Books Editor. An admirer of songs and reader of books. Simon has a PhD in English and Comparative Literature. All errant apostrophes are his own.
Meet Bruce. He’s a “hero” cop, turned bestselling author, turned astronaut, turned time traveller. He’s also the titular star of Tim Watts’ and Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd’s new production Bruce. Oh and in case you hadn’t noticed already he’s a giant yellow foam block. Suffice to say this is a show like none other you will see…
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Ahead of a string of East Coast dates Warning Birds’ Sam Carmody took some time out from touring to have a chat about the band’s forthcoming EP The Wars, the story behind their new single “Horrors” and a few early tour highlights. What was the inspiration behind your upcoming single “Horrors”? In a way “Horrors”…
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Last week Dan Sultan brought his ‘Back to Basics’ solo tour to a close with an intimate sold out gig at Perth’s Ellington Jazz Club. With his band at home back in Melbourne and with no support, Sultan took to the stage alone, with only a guitar and a piano for company. What followed over…
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Ahead of performances for Falls Festival and Sydney Festival, we catch up with Omara ‘Bombino‘ Moctar to talk about his upcoming tour, making music, highlights of 2013, the new record Nomad and more! How did you first start getting into music? Who were your inspirations? When I was a child I would hear traditional Tuareg…
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Thursday night saw Sydney troubadour Patrick James kick off the first of two intimate shows in WA in support of new single “Wait”, with a packed performance at The Ellington Jazz Club. None too shabby for an artist who hadn’t played a headline show in the state before. The evening’s support came in the form…
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This week the Australian leg of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Old Ideas World Tour’ arrived in Western Australia with a packed show at the Perth Arena. At 79 years old, Cohen doesn’t look to be slowing down any, treating his Perth fans to a three-hour set, that featured, a good twenty songs and not one, but two…
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Thursday night saw Canadian singer-songwriter Tim Chaisson, who is currently touring the country with Diesel in support of their joint EP Last Shower, stop in at Perth’s Ellington Jazz Club for an intimate solo performance. Unfortunately, being mid-week, the night never really threatened to sell out. Even by the time Chaisson took to the stage…
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‘Boy meets girl…’ – On the face of it, Trampoline is about just that – a boy (Matt) meeting a girl (Kelly) and falling in love. If only it was as simple as that. Matt is a compulsive dreamer, the lines between reality and his dreams are blurred, meaning most of his attempts to have…
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Following their four WAM nominations, Perth’s Rainy Day Women returned home from a national tour to launch their latest single “Ain’t It Time?” at Perth’s Amplifier Bar. Completing the bill were fellow locals PUMBA, Our Man In Berlin and 44th Sunset. Opening proceedings were PUMBA, playing only their second ever show. Not that you would…
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In the build up to his impending tour across the country supporting Xavier Rudd and Donavon Frankenreiter we caught up with Nahko Bear for a quick chat to find out a little more about him and his music. For those that may not have heard your music before, how would you describe your sound? It’s…
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The Boat Goes Over The Mountain is the latest theatrical instalment in the current season at Perth’s Blue Room Theatre. Presented by Happy Dagger Theatre, and developed by and starring Andrew Hale; the production is essentially a one-man play, with accompaniment of a miscellany of instruments from Dave Richardson. It is a frantic mediation on…
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Ahead of their first tour to Australia and New Zealand since 2010 we caught up with lead singer and guitarist Joey Burns of Calexico to have a chat about their most recent album Algiers, recording in New Orleans, killing time on tour and much more. Hello, how are you? I’m good, thanks for calling Simon….
