The Rosemount Hotel’s concert room is packed wall to wall for this sold-out show. Most of the other shows on this tour are also selling out, including the night before at Mojo’s in Fremantle. Clews were mesmerising. They have a stage presence that is electric and at first, under-appreciated by the chattering Rosemount crowd. They soon grab the crowd’s attention, though, especially when they play latest release, Crushed, a standout number. After a number of as yet  unreleased numbers that remind me a little of rockers Stonefield, Clews finish with their hit Museum, and leave the stage to huge applause. It is another twenty minutes before Holy Holy take to the stage. The band are fronted by Oscar and Tim on vocals and guitar, along with guitarist and producer, Matt, and drummer Ryan. The crowd is weirdly rowdy tonight, with a couple of almost fights and a few people dragged out by security. But there is an infectious anticipation just before Holy Holy hit the stage. Firs...

It was quite fitting that the day Sydney received a month’s worth of rain Icelandic producer Olafur Arnalds landed in town for his show at the Opera House. The city had come to a grinding halt with flights cancelled and roads closed and Arnalds was fortunate to touchdown two hours before the show started.  Composer Max Richter had to deal with similar conditions two years ago when he played his eight hour opus Sleep at the Opera House for the VIVID Festival. Arnalds is renowned for blending cinematic soundscapes with piano loops and ambient electronics, the multi-instrumentalist is in Australia to tour his new album Re:member. Arnalds walked onto the lowlit concert hall  with his string quartet and a drummer and took a seat at one of his three pianos. He said they had come all the way from Iceland by boat a month or so ago and was relieved they arrived safely, especially in light of the storms. The audience were then asked to sing back one note to Arnalds so he could re...

Joe Satriani fans rejoice! At long last, the documentary “Beyond the Supernova” is available as part of an incredible box set Including the film, 32 songs of previously unreleased music, and more! Visit the site for all the details of this super limited set and get your pre-order now! Ready Set Go! First set at Joe Satriani’s ‘What happen’s Next’ Melbourne show did not disappoint. There was no support act at 8:15pm just straight down to business with Joe and his band. With amazing sound from Ibanez signature designed electric guitars, Marshall Amps, Korg keyboards at the iconic heritage listed Forum , it was certainly a rocking night. What a fabulous choice for a venue!! The current live touring band rocking 6 cities in Australia included the 15 time grammy nominated star himself, Joe Satriani, the amazing Mike Keneally on guitar/keyboards, Bryan Beller, bass guitarist, and Joe Travers on drums, from Pennyslvania, U.S. With the Melbourne show not sold out, the queue of people pr...

Just off the back of winning an ARIA for best music video is Dean Lewis’ Australian tour, stopping in at the Croxton Bandroom in Melbourne on Friday night. Australian artists Jack Gray and Robinson had the crowd huddled in and warmed up in preparation for Lewis’s set in the dimly blue-lit room. “How ya doin? This is my first tour” Lewis announced, waving and beaming as he bounded energetically onto stage, to which the audience screamed deafeningly as the first notes of Lose My Mind we’re struck up by his 4-piece band. Lewis is gifted with a voice that translates beautifully to live performances and has the quality of a studio recording. Paired with his iconic upbeat guitar and commanding voice the audience bopped up and down as Lewis strummed on his acoustic guitar. However, it wasn’t a long-lasting dance party as Lewis quickly transitioned into his more emotional tracks and took to his keyboard. “Hey you guys wanna hear a really sad love song?” he asked his audience as the li...

Who doesn’t love a good old fun, filthy party eh?? Well on Thursday night I jumped on a train and took myself into Sydney to experience one of the best mother-crapping parties in all of the land: Bloc Party!! The London based rock outfit have come Down Under to tour their original debut album, Silent Alarm, and man am I happy about it. They played old tunes, new tunes, slow tunes, insane tunes, basically just a consistent string of ridiculously delightful tunes. Opening the night we had artsy girls Haiku Hands. I’d heard these chicks milling around on Triple J quite a bit over the past year, so I was interested to catch them live. Originally, I wasn’t too sure if they would fit the bill for Bloc Party, but once we were a few songs in I was like ‘ohhhh yeah I get it now’. They were confident, creative, and totally bloody crazy, with their songs preaching femme power and pooploads of fun. The crowd started off small, but gradually grew as people began to get sucked in by the girls’...

