The Kooks – Live at Festival Hall: Gig Reviews

“We do make music for girls,” Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard admitted to the Guardian in 2008. “We love girls! Why wouldn’t we want to make music for them?” However finely attuned Mr Pritchard actually is to the desires of women, a fair number of girls seem to love the Kooks. The crowd at the Palais on Wednesday night was overwhelmingly young and female. There was even a different timbre and pitch to the cheers than I’m accustomed to hearing — lighter and more piercing — and the decibels kept rising. It was probably the only concert I’ve been to where the shrieks of fans did more damage to my eardrums than the music. And Pritchard knew how to work it, reaching out towards the audience as he sang “I’m just trying to love you, girl”, causing a palpable flutter of excitement in the room.

Besnard Lakes – Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO: Album Reviews

Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO, the fourth album from Montreal’s the Besnard Lakes, mixes the slick and sluggish shoegaze of Slowdive with the orchestral dream pop of the mid-60s. It’s a logical match, in many respects — the full, reverb-laden recordings of Phil Spector and the Beach Boys were an important precursor to the escapist noise that came out of Thatcherite Britain. The result, however, can be a little derivative.

Neda – Daylight Disguise: Album Reviews

For a country musician, Tenielle Neda Muslin’s backstory is ideal. Born and raised on a banana plantation in Carnarvon, WA, she moved to Karratha in her teens and got a job driving 30,000 tonne trains with their cargo of iron ore through the Pilbara. After a stint on Australian Idol, where she made it to the top 20 — despite having her vocal talents dissed by Delta Goodrem — she went on to win ‘Best Performance’ at Tamworth in 2010 and was flown to Nashville for writing and recording sessions with local greats.

Eric Clapton – Old Sock: Album Reviews

By now, no one would bother questioning Eric Clapton’s place in rock history (and all going well, much more of its future). Old Sock, his 21st album, will do that legacy no harm at all, particularly among fans of his softer-rock leanings. Neither however, is it likely to send quivers of excitement through too many lovers of Clapton’s darker, rockier side.

The Love Junkies – New single + Australian dates: Tour News

Not many bands grab national radio airplay, land some major festivals, get props in music bible NME and land their first national tour in massive venues with a band like British India…. all in the space of four months. The Love Junkies did, and now they’re proving the hype was justified with a blistering new single Maybelene.

The Growl – Album Launch: Tour News

For those of you who are fans of Tame Impala, Pond, Avery/Allbrook, or any band that’s associated with the WA scene at the moment, the name Cam Avery is one you’re probably familiar with. Avery is drummer with Pond, but also fronts alternative blues and soul group The Growl, who upon finishing up a national [...]

Alec Baldwin talks to Thom Yorke: Music News

This week on Alex Baldwin’s WNYC podcast series Here’s The Thing, the man with possibly the commanding radio voice ever sat down with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke.

Alice In Chains announce ‘The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here’ release date: Music News

Alice In Chains have announced a May 24th release for highly anticipated new album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here – recorded in LA with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones).

Will and the Indians – Wrong End Of Town: Album Reviews

Will and the Indians are a young rock band from Sydney, with the key word there being ‘young’. Although I’m not exactly sure how young they are,  their debut album Wrong End Of Town is possibly more an example of how much potential lies within this band as opposed to being a contender for album [...]

Bob Evans – Familiar Stranger: Album Reviews

Familiar Stranger marks a significant point in the Bob Evans story so far: one that sees the ‘end’ of the acoustic folk troubadour and replaces him with an artist intent on opening new doors in his musically creative mindscape. However, the whole scenario isn’t really that dramatic or surprising, given that Mitchell stated early on that he had a desire to fully develop a suburban trilogy concept, hinting that at its conclusion there would most likely be shift away from this formula.

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Live at The Corner Hotel: Gig Reviews

Cowboy shirts and handlebar moustaches were plentiful amongst the audience that turned up to the sold out Corner Hotel on a cold and wet Saturday evening. Jon Spencer and his merry men (Judah Bauer on guitar and Russel Simins on drums) have a reputation as a live act that demand a lot of energy from their crowds, and this collection of mainly 30+ year-old blokes were more than happy to oblige.

An Interview with Bob Evans (Kevin Mitchell): Music Interviews

Kevin Mitchell’s solo project Bob Evans has been an Australian staple for over decade now, and since the beginning of his suburban trilogy journey, he’s gone from shaggy-haired rocker with Jebediah to a revered solo performer. And now, on the verge of releasing his most ambitious album yet in Familiar Stranger, Bob Evans is arguably as relevant as he’s ever been.

Next Page »