Tag Archives: February

Death Cab for Cutie Australian Tour, February 2009

Death Cab for Cutie Australian Tour, February 2009

deathcabforcutiepromo After their sold out Australian tour in August 2008, Billions Australia are pleased to announce the return of Death Cab for Cutie to Australian shores for a run of summer dates this February.

Kicking off the tour with an outdoor show in Fremantle, Death Cab for Cutie are then set to perform in intimate theatre surrounds in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

The year just past saw Death Cab for Cutie’s sixth studio album “Narrow Stairs”, debut at Number 6 on the ARIA Album Chart and an impressive Number 1 debut on the US Billboard Chart. “Narrow Stairs is rapidly approaching Gold sales (500,000) in their home country.

Continue reading Death Cab for Cutie Australian Tour, February 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, Music

ARIA Chart News, w/c 2 February 2009

The Fray and Kings Of Leon hold on ARIA Charts this week …
The Fray’s single “You Found Me” has topped both the ARIA Singles and Digital Track Charts for a second week, as Kings Of Leon’s album “Only By The Night” chalks up its ninth week at #1 on the ARIA Album Chart. André Rieu’s “Live In Australia” release has also held at one again on the ARIA Music DVD chart, spending 8 weeks on the top of the chart with a certification of 21 times Platinum!

Continue reading ARIA Chart News, w/c 2 February 2009 →

Charts, Music

Soundwave 2009 Set Times for Brisbane – 21 Feb 2009

soundwave

Set times for the Brisbane Soundwave 2009.
Brisbane – RNA Showgrounds
21 February 2009
• STAGE ONE •
8.20-10.00 NINE INCH NAILS
6.05-7.05 BILLY TALENT
4.40-5.20 DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN
3.25-4.00 ANBERLIN‘>ANBERLIN
2.15-2.50 Forever The Sickest Kids
1.05-1.40 goldfinger
12.00-12.30 Madina Lake • STAGE TWO •
7.10-8.10 ALICE IN CHAINS
5.20-6.05 the Bloodhound Gang
4.00-4.40 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
2.50-3.25 Underoath‘>Underoath
1.40-2.15 The Subways
12.30-1.05 Less Than Jake
11.30-12.00 **TBA**
Keep reading for the stage 3 – 6 Set Times in Brisbane
• STAGE THREE •
9.20-10.00 face to face
8.20-9.00 alkaline trio
7.20-8.00 New Found Glory
6.20-7.00 Chiodos
5.20-6.00 Funeral For A Friend
4.20-5.00 HelloGoodbye
3.20-4.00 Rival Schools
2.20-3.00 Sliverstein
1.20-2.00 Finch
12.20-1.00 Saves The Day • STAGE four •
9.10-10.00 Lamb Of God
8.10-8.50 In Flames
7.10-7.50 DevilDriver
6.15-6.50 Lacuna Coil
5.20-5.55 36 Crazy Fists
4.25-5.00 Every Time I Die
3.30-4.05 Poison The Well
2.40-3.10 Evergreen Terrace
1.50-2.20 Unearth
1.00-1.30 All That Remains
12.10-12.40 **TBA**
• STAGE five •
9.20-10.00 Bedouin Soundclash
8.20-9.00 I Am The Avalanche
7.20-8.00 Say Anything
6.20-7.00 Houston Calls
5.20-6.00 Valencia
4.20-5.00 InnerPartySystem
3.20-4.00 Moneen
2.20-3.00 Attack In Black
1.20-2.00 Jack’s Mannequin
12.30-1.10 Ace Enders
11.50-12.20 The Riverboat Gamblers • STAGE six •
9.20-10.00 Bayside
8.20-9.00 Emery
7.20-8.00 From First To Last
6.20-7.00 The Band‘>Horse The Band
5.20-6.00 The Audition
4.20-5.00 Minus The Bear
3.20-4.00 Straylight Run
2.20-3.00 Jaguar Love
1.20-2.00 Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster
1.20-1.00 Alesana

Brisbane, Concert, event, Music

Cult Of Luna @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 12 February 2009

cultofluna Cult Of Luna
Swedish post-metal masters!
Presented by: Scorpion Entertainment by arrangement with Live Nation

Post Metal Masters, Cult Of Luna are heading to Australia for the very first time this February!

