Londoners Bombay Bicycle Club have perfected the art of writing catchy, inoffensive pop that showcases their ability to recreate the sounds of their idols without injecting any of their own personality into the music. Their debut LP I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose is a so-so effort that plays it safe with…
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It’s been a long time in the works but UK electro-punks Does It Offend You, Yeah? are finally ready to drop their sophomore record Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You. The AU Review caught up with synth maestro Dan Coop ahead of the official Australian release to discuss the new album and everything in between….
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Sydney trio Mere Women do the whole minimalist experimental thing, but they don’t do it well live. The split male and female vocals may work in the studio, but without auto tune to help them out, they were horrendously off key and there was far too much awkward banter between tracks with the band arguing…
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A sea of black, excessive hair product and copious amounts of eyeliner invaded the showgrounds, ready to get their hardcore on at Soundwave 2011. Being metal’s answer to Big Day Out, the crowds were just as massive and the facilities to cater for them hopelessly inadequate. In between waiting in line 30 minutes to get…
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An evening spent with Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley is akin to downing a bottle of absinthe, surviving and waking up the next afternoon naked in a park, not quite knowing how you got there, but being sure you really enjoyed yourself. The theatrics were at an all time high, with both artists giving their…
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Concept records can be a hit and miss in terms of substance, structure and the overall aesthetic of the finished product. Melbourne duo Big Scary have done well with the marketing idea behind their Four Seasons compilation, which is the amalgamation of tracks from their four EP’s Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer. Much like the…
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Another day passes, and another cracker band from Brisbane drops a hot new single for the indie kids to go nuts for. Ball Park Music infected the airwaves last year with their perfectly crafted pop gem, “Sad Rude Future Dude”, that sports the unforgettable lyrics, ‘I only have sex with myself’. The six-piece have nailed…
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A while back I read about Columbian Chaz Bundick, who plays under the name Toro Y Moi on one of my favourite blogs. On the strength of their recommendation alone I headed off to The Workers Club to catch the man in action on his first Australian tour. Bundick rose from the ashes of the…
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Brian Henry Hooper has spent the past 25 years establishing a name for himself at the forefront of the Australian music scene. He’s played with Kim Salmon and The Surrealists and Beasts of Bourbon and even collaborated with the dark lord himself – Nick Cave. These days Hooper fronts his own band, who are aptly…
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I’ve been a Dandy Warhols fan since heroin was so passé, and after running into Brent DeBoer in the crowd at Laneway Festival and chatting about his new Melbourne-based side project Immigrant Union, a trip to the The Tote was in order to check out their live show. Sharing the Thursday night residency were Triple…
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It’s been 20 years since the release of De La Soul’s ground breaking record De La Soul Is Dead and to celebrate, Posdnous, Trugoy and Maseo threw one hell of a party at Melbourne’s Billboard Nightclub. Legendary hip hop producer and one half of the illustrious Handsome Boy Modelling School Prince Paul kicked off the…
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The independent music scene in 2011 seems to be inundated with skinny jean wearing synth pop maestro’s and minimalist experimental mayhem that is all starting to sound tired and blasé. Perth quartet Boom! Bap! Pow! have bucked the trend and are bringing back the swingin 60’s with their joyous motown inspired grooves and a recently…
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The Laneway Festival has outgrown the tiny back alleys of its humble beginnings and come into fruition at its new home the Footscray Community Arts Centre. The sprawling grounds and grassy knolls were perfect for festival madness, although it was a fair hike between two of the main stages which made it difficult to try…
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Minimalism seems to be the new black and there’s a lot to be said about the power one man, his voice and a guitar can wield. Local Sam Winters doesn’t have the story telling prowess of his contemporaries, but there is something earnest in his vocals and the delivery of his latest project (as a…
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Leone Western are a couple of lads from the Western suburbs of Melbourne who got their hands on a collection of drum machines and synthesisers, wrote a few tunes and independently released their debut EP Hearts’ Still Beating in late 2010. Their music is very raw, as self-produced work often is, and far be it…
