Category Archives: Melbourne

The Sisters Of Mercy @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne – 1st March 2012 | Photo Gallery

Photographer: Tony Proudfoot PHOTOGRAPHY for Life Music Media

Photographer: Tony Proudfoot PHOTOGRAPHY

Acts: The Sisters Of Mercy – www.thesistersofmercy.com
Venue: Corner Hotel, Melbourne – cornerhotel.com
Event: Soundwave Sideshow
Date: 1st March 2012

Continue reading The Sisters Of Mercy @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne – 1st March 2012 | Photo Gallery

Soundwave @ Melbourne Showgrounds – 2nd March 2012 | Festival Review

Review by Billy Geary

As the black clad army of fans bustled through the gates at the Melbourne Showgrounds, there was a genuine excitement in the air for what was the largest Soundwave ever in terms of the sheer number of bands on the bill. Not only had Soundwave delivered an exceptional number of bands, they’d also brought back a plethora of old favourites, as well as numerous outstanding up and comers. It was going to be very hard to not have a good time with what was on offer.

Upon arrival, we made a beeline straight for Stage 7 to see American art rock band dredg. Their set on Friday only furthered the reputation they’ve been getting on the Soundwave circuit as one of the must see bands, despite them being slightly different musically to the majority of bands on the bill. ‘Bug Eyes,’ ‘Ode to the Sun’ and ‘Pariah’ all got an airing, but as with their sideshow, it was the incredible ‘The Canyon Behind Her’ that drew the greatest response from the sparse crowd gathered. Vocalist Gavin Hayes was sublime throughout, his tranquil vocals intertwining with Mark Engles’ jangly guitar captivating the crowd for their short set.
Continue reading Soundwave @ Melbourne Showgrounds – 2nd March 2012 | Festival Review

Live Review: Slipknot & Trivum @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Review by Billy Geary

The short walk from Richmond Station to Rod Laver Arena saw a sea of fans heading to the arena, suggesting we were in for a near full house. However, upon arrival, it was slightly disappointing to find much of the upper sections of the arena possessing empty seats covered by curtains.

Opening up proceedings were Florida natives Trivium, given an entire hour to warm up punters before the main act. There was an obvious portion of the crowd that were every bit as big a fans of Trivium as they were of Slipknot, with plenty up close singing and screaming along word for word. As a band that has been around for quite a while now, it has been great to see Trivium develop into a really tight live act. Front man Matt Heafy was brilliant throughout, encouraging circle pits and roaming the stage, ensuring every single section of Rod Laver Arena was engaged with the music. As Trivium finish off their set, it it obvious that their brand of metalcore has quite successfully warmed up the hordes of already rabid fans.
Continue reading Live Review: Slipknot & Trivum @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Trivium @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne – 1st March 2012 | Photo Gallery

Photographer: KristaBella Photography

Photographer: KristaBella Photography

Acts: Trivium
Event: Soundwave Sideshow
Venue: Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Date: 1st March 2012

** More SOUNDWAVE related articles and galleries here…
Continue reading Trivium @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne – 1st March 2012 | Photo Gallery

Live Review | Devin Townsend Project, Meshuggah and Dredg @ The Forum Theatre, Melbourne – 29 February 2012

REVIEW by Billy Geary
As Melbourne’s Soundwave week continued into Wednesday night, it was time to head to the beautiful Forum Theatre for a taste of some of the most original music the massive line up had to offer.

As somewhat the black sheep of Wednesday night’s line-up, art rock band dredg more than held their own against the heavier headliners. After a few false starts in recent years, this was their first venture to Australia and quickly won over the predominantly metal focused crowd. Opening with two of their most well known songs in ‘Ode to the Sun’ and ‘Bug Eyes’ was a smart move, as the band commanded attention from the start. ‘Bug Eyes’ in particular got a great response, its chorus sounding majestic within the confines of The Forum.
Continue reading Live Review | Devin Townsend Project, Meshuggah and Dredg @ The Forum Theatre, Melbourne – 29 February 2012

Enter Shikari, Letlive. @ Billboard The Venue, Melbourne – 28th February 2012 | Live Review

Review by Billy Geary
This time of year in Melbourne, there’s only one thing on anyone’s mind in terms of music – Soundwave. This week, Australia’s biggest travelling festival rolled into Melbourne, bringing with it a whole host of sidewaves before the big day on Friday. On Tuesday night at Billboard, it was English stalwarts Enter Shikari, bringing with them Letlive. and Your Demise.