Perth based band Great Gable put a subtle twist on the alternative-indie sound. Familiar faces to supporting the likes of The Jungle Giants, The Jezebels and Ocean Alley, they mix lo-fi sounding vocals with unheard of guitar rifts. Their crowds yearn for the quartet’s groovy and mellow vibe, which is almost lazy, in the best way possible. Their tour was for their newly released hit single Goldem Slums, but brought a heap of old energy with them. The newly formed band play as if they’ve been playing for decades. Their stage style is carefree, almost apathetic in a way that mesmerises you. The band started out playing tracks from their earlier EP, Modern Interactions, having an even-tempered and gentle feel in such an intimate venue. They performed Early Morning and Something to Say, starting with a slow, easy going tempo. Things really picked up early when the quartet smack out Punga, which got the crowd dancing together with beers to the roof. A clear highlight would be when ...

The Breeders performed at the Sydney Opera House on 30 November. Although they’ve not set foot on these shores since 2013, the fans’ favourite line-up consisting of the Deal sisters (identical twins Kim and Kelley), Josephine Wiggs and drummer Jim Macpherson that reformed in 2012, played to a packed audience in the Opera House Concert Hall. Although the name ‘Breeders’ was used by the Deal sisters for a folk duo they formed in their teens, the contemporary version of The Breeders began in 1989 when Kim Deal, bassist in The Pixies, got together with Tanya Donnelly, then guitarist of Throwing Muses, whilst The Pixies were on hiatus. A critically-acclaimed album, Pod, was released in the interim, which the troubled Nirvana singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain hailed as his favourite album. A year later The Pixies disbanded, so Kim, who felt creatively stifled in the group, was enabled to focus her songwriting talents on the new project. In time, Kim’s twin sister Kelley joined a revised ...

New Jersey rock veterans BON JOVI brought their explosive act back to Australia after a 5 year absence and did not disappoint. With BIRDS OF TOKYO in tow as support act, and the December weather giving way to a soft warm evening, the night was due to be a great one. A large majority of the 60,000+ crowd being made up of Bon Jovi’s older original fans, it’s clear that the guys have well and truly kept their fanbase around, regardless of the years that may have passed. Starting 5 minutes early, Birds of Tokyo began their act to a near empty arena and I couldn’t help but feel bad for them as they put on a fantastic performance. The entire arena was seated apart from a small general standing section at the back of the grounds, which seemed unfortunate but understandably necessary for such a large expected crowd. BOT’s sound tech was a godsend, sounding absolutely on point – it could almost have been played straight from the record it was so clear and distinct. The clear vocals and well-...

Dean Lewis could be Australia’s teenage dream. The singer and songwriter from Sydney has all those classically attractive Australian traits, a shaggy mop of hair that suggests he may have just come back from a surf. Weary blue eyes that stoically stare out and a laid back straight down-the-line way of speaking. Couple that with his knack for writing soul-baring lyrics, and there is a reason why there was a high proportion of young women in the sold-out crowd at The Astor Theatre. Telling the audience straight off the bat that he ‘wrote most of my songs in my bedroom’. His songs have an intimate feel and even with hundreds of people singing along Lewis was able to maintain a sense of intimacy throughout the show as he switched between his guitars and keyboard and ably backed by his band. The lights went out and the crowd let out an excited scream as Lewis and his band came out for a short and snappy hour-long set beginning with ‘Lose My Mind’. In all its live glory the song lift...

Ahhhh, ‘tis finally the season for Frosty Fruits and unwarranted day drinking, otherwise known as Aussie summer. The days of sucking down soup while freezing your nips off under a thousand blankets are goneskies! It’s time to whip out those calves and douse your face in glitter, because that ALSO means its Music Festival Season! Woohoo! I got to start my fezzie season early this year by heading out to Grapevine Gathering in the Hunter Valley. The event has only been happening for a couple of years, and well I can officially say that losing my Grapevine virginity was beyond riveting. It was honestly such a cracker of a day, mixing together beaut bands, wonderful sunny weather, and of course the most important thing of all: wine. The bus queue in Newy was ginormous, which meant we got to the festival a little later than expected, but it gave me and my mate time to finish an extra cider so all was still well. When I eventually jumped off the bus at Roche Estate, I was overwhelmed...