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The Little Mermaid. Many of you are sitting there thinking you know the story; you might even be humming “Under the Sea” to yourself. What you may be unaware that the Disney like with many of its miscellany of movies drew inspiration from fairy tales, predominantly those written by Hans Christen Andersen. However, unlike their…
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Hedda, currently being presented at Perth’s The Blue Room Theatre, is a reinterpretation of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s classic play Hedda Gabler; originally written and produced in the 19th century. A multicultural effort of sorts, the production sees Norwegian actress and producer Marthe Snorresdotter Rovik collaborate with actor and director Renato Febratti, a graduate of…
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In anticipation of the release of his new album Bright Sunny South, we caught up with folk singer and multi instrumentalist Sam Amidon to discover a bit more about the album’s background, and Amidon’s own musical background and inspirations. Hi, how are you? Good, how’s it going? Good thank you, I’ve had a day off…
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This year’s run of the Groovin’ the Moo festival came to a close at Bunbury’s Hay Park on Saturday. Though the festival has been running for a couple of years now, this was the first time I’d ventured along, drawn in part by an eclectic line-up of both Australian and international artists. The festival was…
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Monday night saw Beth Orton kick off her current Australian tour at St. Joseph’s Church in Subiaco, Perth. It was quite simply put an exquisite night of music, with Orton, despite fighting off a cold and jet lag, in fine form. Though as the night progressed it became quickly clear that church pews aren’t designed…
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Bowengabbie. A small town, once the jewel in the crown of the Australian preserve industry, has faded into obscurity. The town’s youth departing in their droves for the city in search of better prospects and more money. Leaving behind an increasingly aging population. Add to that an eclectic and eccentric cast of characters, and the…
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Many of us dream of recording EPs and working with musical heavyweights, though I’d hazard a guess that only a handful of us get to live out that dream. But at just 21, Melbourne’s Hamish Anderson has done just that. His debut self titled EP was released just last week, and saw him working with…
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English playwright Caryl Churchill’s play A Number is the latest production to be presented by Perth Theatre Company, the first of their new season. Directed by Artistic Director Melissa Cantwell, the production is subtle and thought provoking, leaving the audience with lingering questions and plenty to think about. Though ostensibly the play could be described…
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Perth singer-songwriter James Teague is currently coming to the tail end of a month long nationwide tour in support of his latest single “Where Sorrow Is Forgotten (In The Great Divine)” from his debut album Lavender Prayers, released last year. We caught up with him to find out more about his influences, the album, and…
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After a six year hiatus from the music business, Beth Orton returned last year with her album Sugaring Season. We catch up with her ahead of her upcoming tour; part of Heavenly Sounds concert series, which will see her playing in some of Australia’s finest churches and cathedrals, to find out more about the album,…
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Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and oft performed plays. It is a play that has become deeply engrained in popular culture and most can quote a line from the play. The main character is an iconic role, one which many actors strive towards. Though it is a tough act to follow, with the…
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I’ve been waiting to see The Tallest Man on Earth live for a while now. I missed out on tickets to his sold out show at the Rosemount Hotel on his last Australian tour, so on the news that he would be heading back down to Australia, and playing the Perth Festival I jumped at…
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Tuesday night saw Cat Power stop in at the Perth Festival Gardens for the first of two shows. It was her second show of the tour in Australia, following a run of two shows in New Zealand. I can’t say it was the best performance I have seen from Chan Marshall, but was by no…
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For a little while now I’ve found myself falling under the spell of the music coming out of New Orleans. So I jumped at the chance of seeing one of the cities renowned brass bands, The Soul Rebels, when they stopped off in Perth for the arts festival. Expectations were high and exceeded in a…
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As many of you are undoubtedly aware, in 2011 there was an uprising of the Egyptian people against President Hosni Mubarak, the leader at the time. An uprising that successfully saw Mubarak removed from power, and became the catalyst for other uprisings in what became dubbed the “Arab Spring”. Since then media coverage has dropped…
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Every now and then I like to step outside of my comfort zone when it comes to gigs. The Raah Project’s show at the Perth Festival on Friday proved to me that this can only lead to good things. Theirs was a performance that was entertaining and at times nothing short of exquisite, a captivating…
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Friday night saw former Fleet Foxes drummer J Tillman take to the stage of the Perth International Arts Festival, for the first show of his latest Australian tour as Father John Misty. Opening proceedings were local Alt. Country band Ruby Boots, fresh from a month long tour over East in support of new single “Kellie…
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Well that’s it. The last Laneway Festival of the year has come and gone. The festivals run of shows came to a sweltering sold-out climax at Perth’s Cultural precinct. Looking at the line-up (Of Monsters and Men & The Reubens in particular) it’s hardly surprising that Perth along with a number of the other dates…
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