On “The Strangest Thing” The War on Drugs‘ Adam Granduciel sings, “Am I just living between/ The beauty and the pain” – it’s a strong statement of the War on Drugs and their chief songwriter’s appeal. The six-member band has an innate ability to convey emotion and atmosphere. Lonesome guitars swirl around a steady beat conveying…
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In his second visit to our shores on the Pure Comedy tour (he was last here in July for Splendour in the Grass), Father John Misty delivered what has become something of an annual sermon to a packed Enmore Theatre in Sydney. In it, the great J Tillman leant primarily on his 2015 release I…
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At just 22 years of age, Joey Bada$$ is one of the very few emcees of this generation that could easily go toe-to-toe with the legends of yesteryear. If you weren’t convinced with his earlier, rougher material, you were surely a believer by the end of 2017, where Joey’s second studio album All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ was…
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I’ve never heard a Vince Staples song I didn’t like. The tough, nihilistic tone of his own brand of no-frills hip hop is perfectly placed over just about any contemporary production with even the slightest bounce to it, frantically transforming each beat with his elastic flow and nasal cadence whether it lean towards EDM or…
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As the usual circus that is Splendour In The Grass rolls through this vast country of ours, so too does some of the best bands currently walking the earth. One of these said bands is HAIM, and I’ll tell you what, they know how to play a live show. Here at their only headline date…
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Who doesn’t love a cover song? I have a theory that in any festival set, if a band (irrespective of their size or street cred) covers a classic song, the crowd will froth on it and that will be the biggest moment of the set. Playing their own headlining show at the Enmore Theatre, Furnace…
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Recently the best former member of One Direction, Harry Styles, came out in support of the strength and undying enthusiasm that young fans have for the artists they like. “Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool’. They like you, and they tell you. Which is…
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Laneway Festival season is upon us and though we in Sydney have more than a week to wait before it hits our city, Wednesday marked the official start of sideshows, as bands piled in from Singapore’s Laneway over the weekend. Among them were Glass Animals, who are making their second visit to our shores in…
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Eight. That’s how old I was when The Avalanches changed recorded music history with their debut album Since I Left You. I’m now 24 and having grown out of the music I was listening to as an eight year old (So Fresh Hits of Summer anyone?), I was definitely looking forward to seeing The Avalanches…
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The NYE Festival Sideshows are coming through the capital cities hard and fast this week, and last night Sydney was treated to UK artist Jamie T, fresh from Falls Festival, supported in style by locals Hockey Dad and Polish Club. Polish Club rocked the venue in their opening slot, comfortably setting the stage for duo…
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An off-shoot of the big nostalgia-fest that was “RNB (R&B) Fridays Live” had three of the tour’s standouts performing as a triple-threat at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre. D.C singer Mya, Atlanta bad boys 112, and New Jack Swingers BLACKstreet broke away from the massive throwback tour (which also featured TLC and Nelly) as a sideshow of…
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“Relevance” is a confusing term when it’s applied to hip hop. Whenever I discuss the music I tend to switch off as soon as someone says “so and so isn’t relevant” – it’s the most overused word by those who lack the knowledge or familiarity with such a complex culture and art form (I’m not…
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Over the weekend, The Jezabels returned to Sydney for their first major hometown show in quite some time; their first non-secret headline show off the back of their brilliant LP SYNTHIA. Eight songs featured from the record as they performed for nearly two hours on the iconic Enmore Theatre stage. With the main set bookended…
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If Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, Maxwell’s stunning debut album, was released today instead of two decades ago perhaps it would be him who would hold the power to glue our eyes to a live stream of a near empty room for days on end. Perhaps it would be #Maxwell that would constantly trend on Twitter…
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It had been a long five years between drinks for Australian fans of The Kills, last here for the 2011 Splendour in the Grass festival. Returning for the same event five years and one album later, the duo (performing as a quartet) sounded in top form as they ran through their latest release Ash &…
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Back in the 90s, when standards in R&B were still a thing, Brandy rose to become one of the genre’s best known and successful solo performers, eclipsing her contemporaries with a remarkably golden husky voice, defined by the kind of warmth and charisma that easily set her apart and set her on the path to…
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As the smell of weed makes its way around the Enmore Theatre, the lights go down and Gang of Youths slowly take the stage to the Rocky theme. Young girls jump up and down in trepidation, their enthusiasm a sign of what’s to come in tonight’s show. Opening with “Restraint and Release”, the crowd sing “So…
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It’s of little debate that indie-folk dreamers Daughter are one talented band. Countless times I have found myself curled up in the foetal position on my bed, their haunting melodies floating through my bedroom. Even when I’m not doing that, that’s the imagery that comes from their delicate music – the crumbling of the self. The woman…
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Tough, poetic, suffering, sensitive, Lucinda Williams’ music beautifully blends together the many (at times conflicting) characteristics of being southern, and she well and truly brought this to her show at Enmore Theatre last night. A much loved singer songwriter hailing from Louisiana, Lucinda delivered her extraordinary repertoire to the packed out room, playing to a…
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Friday night I donned my most obnoxious striped pants to see 80’s power rockers The Darkness play the Enmore Theatre in Sydney. The band took the stage with flamboyance, Justin Hawkins sporting a gregarious black and white pinstriped suit, complete with suspenders and his name emblazoned in metallics across the back, validating my calculated fashion…
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Homecoming shows are always going to special for bands. But in the age of social media, with so many average videos uploaded to your choice of social media channel, the exclusivity of a live gig is slowly beginning to dwindle. With this in mind, for a band to sell out a medium sized venue without…
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Gurrumul kicked off his highly anticipated Australian Theatre tour in Sydney, with a wonderful show at the Enmore Theatre. Gwen Lee caught some amazing shots of the artist, supported by Caiti Baker.
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Cartoons and confetti on a weeknight sound like a child’s dream and Porter Robinson’s Worlds show at the Enmore Theatre was a dream of sorts. He moved through the new record almost seamlessly with striking visuals and festival-sized effects that made it feel like there was more than one young producer up on stage. Porter…
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Johnny Marr and his band played a brilliant set at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney, supported by Flyying Colours! Gwen Lee was down there to grab these amazing shots!
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Hermitude seize the improvised element of a live rock show and run it through their own, and the effect is captivating. All I could think is why aren’t they performing at an overseas festival right now.* Sydney’s Enmore Theatre crowd was rowdy an hour before the duo even took to the stage, thanks to warm-up…
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First Aid Kit returned to Sydney tonight, playing the Enmore Theatre in what was their biggest ever headline show in our city. Gwendolyn Lee was there and brings us these photos:
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The Veronicas returned to the stage in Sydney last night, playing the iconic Metro Theatre supported by Dean Ray. Gwendolyn Lee was there and brings us these photos:
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Returning to the stage after undergoing surgery last year, Kasey Chambers brought her new album Bittersweet through Sydney over the weekend. Supported by Harry Hookey, she put on a great gig – Gwen Lee caught the following photos from the night!
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Iconic British duo LAMB are currently in Australia with their new album Backspace Unwind and a highly anticipated live show – their gig in Sydney last night did not disappoint. Gwen Lee was there for the AU and captured these snaps of their performance.
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The Gaslight Anthem brought their swag of hits, including material from their latest album Get Hurt, through Sydney over the weekend! Photos by Gwendolyn Lee.
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