In this month’s edition of “The AU Monthly Review”, we look back over the month of May, which unfortunately got off to a sombre start…
1. In Memoriam – Adam Yauch, Donna Summer and Robin Gibb
The theory of “bad news comes in threes” seems to ring true in this instance as we learn that co-founder of Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch, disco diva Donna Summer and founding member of the Bee Gees, Robin Gibb, all succumb to their illnesses and leave behind legacies to be admired and respected.
2. Prince’s Purple Reign
The Artist Formerly Known As Prince descended into Australia amongst a frenzied fanbase as he mesmerised the lucky attendees at his Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane shows. Multiple encores and hysteria ensued as he continued to “party like it’s 1999”, despite house lights being on, as well as unsuspecting crowds starting to dissipate into the night.
3. Touring as a means to combat piracy and bankruptcy
It was recently revealed in the Sydney Morning Herald that many Australian musicians, including Seekae and John Butler, solely survive by touring domestically and internationally, as piracy continues to plague the problematic local music industry, and a rising gap between financially successful and struggling musicians.
4. The Top 50 Australian Guitarists of All Time
Australian Guitar Magazine recently published the prestigious list, with the top 10 (ranked) being:
1. Angus Young (ACDC)
2. Tommy Emmanuel
3. Ian Moss (Cold Chisel)
4. Chris Cheney (The Living End)
5. Rick Brewster (The Angels)
6. Slava Grigoryan (Slava Grigoryan)
7. Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman, The Visitors)
8. Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil)
9. Lobby Loyde (Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs)
10. Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool)
To see who else made the cut, you can check out the full list here:
http://www.australianguitarmag.com.au/2012/05/top-50-australian-guitarists-of-all-time/
5. Coaster Festival cancelled
Instead of producing a line-up, Gosford’s Coaster Festival decided to announce their absence from this year’s calendar, by making a statement on their Facebook page: “To all of our Coaster friends and everyone that has come to one of our shows over the past four years, we wanted to let you know that we will not be running Coaster in 2012. We are looking to return sometime in the future and thank every single person who helped make Coaster so much fun to be a part of.” Sad times indeed.
6. Coldplay announce their much anticipated Australian Tour
After their cancelled February promotional tour left fans in limbo, it’s full steam ahead as Coldplay make up for lost time by headlining a national tour in November, with stops in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, to the relief of many excited concert-goers who perhaps are hoping to receive glowing wristbands called “Xylobands”, despite the gimmick costing the band a pretty penny.
7. Brett Domino
The 29-year-old man from Leeds and former Britain’s Got Talent contestant grabbed our attention this month as he ploughed his way through the Top 10 UK Singles Chart and most recently, produced a clever rendition of Daft Punk’s “Aerodynamic” using a peculiar contraption called a Stylophone.
8. Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Budding pop artist, Loreen, belted her way through the competition to win the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest with her performance of “Euphoria”. The Swedish singer was the clear winner on 372 points, ahead of countries such as Russia on 259 points with the bouncy Buranovskiye Babushki grandmothers and their infectious single, “Party For Everybody”.
9. Kylie Minogue releases video for new single, Timebomb
Our princess of pop is back and looking better than ever with a new song that has already caused a ruckus as a #1 worldwide trending topic on Twitter. The video has a slight “Ray of Light” vibe and we’re pretty sure that the black mini dress she’s wearing in the clip will become the new version of yesteryear’s gold hotpants and white hooded jumpsuit.
10. Vivid Sydney (May 25 – June 11)
Sydney has turned into the city of lights and plays host to a bunch of creative geniuses as the festival of music, lights and ideas, otherwise known as Vivid, is on. Every night, there will be dazzling displays of laser beams shone down on iconic landmarks throughout Circular Quay and performances by some of the biggest names in music.
For more information, you can check out their website: http://www.vividsydney.com/
