As 2024 comes to its end, I’ve always enjoyed being able to head out and catch a couple local bands get in their last shows for the year, as they cap off what could have been a pivotal year of change for them. In this instance, it was Annie Hamilton headlining the last of her…
Read More
One of the world’s most acclaimed musicians, Detroit’s Jack White, is in Sydney this weekend following a run of shows in Victoria as part of the Always Live initiative. Originally expected to be exclusive to the southern state – as was St Vincent in recent weeks – NSW fans were elated to see the iconic…
Read More
Have you been to a rave at Sydney’s Carriageworks? You may have popped by the Carriageworks Farmers Markets, gazed in wonder at Sydney Contemporary and strutted your stuff at Fashion Week, but seeing a big, blinding rave at this arts and lifestyle institution is just as essential. I once saw Grace Jones in the belly…
Read More
In town for a run of Good Things sideshows, Bowling For Soup returned to our shores to also play a selection of sideshows. Managing to pack out the Metro Theatre on a Tuesday night, the Texas band brought the best of their 30 year deep catalogue, while also throwing in a couple special treats for…
Read More
You know it’s a big deal when bassist Mark Stoermer pops up on stage. Stoermer might be The Killers’ original bassist, but a combination of tinnitus and back issues means the prodigiously talented musician rarely tours with the band. Similarly, Dave Keuning’s luscious locks are barely seen when The Killers flirt around the word. And…
Read More
There are very good reasons why the Meredith Music Festival is celebrating the 32nd edition of the event. It’s a combination of the vision of the Nolan Family, who own the farm that the event is hosted on and the support of the community who come together to make it happen. There are a few…
Read More
Few performers have redefined artistry across recording, live performance and fan service quite as profoundly as Jack White. From the eccentricities of Nashville’s brick and mortar Third Man Records, live shows with no setlist, crew members dressed in full suit and tie and publishing full gig audio and photos after the fact, White has cemented…
Read More
Melbourne kicked off Australia’s annual Good Things Festival yesterday, drawing thousands of heavy music fans for a packed day of performances. With nu-metal legends Korn and pop-punk icons Sum 41 originally headlining, the event promised to deliver an unforgettable experience. However, a significant last-minute lineup change and looming storm clouds added unexpected challenges to the…
Read More
These days it is increasingly common to see VIP experiences on offer when tours go on sale. Crowded House‘s Gravity Stairs Tour, currently in Sydney on the forecourt of the beautiful Sydney Opera House, included the option to purchase a VIP soundcheck experience alongside access to the show. This afternoon I had the chance to…
Read More
A lot can change in ten years. Economics, politicians, relationships, the ability of your football team to win four grand finals in a row. What hasn’t changed though is the quality of The Gaslight Anthem‘s live show. Returning to Australian shores for the first time in a decade, the New Jersey band, led by frontman…
Read More
Prior to the release of Tiny Habit’s debut album, All For Something back in May, I was a total newcomer to the indie-folk trio from Boston, Massachusetts. After reviewing the album however, I started scouring the internet for tour info, regularly checking the Australia Post app for my “coke bottle clear” vinyl and pestering anyone…
Read More
It was a line-up resplendent in ‘90s/’00s Australian music royalty. A line-up that has probably never been in the same place at the same time, and almost certainly never will again. Such was the bulk of the quintuple-pronged show that it started at the ungodly early time of 5:30pm on a Friday. This meant that…
Read More
The Kid LAROI was initially scheduled to tour back in February, but now that the tour has been rescheduled to November, it’s all worth the wait. There was a definite buzz of anticipation as the audience filled the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. Rap artist Quavo was unable to perform, so Kid LAROI’s DJ, TJ Mizell took…
Read More
Full disclosure: I am not a religious person, but Thursday night at Brisbane’s Riverstage I may have experienced something akin to a conversion. Through a few small miracles and a touch of divine intervention, James Blunt’s first Australian stop on the Who We Used To Be tour was easily one of the best shows of the…
Read More
It’s hard to believe that Hoodoo Gurus released their debut album Stoneage Romeos forty years ago. Winning awards in the day, it’s as fresh and exciting now as it was back then. The sold out crowd crammed the three levels of the Hindley Street Music Hall to witness rock history. Opening act, Dallas Crane are…
Read More
