When I first experienced the transcendent bliss of Loveless, the record was grown-up, eighteen years having passed since its difficult birth. It sent me on a desperate, fruitless search to find something comparable, downloading anything described as “shoegaze” or “dream pop” …but Loveless proved frustratingly inimitable. So it was with some trepidation that I purchased…
The peeps running the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival do an amazing job of picking artists many months before they make it big. A couple years ago it was Mumford & Sons and Florence and the Machine. This year’s lineup featured up-and-comers like Alt-J and Of Monsters and Men. What they aren’t good at is considering…
Cloud Nothings are a band with one foot squarely in the past, with a sound revelling in what actually made the “grunge” era of the nineties good (if you want to listen to a band who revelled in the worst of grunge, check out Creed – better yet, don’t). Their other foot, though, is stamping…
Japandroids have been one of my favourite bands since their incredible debut Post-Nothing. Their Australian fanbase has expanded rapidly since the recent release of Celebration Rock – a damn good thing, since it meant that the duo finally made the long trip over from Vancouver to play their first-ever Australian show in the gentle warmth…
Last Saturday, my partner Jae and I spent a day liveblogging the Triple J Hottest 100 at TripleJae. We spent the day finding out our predictions were half-good, half-terrible, comparing the infamous Warmest 100 to the actual results, and, of course, our thoughts on all the songs in the countdown. We were both baffled by…
Today is the 25th of January, the day before Australia Day – the day when Australians proudly celebrate the anniversary of when their ancestors began to massacre the indigenous population by throwing sausages on the barbecue and slamming down some beers. More importantly, tomorrow is the day that the Triple J Hottest 100 is broadcast,…
At my first Big Day Out in five years, there was plenty of good music but also plenty of opportunities for people-watching and general sightseeing. Some of the sights…
Some thoughts on bands where I either missed a great deal of their set or, frankly, didn’t have that much to say. Includes Grinspoon, Foals, The Killers and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Against Me! played on the same main stage that the Red Hot Chili Peppers would eventually close at the end of the night. But where the Chili Peppers’ sound was sketchy and inconsistent, Against Me! sounded bold and perfectly mixed, with heavy percussion, boisterous guitars and precisely mixed vocal levels.
I got into Childish Gambino thanks to Donald Glover’s acting and stand-up, and was impressed at the quality of his major label debut Camp. It was unexpectedly good, catchy stuff from someone primarily known for being funny. His live show was equally unexpected, with Glover possessing a furious energy and command of the stage. He…
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