Cult of Luna was formed in 1998 by guitarist Johannes Persson and vocalist Klas Rydberg in Umea, Sweden.

Their sound has progressed from being heavily doom metal influenced to one much less aggressive and more about orchestration which falls into a sub-genre known as post-metal. CoL are at post metal’s forefront along with contemporary such as Neurosis, Pelican and Isis. The band also cite Radiohead and Pink Floyd as major influences.
Continue reading Cult Of Luna @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 12 February 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, event, Music

The Rebirth Of Venus & The Big O Festival – Ben Lee talks with Elize Strydom

This Boy’s In Love –
by Elize Strydom
benleerebirthalbumcover Ben Lee is in a good place. Granted, he’s in the honeymoon phase. Literally. As 2008 drew to a close Lee married his sweetheart, Ione Skye, in a Hindu ceremony in India. Add to that a shiny new album (The Re-Birth of Venus due out February 7th), a pop song on the radio and a national university tour (The Big O Festival) and you’ll start to realise why he’s so damn smiley all the time. Oh yes, this boy’s in love.

“For me, being in a stable relationship has allowed me to relax in a way that I didn’t even realise I wasn’t relaxed before. Probably because I was just putting all of my energy into chasing chicks! When you find someone that you trust and you love and you’re inspired by and you’re attracted to there’s a kind of support that can allow you to go to a deeper level. So I think with my records there’s starting to be this sound of relaxation in the music which is really nice.”

Indeed. The Re-Birth of Venus is Lee’s seventh solo album and his fifth with Chicago based producer Brad Wood.

“I’ve tried other producers but working with Brad is like coming home. We trust each other and it’s hard to build that trust. It’s not intellectual which I like. You just get together with friends and you make music and that’s how it works.”

For someone who started making records when he was 14, Lee is showing no signs of hitting the brakes. In terms of commercial success, it’s been a slow burning career for the guy that some just love to hate (do I need to mention that song by the Ataris?). In 2005 Lee won an ARIA award for Best Male Artist and Catch My Disease was the most played song on Australian radio. Does the thought of offering yet another album daunt him?

“These last few years I’ve been so wrapped up in process of making records I’ve become quite divorced from the anticipation of sharing them. I’m constantly chasing this experience that I want out of making records and music and I’m getting less and less concerned with how they’re received. I don’t feel at all that I’m doing it for the sake of it.”

The first single lifted from the new album (I Love Pop Music) reads like a summary of Lee’s world view with lines like:
Global warming threatens life as we know it Our leaders have not committed to a plan of action on renewable energy
and:
Religious intolerance creating geo-political instability.
Our lives are accelerating as we fall out of touch with nature and ancient myth.
Try singing along to that, kids! He rounds it out with the chorus:
I love pop music, sprinkle sugar through it Philosophy that you can dance to

Hmmm, please explain.

“One way or another I’ve always been interested in embracing the classic elements of a pop song which are about the bubblegum stuff that just make you feel good and at the same time tried to subvert it a little bit and add new left field twists to it. So I think that song just continues that idea.”

Catch Ben Lee at the Big O Festival touring universities around the country during Orientation Week.

Artist, Concert, Interview, Music

Stray Cats @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 26-27 February 2009

It’s been a long, long, too long a wait but finally Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker will be back down under on their Farewell World Tour.
straycats

Formed in 1979 the Stray Cats took the world by storm with their infectious rockabilly musical stylings and frenetic live shows.

Having created their own version of the standard rockabilly sound by blending Brian’s jazz & swing sensibilities with the band’s love of the 70’s UK punk sound, the Stray Cats have built up a devoted following and maintained an enviable live reputation throughout their 30 year career.
Continue reading Stray Cats @ The Tivoli, Brisbane 26-27 February 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, event, Music

The Big O Kick Starts Uni Life!

School’s out for summer, the craziness of Schoolies Week is over, and Christmas holidays are finally kicking in. Once the whirl of the New Year rolls around, it will be time to gear up for study again…but where to start? To edge all those students into university life, Secret Sounds is launching The Big O, an annual orientation week event to get your uni campus rocking.