If you’d arrived at Sydney Olympic Park’s showground early enough (and 6pm is very early) , you’d have seen Eddie Vedder introducing the Cosmic Psychos to the crowd as one of his favourite bands. The seminal Melbourne punk band really don’t need much introduction, just a small bit of stage and a mic. What they…
Read More
Black Francis doesn’t like talking, and he isn’t afraid to let you know that. “We’re happy to be here. Many people think we aren’t because we don’t talk much, but we are,” he says casually into the microphone before his band, Pixies, give us two nonstop hours of snub-nosed rock & roll. “When you talk,…
Read More
It was a beautifully balmy Tuesday evening at The Drive for Troye Sivan‘s Something to Give Each Other Adelaide stopover. The Drive as a venue has come a long way since it was Memorial Drive back in the day, hosting the likes of Rod Stewart and Midnight Oil. Since the Adelaide Oval modernisation, the Drive’s subsequent…
Read More
Toronto has always had a remarkable love for live music, but when the Eras Tour rolled into the Rogers Centre, it felt like the city had been swept up in something even bigger than usual. Having attended her Reputation Tour here in 2018, I thought that was the pinnacle of Taylor Swift’s stadium performances—but somehow,…
Read More
In 1956, Eurovision began. In 2015, Australia joined. Now in 2024, Eurovision has come to Australia. The world’s biggest and most extravagant music contest is touring for the first time in its history, so it only makes sense that after visiting the likes of London, Paris and Madrid, Australia would be next. All parties knew…
Read More
BLOKBSTR are a band that are probably hoping not to be pigeon-holed. The three-piece from Sydney gave us a bit of everything. Samples, instrument swaps, wacky dancing and lots..and lots of voice reverb. Their fun pop-rock translates into an entertaining opening to the night, with a crowd they dubbed as the biggest they’d played enjoying…
Read More
For the fourth year of Froth and Fury, the festival moved down the road to Hart’s Mill. One assumes that it was due to logistical reasons; not having to close off roads, two stages side by side, and more space. There are still three stages, with the Froth and Fury stages alternating shows, with the…
Read More
Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known professionally as Hozier, is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. You may know him from the viral song “Take Me to Church”, but he is so much more than that. On Friday evening at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, he bought a full repertoire of songs from his collection of folk, soul and…
Read More
The growl from the stage at the Enmore as the early crowd shuffled in was nothing short of ferocious as abrasive punk lords, C.O.F.F.I.N (Children of Finland Fighting in Norway) warmed up the almost capacity crowd. The Sydney group formed almost 20 years ago and continue to make visceral Australia punk-rock peaking just last year…
Read More
If the remaining members of the Beastie Boys ever wanted to recreate the music video for “Intergalactic” surely Chris Martin wouldn’t mind stepping in for the late, great MCA. I’m not sure when Coldplay became obsessed with the galaxy but the band has been doing this titanic, leave-the-world-behind super-pop thing for many years now. It’s…
Read More
Historically Hayley Mary has never failed to deliver. One of the best vocalists of the past 15 years or so, she has always crushed a live show. Heading out on her own on the back of her debut solo album Roman XS, she brought the goods once more to Sydney’s Waywards club. After a couple of…
Read More
A sinister wall of synths and strings shoots from the tiny Sydney Opera House forecourt stage. One of music’s most formidable creatives is cheering himself on as the flickering orange glow illuminates his half-cocked cackle, making him look like a mad scientist as he fiddles away with his equipment and twists his arms into the…
Read More
The poison chalice of rock and roll superstardom is the seductive, yet false, promise of eternal youth. Like lightning in a bottle, the volatile mix of youth and adolescent rebellion—capturing the pulse of a generation at precisely the right moment—feels unstoppable. Immune to time. But inevitably, that image cracks, and even the greats confront the…
Read More
I still remember the cracks clearly. The first one reverberated up my right leg to let me know something was wrong, while the second immediately followed and sent me into a panic. A sprain? Annoying. It’ll heal. But how did I sprain my foot at a concert? It’s Halloween in 2010 and I’m watching Nas,…
Read More
It’ll be no surprise to hear fans who didn’t snap up a ticket feel the sting of regret once The Weeknd completes his two sold-out performances in Sydney. Once videos emerge, reviews are written and photo galleries are published (ours is here), it’ll become clear that those not at Accor Stadium on October 23 or…
Read More
