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.
Ahead of their upcoming tour of Australia as part of Bluesfest, we caught up with Wilco’s long term bassist John Stirratt to discuss the bands most recent album The Whole Love, as well as the secret to the bands longevity, the weather and whether or not work has begun on a follow up. I suppose a…
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The second day of the Southbound festival saw temperatures rise well past the coolness of the first day and had the majority of festival goers opting for the shade of the Share Stage. Jinja Safari (pictured) kicked off my second day of the festival in their usual vibrant style. It was an unsurprisingly fun set,…
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Another year, another Southbound Festival and despite predictions of the opposite, attendance was up on last year, with the vast majority of the attendees opting to camp on site for the weekends festivities. Though this years line-up may not have been at its most buzz-worthy, it was still a fine collection of acts over the…
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Friday night saw Perth’s Amplifier Bar play host to a collection of local talent, the majority of whom I was seeing for the first time, for the launch of Our Man In Berlin’s video for latest single “Bled Dry” off forthcoming EP Paint The Lies. I unfortunately missed a good portion of opening act Lanark’s…
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Sometimes it’s the smaller intimate gigs that are the more memorable. Brett Winterford’s show at Perth’s YaYas was one of those shows. Being a Thursday night, the audience was a lamentable one in terms of size. What would have been an already intimate show, became that much more intimate. There was none of the awkwardness…
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Following the release of their debut self titled EP and the subsequent release tour, we caught up with Melbourne’s Texture Like Sun to find out a little more about them, their EP and the upcoming tour. The band will be playing a homecoming show at Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club on the 15th November. Who do…
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Back in Australia for a string of dates to support the release of his new EP Toe Jam we caught up with AGT alumni Joe Robinson to discuss his latest album, playing with his heroes and what to expect from his live shows. What was it that first made you pick up the guitar? I…
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Former Idol winner Wes Carr has returned with Blood & Bone the debut EP from his new project Buffalo Tales. Anyone tuning in to hear a collection of pleasant radio friendly pop rock songs are going to be sorely disappointed. Blood & Bone is a completely different beast from Carr previous output, a return to…
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A Year At Sea is the debut album from Sydney’s Winter People. Released on the 21st September the album is a real delight; a sophisticated synergy of the styles, with a rich modern approach rubbing shoulders with more traditional folk sensibilities. For a debut album it’s really quite ambitious, with moody atmospherics and swirling instrumentation….
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Many of you will undoubtedly remember Wes Carr as the winner of Australian Idol a few years ago. Since then Carr has had a pretty eventful time. He was dropped by his label, turned a plane around, and done plenty of soul searching. Now he’s back with his debut release Blood & Bone under his…
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Many will undoubtedly be familiar with the Oedipus myth, even if only in passing; we have Freud to thank for that. On the Misconception of Oedipus posits itself before the events of the famous play by Sophocles or Seneca; a prequel of sorts. But it’s also a meditation on fate and the shadow it casts…
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Ahead of the release of their second album we caught up with Wil Wagner, vocalist of Melbourne’s Smith Street Band to find out more about their latest album Sunshine and Technology as well as what it’s like touring with the likes of Frank Turner and Fucked Up. Sunshine and Technology is released on 24th August…
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It’s been nine years since international troubadour Carus Thompson released the career defining double live album Acoustic at the Norfolk. Plenty has changed in those nine years, there have been albums recorded, tours completed and Thompson has found himself become both a husband and a father. Nine years on, Thompson found himself back at the…
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Ahead of his debut Australian tour we catch up with British singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich to find about more about his debut album Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm and to find out what he has in store for Australian audiences. Hey, how are you? Hey, good thanks man, how are you? Yeah not too bad…
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Static on the Airwaves is the tenth album from British folk punks The Levellers and marks their first release since 2008. Traditionally there has always been an element of sedition and the political to folk music, most recently the British far right tried unsuccessfully to commandeer the genre for its own purpose. The Levellers are…