I’m just going to start off by saying American hardcore quintet Letlive. are good. Really f###ing good. Having not seen much of them other than a few Youtube videos prior to the night, they absolutely blew away myself and everyone else in the room with their energy and conviction to their music. Vocalist Jason Butler is an absolute maniac, hurling himself into the crowd within 30 seconds of the start of their set and continuing in the same fashion throughout, all the while screaming and singing to perfection. If anything, the only negative of their set was the mix too often drowning out Butler’s vocals. However, this just gave the punters in the front row the chance to sing and scream along even louder. letlive’s set was an absolute master class in how hardcore punk should be done, combining emotion and energy with perfection.
Continue reading Enter Shikari, Letlive. @ Billboard The Venue, Melbourne – 28th February 2012 | Live Review

Yuck @ East Brunswick Club, Melbourne – 3rd February 2012 | Review

Review by Ben Connolly
What is the collective noun for a group of fuzzed-out guitars? Is it a gaggle? Maybe a cacophony is more apt? Perhaps it could have been a murder, if it weren’t already taken by those pesky crows. I reckon it’s a joy of fuzz, as that’s certainly the feeling you get when confronted with a wail of tricked out pedal-laden guitars, as was the case at Yuck’s Laneway Festival sideshow, as well as a more than passing hat-tip to the lo-fi aesthetics of late 80s and early 90s grunge rock.

South Dakota via LAs EMA had her feet planted firmly in the shoe-gazing psychedelia camp, with two guitars backed by keys/violins providing a mournful, sparse feeling. There’s a deliberate bleakness to the songs, with Erika M Anderson’s lyrics often whispered with great earnestness and calculated affectation. An early string break forced a setlist change, pushing a surprisingly tender “Breakfest” up the order. The song’s aching repeated refrain “Mumma’s in the bedroom, don’t you stop” paints a desolate picture, before building into a Mogwai-esque wall-of-noise. A midset reworking of Danzig’s “Soul On Fire” perfectly highlighted Anderson’s almost disembodied, affected vocals.
Continue reading Yuck @ East Brunswick Club, Melbourne – 3rd February 2012 | Review

Live Review : Incubus @ Festival Hall, Melbourne – 7th February 2012

Review by Billy Geary
Photo Credit: Amy Lee FreshwaterIt’s fair to say that over the years Californian natives Incubus have traversed more than a few genres in their music, giving rise to one of the more diverse musical fan bases around at present. This was perfectly evident on Tuesday night as everyone from middle agers to remnant 90s grunge kids made the short trek to Festival Hall from Southern Cross Station for a dose of Incubus.

Sydneysiders Papa vs. Pretty had the envious job of opening up proceedings, putting on a tight set for the slowly filling room. The trio have a had a massive last year, which has seen them come on in leaps and bounds, especially in terms of their live show. Their high energy set of melodic rock was perfect fodder for the early arriving punters, garnering a big cheer from the entire room as their set concluded. If this set is anything to go by, expect big things from these three gentlemen in 2012.
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Big Day Out 2012 – Melbourne – 29th January 2012 | REVIEW

Review by Ben Connolly
Photos by: Naomi Rahim
Photos Credit: Naomi RahimWith 20 years under its belt and a major crisis in confidence, Big Day Out organisers and marketing teams got all introspective in the lead up to the 2012 event. For many, it was time to question the event’s continued validity in the now flooded one day festival market. That questioning, undoubtedly, led the co-founders to part ways and this year’s event to succumb to circumstance and dramatically downsize. And with recent news that the Auckland leg was no more after this year, it’s pertinent to reflect upon what, exactly, the BDO brand has brought to the rock festival table over its two decades.

What are rock festivals all about these days?

Rock festivals are still about discovering.
Early in the baking summer’s day, Melbourne’s BONJAH held the fort at the aptly-named Hot Produce stage. Now with a rockier edge compared to its urban-roots inflected past, the five-piece oozes charisma, with front-man Glenn Mossop’s chiseled looks and studied moves adding to his extraordinary brooding, honey-dipped drawl. A kicker of Portishead’s “Teardrop” adds icing to the cake and pegs this performance as a great way to ease in to the steamy afternoon.
Continue reading Big Day Out 2012 – Melbourne – 29th January 2012 | REVIEW

Big Day Out 2012 – Melbourne – 29th January 2012 | Photo Gallery

Photographer: Naomi Rahim

Photographer: Naomi Rahim
Continue reading Big Day Out 2012 – Melbourne – 29th January 2012 | Photo Gallery

Ball Park Music @ East Brunswick Club, Melbourne | Live Review

Review by Ben Connolly
There’s a buzz in the air tonight – a full house and the Ball Park Music headlining debut album launch tour tends to give out a special vibe. And it’s been a long, well-worn track to get to this point: singles and free downloads leading to early Triple J recognition, signing to a supportive management company and releasing one of them most anticipated EPs of recent memory, seemingly tour after tour as the perpetual bridesmaids before finally knuckling down to carve out the first full-length offering.
Continue reading Ball Park Music @ East Brunswick Club, Melbourne | Live Review