Hungry Kids of Hungary took on the East Brunswick club for the second time this year, playing to a full house with the last tickets snapped up before the doors to the bandroom opened. Playing the final leg of theirShady Haze of Winter tour, the challenge was on to see if the boys could warm up the…
Read MoreTonight was night three of Laura Imbruglia’s Excelsior Hotel August residency, and the first time I’d ever had the opportunity to catch the singer/songwriter in action. Following on from “Country Laura” and “Acoustic Laura”, tonight she was in band mode, performing as a three piece, with support from locals Machine Machine. The five piece set the night off with a polished…
Read MoreVOTING HAS NOW CLOSED IN THIS COMPETITION We’re pleased to announce the WINNERS of the AU review band competition! Congratulations to Dirt Farmer and Dan Webb, both from Melbourne. Thanks to everyone that voted for their favourite artists! You can listen to all 6 finalists below. BANDS Big Old Bears (Perth) With influences dating back to…
Read MoreWe at the AU review think this is one of the coolest festivals of the year, so it’s a pity to see them in trouble. However, you can help! They’ve announced a 2-for-1 offer which is pretty damn kind of them. Even if you’ve already bought a ticket, you can bring a friend! Here are…
Read MoreAh, Meredith time approaches for another year. And now here’s most of the lineup! In the press release they said: “We are beyond proud of this one – it’s über-appropriate for The 20th Meredith: Grand, Pirate and Fun.” You know what? We couldn’t agree more. DIRTY THREE / WASHED OUT / LITTLE RED / GIRLS…
Read MoreAs they tour around Australia supporting Slash and playing their own shows, celebrating the launch of their new album, we chatted to the lead singer of Australia’s own Juke Kartel. Now based in Los Angeles, Toby Rand talks about Slash, living in the USA and their new album! Hi Toby! Thanks for taking the time…
Read MoreWhen it comes to visits from iconic hip hop artists, for once I’m happy to say we’ve been spoilt down here in Australia. In the last year alone, we’ve had a veritable wet dream lineup of America’s finest artists on our shores: Wu-Tang, Method Man and Redman, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Boi (Outkast), Busta…
Read MoreTo celebrate the release of LONG GONE WHISTLE The Songs Of Maurice Frawley, co-producers and creative partners; Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen have invited the performers of LONG GONE WHISTLE to join them on stage at the fundraising album launch which will be held on Thursday August 19th at The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda. The…
Read MoreAs New Zealand’s Artisan Guns travel around Australia with The Holidays and Hungry Kids of Hungary, supporting their new EP “Hearts”, I chatted with guitarist Jonathan Pearce about their East Coast tour, the new EP and more! Hey Guys! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! My pleasure! It’s Jonathan here, I’m the…
Read MoreSplendour in the Grass 2010. It’s a festival we’re all still talking about here at AU HQ – and so we thought we’d let a few more contributors (reviewers and photographers) share their experiences with you … Johnny Au: As a complete novice to camping at festivals I approached Splendour with a fair amount of…
Read MoreIt’s been a while since we’ve heard from Killing Heidi’s Elle and Jesse Hooper. In the early 00s, it was hard to avoid their music, but as the scene changed, and their audience grew older, so did they, essentially disappearing from the scene after the release of their third album in 2004. It was at…
Read MoreHip Hop fans young and old filled the Hordern Pavilion to capacity on Wednesday night, there to experience the legends of the genre in the flesh: A Tribe Called Quest. For some in the room, tonight was not only a night they’d waited almost two decades to experience, but a night they perhaps never thought…
Read MoreI understand it was your birthday yesterday! Indeed, yes! So how hungover are you? Pretty hungover! *laughs* I read on your Twitter account that you had about 20 interviews to do in Australia today! That’s one kind of birthday present I suppose… It’s always nice to have so much love coming from Australia. At least…
Read MoreAs Andy Bull just finished mixing his new EP, The Phantom Pains, he has given a bunch of Sydneysiders the unique privilege to hear some of his new materials at Raval in Surry Hills, Sydney. It is also only a few days after Triple J, the nationally-networked Australian radio station, aired his new song “Dog”, featuring…
Read MoreTICKET DETAILS: Standard Tickets: $135 + $7bf = $142 (no hidden charges) “More Expensive” Tickets: $195 + $7bf = $202 (no hidden charges) “More Expensive” ticket gets you access to the delightfully shaded “Botanic Bar”, which includes: * Speedier bar and a shit-load of toilets * A viewing platform to relax and unwind * A…