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On the eve of the release of their seventh album Heaven we caught up with The Walkmen’s Pete Bauer to discuss the latest record, life on the road and the highs and lows of their ten years making music together. Hey, how are you? Hey, I’m good I’m completely confused with the time differences at…
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Thursday night saw The Bakery open its doors to the public for Jumpclimb’s WAMi Showcase, the fourth in a series of showcases highlighting the breadth and variety of the West Australian music scene. Bastian’s Happy Flight ended a two month live hiatus to open the night with a set chock full of 80s style synth…
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The Bakery played host to the final showcase of the WAMi Festival on Friday, with The Wire magazine organising a showcase filled with some of Perth’s best emerging talent; all of whom happened to be launching something, be it a single, album or music video. The Warning Birds kicked off proceedings to an already ample…
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It’s been two years since Paul Marshall a.k.a Lone Wolf released his acclaimed record The Devil and I. We decided to catch up with him and have a chat about his latest project, The Lovers, an album whose production is being partially funded by fans. Find out about the new record below, as well as…
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Last week saw Kim Churchill‘s national tour roll into Western Australia, with a selection of dates, including Saturday night’s show at Fremantle’s Norfolk Basement. The venue’s intimate nature providing perhaps the perfect setting to see the evenings two acts at work. Sometimes keeping things simple is the right way to go. Sometimes you just need…
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Frank Turner’s Australian tour rolled into Perth this week, bringing with him friends old and new. If you doubt the power of rock and roll, you should really come to a Frank Turner gig. An undeniably charismatic performer, Turner is able to successfully bring together such seemingly disparate music lovers. There aren’t too many gigs…
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Before the gents from Perth’s Split Seconds head out on the road for a national tour promoting their latest single “Top Floor”, we caught up with them to have a quick chat and find out a little bit more about them, here’s what we discovered: How did the band meet? Mostly at various pubs around…
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Ahead of the release of his debut solo album, we catch up with singer-songwriter Simone Felice, to chat about his new album, his miraculous recovery from a near death experience, and his plans for the future. Hey, How are you today? Simon, Hi, How are you? Good thanks, though it’s still a little early for…
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Sunday saw the return of the West Coast Blues and Roots Festival to Fremantle Park. Now in its ninth year, the festival produced a diverse line up, full of local, national and international talent. Despite the ominous rain clouds at the beginning of the day, the event went ahead with only a slight shower of…
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PÝR is the latest EP from Perth rockers Heytesburg, and is only the band’s second ever release. I feel the need to point that out only because they don’t really sound like a band in the early years of their career. As with their first EP, the ambitious and atmospheric From The River I Come,…
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Ahead of his run of sold out shows we catch up with Irish folk sensation James Vincent McMorrow to find out a bit more about what audiences can expect from his impending visit. We also discuss his debut album Early In The Morning and discuss the influence of soul music and Sufjan Stevens on his…
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Mercury Prize nominee and British folk multi-instrumentalist Seth Lakeman, along with his band, will be coming to Australia for the first time next month. The tour will see Lakeman joining forces with friend and touring companion Carus Thompson on a series of dates that will see him playing Bluesfest and the Fairbridge Folk Festival, along…
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Wednesday night saw The Bakery play host to one of the world’s latest soul sensations, Charles Bradley. Backed by His Extraordinaires, Bradley put on an impressive show, and one, which will surely stick in the memory for quite some time. DJ Charlie Bucket warmed up the crowd, with a few choice selections, including the odd…
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Ahead of the launch of PÝR the bands second EP we check in with Perth’s Heytesburg to have chat about the inspiration behind the new EP, working with Matt Gio and where the name Heytesburg came from as well as their plans for the future. PÝR is being launched at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday…
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The Carolina Chocolate Drops have released Leaving Eden, the follow up to the critically acclaimed Genuine Negro Jig. It’s fairly clear from the outset that this record isn’t going to be for everyone. You’re not going to be seeing singles from this record racing up the charts. What you do get however is the chance…
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