The Big O will see The Music, The Fratellis, Ben Lee, Bluejuice, Yves Klein Blue and triple j Unearthed J Award nominees Cassette Kids hit the East Coast to welcome the school year. Coming to a campus near you, The Big O is a series of O Week events to be held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Wollongong and Newcastle. Tickets are available for both students and the general public. Please note these will be the only shows for headlining acts in each state! While The Big O is the official music celebration of O Week on campus, traditional initiation events will still be in full swing. Check your university website for full details..

In their last visit to Australia The Music danced up a storm, leaving the Splendour in the Grass tent bent at the seams and the crowd ballistic for more. Their headline shows sold out in minutes. Now, The Music look forward to returning to Australian shores in 2009. “It’s one of those places you look at when you are younger and can only dream about going to, so whenever I’m there I always feel privileged,” says frontman Rob Harvey. Their album ‘Strength In Numbers’ is out now. .

Glasgow guitar-slingers, The Fratellis are no strangers to the road. Having toured the UK and USA six times, the Brit Award-winning trio were one of the highlights of Splendour in the Grass 2008. Their second album ‘Here We Stand’ saw them go from indie stars to pop icons. Their sold out headline shows had venues shaking, bodies jumping, and punters shouting for more. .

Giving any crowd the warm and fuzzies is as easy as a smile and a tune for Ben Lee. The ex-pat Aussie returns home with a full band for the first tour of brand new material from his forthcoming album, “The Rebirth of Venus” due out on February 7th 2009. The ARIA Award-winning artist’s new single ‘I Love Pop Music’ has already elected Ben Lee the President of Pop. .

Who better to get a party started than Bluejuice? With a mandate to get people dancing with carefree abandon, the five piece pulls together a sweaty mix of rock, hip hop, electro and disco. Give them a little bit of vitriol on the dance floor at The Big O. .

Fresh out of the LA studio, Yves Klein Blue will be returning to their loyal Australian fan base. The Brisbane four-piece have been recording their debut album in Hollywood with Kevin Augunas (Cold War Kids, The Vandals). Yves Klein Blue caused a stir in 2008 with the release of their debut EP “Draw Attention to Themselves” which saw them embark on a national and international tour, with sold out shows from home-town Brisbane to London and New York. Their debut full-length album is due out in April 2009. .

Sydney’s Cassette Kids are the final addition to The Big O bill. On the cusp of something big, Cassette Kids have already earned a fierce reputation thanks to captivating vocalist Katrina Noorbergen. They have toured with The Presets and shared the stage with Ting Tings, New Young Pony Club, Van She and many more. .

Get some higher learning as The Big O schools students across the nation in the art of a good party throughout Orientation Week 2009!.

Secret Sounds and triple j proudly present The Big O Tickets on sale from 12pm on Friday, December 19th, 2008.

Thursday, 26th February: Monash University, Clayton Campus, Melbourne Supported by FasterLouder, Street Press Australia and Channel [V] Tickets available from www.qjump.com.au www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849 Polyester Records (Melbourne City, Fitzroy) Greville Records (Prahran) Missing Link (Melbourne City) Monash Student Association outlets For more information call (03) 9905 3035. This is an over 18’s event. Photo ID will be requested. .

Friday, 27th February: University of Sydney, Manning House Supported by FasterLouder, Street Press Australia and Channel [V] Tickets available from www.qjump.com.au www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 (GET TIX) 438 849 + Moshtix Outlets Including: Fish Records (Balmain, Leichardt, Newtown), The Music Shop (Bondi), Utopia (Broadway) Resist Records (Newtown) Red Eye Records (City) www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849 In person from The Access Centre (Level 1, Manning House) Ph: (02) 9563 6103 For more information visit www.manningbar.com or call 1800 013 201. This is an over 18’s event. Photo ID will be requested..