Read MoreA new Summa, a new flavour….Summadayze. Summadayze returns to Australia 2011! Here’s the lowdown on the first announcement. Head to the artist bios to find out if they’re playing in your city! David Guetta Armin Van Buuren* Justice (DJ Set)* N*E*R*D* Armand Van Helden* Bob Sinclar Chromeo* Boys Noize Erol Alkan* Miami Horror Claude Von…
Read MoreSunset Sounds’ smooth grooves and fine rockin’ tunes are warming up for this hot summer festival – back for the third year in 2011 after sell out shows the past two years running. Set under the lush green canopies of Brisbane’s magnificent City and Botanic Gardens, this gathering of superfine artists from near and far…
Read MoreThe Falls Music and Arts Festival jukebox is bursting with goodness, spinning inside, raring to be unleashed. Lean over and flick through because this sound machine is filled to the brim with talent from near and far that will make your skin tingle and your mind blow. Celebrating a magnificent 18 years in Lorne and…
Read MoreThe new LP from Melbourne’s Gosteleradio Good Deeds Against the Dead is a down beat affair that sounds as though it was written under the influence of a cocktail of illicit substances and Pink Floyd’s back catalogue. Formed as a side project of Plug in City and TTT, Gosteleradio are one of the more interesting…
Read MoreSOUNDWAVE RETURNS, BIGGER, BETTER & GOING WHERE NO FESTIVAL HAS GONE BEFORE… There used to be a saying at Soundwave that no one band is bigger than the festival. That saying will be tested in 2011 as we proudly announce a rare chance to see rock legends IRON MAIDEN as the headline artist for next…
Read MoreBuick Six aren’t releasing ground breaking music. Everything on their Common Arms EP is derivative of seventies rock and the early nineties garage scene. However, there is something obscenely endearing about their particular brand of guitar driven rock that is packed full of energy, mischief and killer hooks. The boys from Brisbane have taken on…
Read MoreBrisbane artist Dan Parsons made the trek down to Melbourne this weekend to showcase the tunes from his debut LP Firestarter. First stop was a set with the full band at The Toff In Town, a cozy venue with a lively atmosphere that suited the mood of the music. Parsons is a confident entertainer who…
Read MoreAs I entered the Splendour grounds for the final day – exhausted, aching, sunburnt – I couldn’t help but feel quite at a loss as to what my life would be like without sleeping in an overheated van, experiencing such amazing music in the middle of nowhere. It has truly been an outstanding weekend I…
Read MoreAll girl rock bands are not only few and far between in the current live music scene, but I think it’s fair to say that they’ve always been a rarity. Enter Creepers, a five piece Sydney band, made up entirely of talented females, two of which kick the shit out of the drums quite frequently….
Read MoreWhen attending Splendour in the Grass, one part of the day quite difficult to make it in time for is anything pre-Noon. Two bands who fit into this category conveniently joined forces for a wonderful evening at the Oxford Art Factory, and my final Splendour in the Grass sideshow for 2010. Having regretfully missed a…
Read MoreHere’s a scrawling of memories regarding a gig at the lovely Factory Theatre in Sydney that involved a certain formido Leporidae – Frightened Rabbit to quote the Latin. I arrived a little late and missed the start of support act Sierra Fin. However, the group showed some nice enthusiasm, especially drummer Frosty who used his…
Read MoreBroken Social Scene is a group that masters the art of musical collaboration, a talent which has shaped the constant development and diversity of sound which exists in their music. With the ubiquitous dynamic between its varied and multiple members, and the resulting sentience in their sound, Broken Social Scene have become one of the…
Read More48 hours or so after Splendour came to an end, I return to Sydney slightly under the weather, with the memories of an excellent weekend that passed by all too quickly. Thankfully, the sideshows continue around the city and the country, keeping our live music withdrawals at bay – at least for the moment. The…
Read MoreThe wonderful fortnight of Splendour in the Grass sideshows continued last night with the sole international hip hop artist to get a spot on the lineup: Canada’s K-OS. Catching him briefly at Splendour and being blown away by his set at Good Vibrations many years ago, I had eagerly anticipated his sideshow. I arrived at…
Read MoreFrom the minute I entered the venue on day two, I found myself feeling much more a part of the festival atmosphere than I did the day prior. What would go on to happen today and the next would prove Splendour 2010 to be the best festival I’ve ever attended in the Southern Hemisphere –…
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