It’s the first weekend of summer and what better way to spend your day than in 40-degree heat watching some amazing live music. As the grounds of Sirromet Winery started to fill, the excitement was clear on everyone’s faces. They filed in early, with people getting their position on the hill with their picnic blankets and chairs.  No one cared about the Queensland heat, they were there to have a good time. Kicking off the day was Bachelor Girl. This is the first tour for Bachelor Girl since reforming last year. They opened up the day with “Blown Away”, followed on by “Permission To Shine”. Bachelor Girl are working on a new album which will hopefully be released next year. They made this announcement as they smashed into new song “Calling Out Your Name”. The energy Tania had on stage was amazing, considering she is from Stockholm where it is cold six months of the year. She made jokes about how hot it is here in Queensland, and she thought that it looks like she’s crying bec...

Back on Australian shores for the second time this year, Neck Deep have spent the last week headlining shows across the nation. After wrapping up a world tour earlier this year, the boys decided they weren’t finished with The Peace & The Panic era and proceeded to announce another round of world tour dates. Recently celebrating 6 years since their first ever show, it’s surreal to see just how much they have accomplished in just a few years. The Peace & The Panic charted at no.8 on the ARIA charts when it was released back in August of 2017. Stateside, Between You And Me & Stand Atlantic were in my opinion the perfect trio of support acts for this tour. With a cover of Avril Lavignes’ Sk8r Boy, crowd dives and santa hats, they definitely got the crowd geared up for Neck Deep. It’s so good to see internationally renowned bands supporting our local Aussie scene. Neck Deep finally hit the stage with Motion Sickness and it’s easy to see from the get go that we’re in for ...

‘Headstrong, Heartstrong’ by C for Caroline is ‘Wunderbar!’ You may feel ‘Freudentränen’ upon hearing this album! You must check this album out, the perfect album for summer! Warm nights of cruising and days on the beach! C for Caroline, the hi energy 3 piece Pop punk band from Hanover, Germany is creating colour pop waves!!  They first burst onto the music scene in 2007. After reaching the semi-final at the Emergenza band contest, a demo was recorded In Berlin.  In 2008, the band starts playing at many concerts and festivals kicking their career right off. An EP follows in 2013 called ‘Ready to go’. They then started working on their ripper first full length album in 2016. As soon as I heard this album I thought Blink 182 and Green Day vibes. Good Charlotte.  Wheatus. Very Americana – targeting a teenage audience.  Their first song released off their album is ‘The Greatest Story’ (ever told) and I am sure it is going to be a world wide smash hit. Their new...

After taking a short break following their debut releases, the hit single Crash and their album Slow Borders, the Phil Edwards Band have resurfaced with a line-up change, a bunch of new tunes and a fresh lease of life, which is evident on this new single Cabin in the Woods. This single is a marked progression from their earlier material, whose style was summery and a little more pop orientated, and although the same instrumentation is in place—guitar, bass, drums, vocals—there is new layer threaded through the music. It’s no less gentle and delicate but feels in some ways weightier, as though a new level of intimacy has been appropriated. The song’s lyric can be best described as a meditation on the joys of living a simple life and reconnecting with nature. The idea of reconnecting with nature is used here as a metaphor regarding the connection to another person. With a less interesting and arresting voice such an idea might come off as conventional, but Phil Edwards’ vulnerable...

The third annual National Live Music Awards, hosted simultaneously in 8 cities around the country, was held at the Phoenix in Canberra’s CBD and celebrated the rich and diverse talent the national capital has to offer. Presented by Chris Endrey of Endrey and Fun Machine the awards were sponsored by APRA AMCOS, Jamison and Panhead, with all profits going to Support Act a charity dedicated to addressing the mental health issues so prevalent in the music industry. Opening the event was local four-piece Sputnik Sweetheart, an upbeat, glossy pop-rock four piece who’s guitarist worked in a slightly jazzy feel to their sound. After a quick set Endrey presented the first three awards of the night with Phoenix taking out the trophy for Best Live Venue, Spilt Milk winning Best Live Event and Girls Rock taking home Best All Ages Achievement. After a short break Evan Buckley, voice of local favourites The Burley Griffin, did an acoustic folky-pop set and won the room over with the tradema...

