpose of going to see the band in…
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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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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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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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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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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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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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