Review and photos by Peter Coates
This is apparently the first time US Southern Rock giants LYNYRD SKYNYRD have ever toured Australia in their 40+ years as a band! Judging by the number of tour T-shirts in the crowd from the past 20 years, many of the audience had seen them elsewhere!
I was lucky enough to shoot (photograph) their “God & Guns” Tour in London in March 2010, and jumped at the chance to see them again when the Australian dates were announced. Only two shows in Melbourne and Sydney, after a couple of festival shows in New Zealand, but two shows in 40 years is certainly better than none!
Continue reading Live Review | Lynyrd Skynyrd @ Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney – February 13, 2014
Walking up Enmore Road to the venue, thinking about the 20 or more years since the two massive Live albums had left their mark on adult, contemporary rock music, and noting the ticket prices, there was a thought that this might be a somewhat “intimate” show – shows how switched on I must be – the Enmore was packed at 8.30pm enjoying the solo guitar ballads of Anita Lester from Lester The Fierce.
Even before Animals as Leaders take to the Metro stage, the venue is rapidly filling with excited, guitar-crazy punters. There are scores of Periphery shirts circulating and it’s almost impossible to find more than one of the same design – a testament to the band’s proactive approach to merchandise and self promotion. 
Come Australia Day, traditionally there will be a BBQ set up in the backyard with the Hottest 100 playing all afternoon. Or rather than that the family will be taken out for some inspiring journey to revitalize the bunch after the recent holiday celebrations. Though, while others were off to their own devices, many faithful punters attended the Sydney Showground in preparation for BDO. With fans as varied as the artist playing today. This day out offered its signature range of music genres to accommodate for everyone’s taste in music.
There was already a significant amount of water flowing under the bridge by the time Flemington’s famous iron gates were flung open for this year’s Melbourne chapter of the Big Day Out. With ownership wrangling continuing into a second year, a buy-out by one of Australian music’s most polarising characters, a line-up to end all line-ups only to be tarnished late in the day by the pull out of Blur, and now speculation that the national festival will once again be curtailed by Perth’s inability to get its shit together as a cultural collective. In some ways, 11am on the Friday before the long weekend was a welcomed event, if only to end the continual news feed of the daily life of Australia’s biggest orgy of rock.
From the opening strums of Wesley Shultz’s guitar, the old-timey crowd that had packed out the Tivoli was mesmerized. The stage was scattered with instruments – folksy staples like the mandolin, cello, glockenspiel, accordion, kick drum – with a large black and orange piano sitting front and center. The Lumineers sauntered onstage to thunderous applause, opening the night with a mildly popular, but incredibly catchy song, “Submarines”. This was quickly followed by “Ain’t Nobody’s Problem”, which, like most of the setlist, was unfamiliar to the audience but had a chorus that was repetitive enough for the audience to sing along with mild direction from Schulz. From there, the band was a seamless delight of instrument swapping suspender snapping and fedora twirling. Halfway through the set, Schultz requested that the audience “put away your cellphones”, trying to evoke a feeling of “all-togetherness” as they prepared to play their signature tune “Ho Hey!” As Schultz crooned the first verse, the audience, eyes closed, sang along. Couples held each other, rocking together, cell phones stowed away.
Arriving at the Hordern Pavilion early it was clearly already abuzz with a large groups of excited fans dancing along to and being drawn in by support band Gang of Youths. The band performing an excellent set, preparing the crowd and setting expectations high for the main act, Vampire Weekend.
The final day of the first ever Falls Festival Byron Bay came with the sadness that this great event was coming to an end. Today once again had a massive line-up to cherish and delight. Whilst the numbers did significantly reduce throughout the week, today was nevertheless just as busy, but with a bit more room to dance.
It was surprisingly quiet driving into Falls Festival this afternoon, but understandable given last night’s massive party. New Years’ day brought a more subdued and chilled out crowd but Falls Festival did not disappoint delivering yet another sensational line up to celebrate the first day of 2014. 
The inaugural edition of Falls Festival, Byron Bay, launched in the midst of the stunning North Byron Parklands. The parklands, particularly the natural amphitheater in which the main stage is set, are a befitting setting for a festival that has always provided excellent music amongst nature. No doubt Byron Bay has captured the essence and sprit of the festival formerly held in only Lorne and Marion Bay.
Steel Panther have graced Australian shores numerous times over the last handful of years, each time moving to larger and larger stages around the country. However, when we first heard about the mock-hair metal band’s move to Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion for their ‘Spread the Disease’ tour, we thought it might have been a little optimistic.
Arriving at Barangaroo the place was littered with many hopeful bodies ready to witness the return of the Vans Warped Tour to Australia. Though Barangaroo came off as a little small for such as huge festival, the venue was exceptionally prepared, with easy access to all amenities & better yet a bar area that had a great view of both the main stages.
Tonight’s line up at Sydney’s Metro Theatre was nothing if not unique. 
Contemporary Australian metal was on show in a big way tonight at Sydney’s Bald Faced Stag Hotel in Leichardt. The small room has played host to a surprising number of high-profile acts over the last couple of years, including some of the last shows by Suicide Silence before Mitch Lucker’s untimely passing and a recent show by UK noise merchants Rolo Tomassi. Tonight, Melbourne djent exponents Circles hit the joint, promoting their debut full-length album, ‘Infinitas’.
Earlier this year, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus introduced an interesting concept to their Australian fans: the Choose Your Own Adventure tour. They listed a series of dates, and possible locations where they could play on each of those dates, and let their fans vote for the location – but not just with a click of the mouse, the fans had to buy a ticket in order for their vote to count. So when doors opened to their Brisbane show, you could be sure that the audience packing the lower level of the Hi-Fi were genuine fans. After all, they bought a ticket before they could even guarantee that they would see the band play in their city.