Spilling Milk and Getting Ants is the debut EP from Melbourne Indie Rock band, Therapy Dog. The project’s creator, frontman and singer songwriter Josh Hicks, started Therapy Dog as a more personal, intimate outlet for his own music, while remaining a member of another Melbourne Rock band, Useless Spaceman. Heavily influenced by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, The Smith Street Band, Counting Crows and Matchbox Twenty, Therapy Dog is the result of what Josh describes as his “failure to imitate them”; the music drenched in heartache, reflection on life and love, current social issues, the pursuit of happiness, hope and self improvement. Since the beginning of Therapy Dog, the one man band has evolved to three, with singer songwriter Damon Langley and Liz Lea joining Josh to play bass and lead guitar respectively. The debut EP was written, recorded, mixed and mastered by Josh with a laptop and simple set up. Evolving from an EP that was originally meant to be a single/B-Side creatio...

British India have embarked on their Nic The Poet East Coast Tour and brought it to Tattersalls in Penrith, Sydney. This tour is a special one as their guitarist and founder Nic Wilson has announced his retirement from music. So this tour is a goodbye from Nic, but you know he won’t go without a bang. British India also brought along Inklines and Social On The Veranda for the tour. Up first was a three piece band from the Northern Beaches in Sydney; Inklines. With their alt-rock sound and tight presence on stage, they got Penrith up and running. Inklines performed songs from their debut EP Willing & Able. Performing their latest single Back To Me with its rock burst and softer moments, it was a dynamic punch. Not to mention their instrumental breaks within their tracks that show off what their band is made of. Luckily for us, we were treated to a cover – Inklines covered British rock band Royal Blood‘s Come On Over. It was a more heavier sound than Inklines  but they sma...

From the moment the group step on stage, you know this is going to be a trip back in time. The four band members who present world-famous Led Zeppelin cover show No Quarter: Hammer of the Gods are dressed just like Zeppelin would have been in the 1970s, with their long, flowing hair, loud shirts and tight flared jeans. No Quarter start the night with the distinctive chords of Immigrant Song, a strong start to an explosive set. No Quarter’s “Robert Plant,” Michael Anderson, shares many snippets of information about Led Zeppelin as they cycle through their albums, which adds a nice touch to the show. He is not a direct replica of Robert Plant; rather, he makes the role and vocals especially his own. He is constantly moving, either behind the microphone or to the side, clicking his fingers and rocking to the music. He starts telling us all the places they have toured down the west coast of the US, which seems a bit corny, but then it all becomes clear when he says they were “Going ...

They say beneficial things come in little bundles and this was unquestionably the situation for Alison Wonderland's show and the Enmore Theater! Having seen the Australian EDM DJ perform at Yours and Owls Festival not long ago, I realized I was going to have a decent time however I didn't expect the visual and melodic marvelous I was going to be a piece of that night. As her logo seemed to be "scorched" into the screens behind her DJ table the shouts of her fans around me were stunning. The murmur of a tune began playing as she seemed in front of an audience, playing out her first tune of the night and the title of her visit: 'Conscious'. I was inclining toward the boundary watching the children before me go totally nuts over hearing Alison Wonderland play a tune they perceive. Individuals were shouting, bouncing, moving, getting on one another's shoulders and truly having a decent time. I perceived this 'Alert' from her set at Good Things ...

The night has desired Sydney Siders who have sat tight for This house isn't available to be purchased visit to achieve our shores. It has been a long time since Bon Jovi visited Australia and you can feel the power of energy working as time taps on for the ongoing lobby of popularity inductees to hit the stage. ANZ Stadium is loading up with energetic fans, many are lining for the show shirt's to wear amid the show and years to come. Running from all ages from the individuals who haven't missed a solitary visit since Slippery When Wet in 1987 to the more up to date fans that Bon Jovi gain with each new collection they discharge. First to show up in front of an audience from Perth WA Birds Of Tokyo playing a considerable lot of their hits including Brace, Plans, and Anchor. Ian Kenny and co at that point played another melody pursued by the ever mainstream Unbreakable the tune picked as the subject for the 2018 Invictus Games as of late held in Sydney. Completing t...