Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.
FINALLY! FRANZ HAVE RETURNED! And they’re making new music too! For us Franz Ferdinand fans, it’s a very exciting time indeed – and well overdue. But for those of us who were already attending The Hives on the evening of the 6th when their gig was announced for the same night, disappointment was definitely the…
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Now the first thing you may wonder when you look at the above picture is: Wait a minute, is that Vinnie Chase / Adrian Grenier in a band? Did I just miss Adrian Grenier in Sydney? The answer to both is, indeed, yes. With Adrian playing both guitar and drums (usually the latter) in The…
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Man. Where do you even begin with these guys? Fun. Energetic. Ridiculous. Crazy. Hilarious. Grammatically Incorrect. If you didn’t have a smile on your face during this entire gig, then you really must have been having a pretty awful day. Its gigs like this that remind me how much fun live music can be when…
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Although I missed Perth’s wunderkinds Tame Impala, I think for many they would have been the highlight of the night. Indeed, there was a good bit of fun to follow… but I’m going to say this outright: MGMT are an awful live band, and Luke Steele’s solo tracks leave quite a lot to be desired….
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I think it would be fair to say that most people were fairly blown away by the show Kanye West put on at Good Vibrations 2008. In fact, the whole festival seemed to be just a lead up to a production the likes of which I’ve never seen at a festival before – costume changes,…
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Like V Festival before it, Australia’s latest English export has arrived in spectacular fashion, taking over the Hordern Pavilion and its surrounds this past Saturday. And with a crowd as diverse as the bands and DJs who graced the 5 stages, this was a day to be enjoyed by everyone, young and old alike. But…
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When Bloc Party last came to town, they played the Hordern Pavilion with a show that sold out in seconds. But still a little peeved off about the leak of A Weekend in the City MONTHS before it’s street release, no longer would the band be playing any new material at concerts – so this…
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With a barrage of quality bands, DJs and a guaranteed packed dance floor (not something you can say for most band nights), Mum at World Bar is definitely one of the best places to experience local music on a Friday night. And for only $10, it’s a bargain too! Last week’s gig was certainly no…
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Another year, another Newtown Festival… felt like just yesterday that the last one rolled around! But admittedly, it has been several years since I’ve attended the free event – now in its 30th year – and I must say it really was bigger than ever – not in size nor in the quality of the…
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An excellent night of Aussie Rock n’ Roll was set off in style by The Wahas, one of the few local young bands left standing following Operator Please’s ride to stardom, which gave hope to high school bands across the country. Indeed, most of these guys are doing their HSC exams as we speak, but…
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Fresh off the announcements of major spots at NeverEverLand (UK and Australia), Shore Thing and Good Vibrations… oh and then those ARIA awards as well… The Presets returned last night for a free hometown show that packed not only the Apple Store, but the streets outside as well. I think it’s fair to say that…
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Actually arriving in time for a change to see the support act, Tame Impala, I must say these Perth boys are different to what I was expecting. They are, after all, Modular’s latest prodigal children, so the concept of “dance music” is the first thing that comes to mind. But instead, they seem to be…
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Another year, another Parklife festival – although this is the first year I’ve actually attended. While always one of the hottest tickets in town, there does generally seem to be a post-event “oh, yeah it was OK… but had a great time with my mates” kind of vibe. And I think I’m going to have…
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This year has been an amazing one for live music in Sydney, especially for yours truly – finally being given the opportunity to see bands that I’ve been listening to since I was a young one! And having missed them last time they were in town (and then having their last tour coinciding with Bluesfest…
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I must admit that I didn’t go to this concert knowing any of Conor’s solo stuff, with the exception of the recent single “Souled Out!” Likewise, I never quite got into Bright Eyes the way others did, so I certainly wasn’t attending with an expectation to hear the better known music. I still don’t own…
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Sydney’s newest live music night is Wednesdays at Ruby Rabbit on Oxford Street, in which a local up-and-coming band is given the rare opportunity to headline, with guest DJs and performance artists rounding the rest of the night off. And in the second week of their new event, Ruby Rabbit welcomed to the stage Sydney’s…
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“The Great Escape” time has arrived! Well, it would have had it not been cancelled much to my dismay. In its place is the barrage of remaining “sideshows.” The first of these happened last night with Ladytron from the UK hitting the all ages Metro stage, in what was surprisingly their first ever concert in…
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A surprisingly small crowd featured at this Thursday night gig, and I myself missed the opening act Made in Japan, but nonetheless both The Silents from Perth and Sydney’s own Peabody put on a stirring performance for those who turned up, including The Silent’s label mates The Vines. The Silents are easily one of the…
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Despite not being the most well known of the street festivals in Sydney (even though it’s really the only decent one I’ve been to), these guys certainly manage to get some of the hottest acts in town…. and even more surprising: they managed some of the first great weather of the spring! Arriving to the…
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It’s taken a bloody long time for The Kooks to finally make it to our shores – and this, their first of 3 Sydney shows (if the MySpace one counts), finally gave audiences what they’d been waiting so long for. And didn’t disappoint! It’s taken a bloody long time for The Kooks to finally make…
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After traveling around the world several times, seeing concerts all over the place along the way, last week’s Death Cab for Cutie concert in Sydney proved one thing to me: We have some of the rudest crowds in the world. Such is to be expected, some may argue, with all ages gigs – the idea…
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Hype. If there was one word to describe this band, it would be that. No other indie band has ever gotten so much press so quickly … not even The Arctic Monkeys had it so good. Well that was the case in New York, at any rate, with Vampire Weekend taking the prestigious cover spot…
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