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The hippies were out in force and flooded the Forum with their dreadlocks, ponchos and eager anticipation to see the great messiah Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros weave their magic upon a welcoming Melbourne crowd. Supporting the ramshackle crew were delightful locals Wagons and their tongue-in-cheek alt. county styling’s. Henry Wagons becomes more endearing…
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There are an awful lot of indie bands cropping up out of the wood work who are cranking out the lo-fi dream pop or ’80s synth soundscapes like their synthesisers are about to be put out to pasture. These bands all seem to find their home at The Workers Club and their Summer Series, which…
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It was a quiet night of laid back minimalist pop as punters spread out on the floor of the band room to take in the sounds of US natives Mountain Man. Supporting the girls on their first Australian tour were New Zealand duo Wet Wings. I’m yet to decide whether I liked Wet Wings or…
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It felt as though it were a hundred million degrees inside the Tote band room as the sold out crowd packed themselves in for a night of garage, punk mayhem with Californian rockers Thee Oh Sees. Supports for the night were local noise duo Super Wild Horses with their short, sparse tunes. Amy Franz and…
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Pyramid Rock Festival has had its fair share of controversy since its humble beginnings back in 2004, and after the apocalyptic electrical storm that brought the party to a standstill in 2009, festival organisers have been working overtime all year to ensure a smooth, safe and fun experience for punters on the island. Their hard…
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The second day of a festival is always epic struggle town and after the fucking awesome party of day one, it was pleasantly surprising to see so many other bleary eyed, sun burned, slightly nauseated looking punters up and about early, keen to catch Papa vs. Pretty who took to the main stage at a…
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In this day and age of digital media overload and home recording set-ups, every goose with garage band is uploading their tunes to MySpace and inflicting their angst upon the world, making it difficult for the true talents to stand out in a crowd of internet mediocrity. Locals King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard probably…
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I’m beginning to think there are steroids in the Brisbane water supply. The local bands continue to crank out track after track of indie pop perfection that packs a punch with killer hooks and an overwhelming sense of adventure. Blame Ringo are the latest act to join the ranks of Hungary Kids of Hungry, John…
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Swirling, ethereal melodies that are drenched in old world romanticism, with all the melodrama of a day time soap, this is what Cameras have delivered with their stunning debut EP Polarise. The trio from Sydney comprised of Fraser Harvey (vox, guitar) Eleanor Dunlop (vox, keys) and Ben Mason (drums) are set to make a name…
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Deep Sea Arcade are one of the many Aussie bands who’ve I’ve heard on the radio, thought they were alright and have been meaning to go out and see their live show for ages and never actually did. Finally I got my chance to see the five piece from Sydney strut their stuff at the…
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It was a night of experimental mayhem with Melbourne’s finest art-pop hipsters Rat vs. Possum playing their last headlining show for the year. Supporting them were Towels , a relatively new band and a welcome addition to the local live scene. Comprised of James Unlimited, Zayd (Pets with Pets) and Tom Zimmer, the three piece…
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While working the afternoon shift is great as you are able to sleep in everyday, finishing work late in the evening seriously impinges on one’s pub going time. Fortunately I arrived at the band room early enough to catch the end of I Am Giant’s set, which was, in a word, massive. I’m not quite…
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Its been a big year for Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight, the brain children behind NSW’s next big thing, Jinja Safari. The boys hit up the East Brunswick Club for the final show of their Forest Eyes Tour, bring Fishing and Alpine along with them for the ride. With Alpine cancelling due to illness, it was left up to Sydney…
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Appearances can be deceiving and when Alyx Dennison and Freya Berkhout quietly walk onstage and take their place behind their instruments set up on stacks of milk crates you would be forgiven for wondering what kind of weird amateur production you’re going to be subjected to. As soon as they start to sing, all apprehension…
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Knowing that Brooke Addamo is yet another pretty young Australian Idol reject, I was ready to write off her music as more over produced blasé pop nonsense without a second thought. And whilst she’s definitely not breaking any new ground with her sickly sweet 80’s synth pop, Addamo is set to make her mark on…
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