Saturday, 28th February: University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus Amphitheatre, Brisbane Supported by FasterLouder, Street Press Australia and Channel [V] Tickets available from www.qjump.com.au www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545 + Oztix Outlets Including: Butterbeats (City & Valley), Gooble Warming (West End), Rockinghorse Records, Moshpit Music (Maroochydore), Sunflower Music (Broadbeach) In person from UQ Union 2nd Hand Bookshop For more information please call (07) 3377 2259 This is an All Ages event. Photo ID will be requested to purchase alcohol..

Tuesday, 3rd March: Australian National University Bar and Refectory, Canberra Supported by FasterLouder Street Press Australia, BMA and Channel [V] Tickets available from www.qjump.com.au www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849 Landspeed Records (02) 6248 9220 For more information please call (02) 6125 3660 This is an over 18’s event. Photo ID will be requested..

Thursday, 5th March: University of Wollongong, The Great Hall & Uni Bar Supported by FasterLouder, Street Press Australia and Channel [V] Tickets available from www.qjump.com.au www.bigtix.com.au Redback Music (02) 4229 6169 Venue Unishop (02) 4221 8050 For more information please call (02) 4221 8000 This is an over 18’s event. Photo ID will be requested..

Friday, 6th March: Newcastle Uni, Bar On The Hill & Outdoor Surrounds Supported by FasterLouder, Street Press Australia, Reverb and Channel [V] Tickets available from www.qjump.com.au www.bigtix.com.au The Rock Shop (02) 4929 1856 Billy Hydes (02) 4965 4222 Uni Campus Outlets (02) 4968 3845 For more information please call Uni Campus Centre (02) 4968 3845 This is an over 18’s event. Photo ID will be requested..

www.thebigotour.com

Brisbane, Concert, event, Festival, Music

Laneway Festival 2009

Laneway Festival 2009: Second Announcement

– Brisbane Set Times –

In the continuing tradition of presenting music fans with the very best music that the country has to offer, the Laneway Festival is pleased to announce a huge array of amazing local acts to the line-up – see below – in each city, in addition to a few exciting developments in 2009 across the country.

In Melbourne, the gorgeous, historic Victorian State Library will play host – for the first time ever – to a music stage on its steps, transforming the grassy knoll into an ampitheatre featuring the best of Melbourne’s underground. We’re also teaming up with QV to present a stage in their quadrangle. Chill out to some of our finest low-fi acts as the Laneway Festival takes over the entire QV precinct. Melbourne punters can also admire Warwick Baker’s astonishing pictures in his Laneway Festival photography retrospective.

The people at The Thousands are using their considerable knowledge of the best local designers, street fashion and art to present independent designer markets at the Laneway Festival in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Buy some cool vintage stuff, designer gear or baked goods and use their concierge mail service so you don’t have to lug it around. ??We are excited to support the thriving W.A music scene as we head to Perth for the first time for a special twilight show. The Path to Laneway program offers emerging, original, unsigned (to a major record label) Western Australian acts the chance to open the Perth leg of the festival. You only have a week to enter, so get to www.sonicbids.comfor all the details.

Tickets to all shows are selling quickly and there will be no second release of tickets. Get yours now from www.moshtix.com.au

Plus! Subscribe to Lost and Found to win two VIP tickets to Melbourne’s Laneway Festival, airfares, accommodation and drinks with Temper Trap! Lost and Found is a free insiders’ guide to Melbourne, arriving with a ‘ping’ in your inbox just when you need it. Covering music, design, fashion and caffeine, it’s guest edited by the likes of Susien Chong (Lover), Dan Whitford (Cut Copy) and Pedro ‘Busy P’ Winter. Visit Lost and Found before January 19 to enter.

DATES AND VENUES

Over 18’s only.

Saturday, 31 January 2009
BRISBANE
Alexandria St off St Paul’s Terrace, Fortitude Valley

Sunday, 1 February 2009
MELBOURNE
*PLEASE NOTE THAT MELBOURNE IS A NON-SMOKING EVENT
Lonsdale St, Caledonian Lane and Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne

Friday, 6 February 2009 (Twilight Event)
PERTH
Perth Cultural Centre, Northbridge

Saturday, 7 February 2009
ADELAIDE
Fowler’s Live, North Terrace

Sunday, 8 February 2009
SYDNEY
The Basement, Macquarie Park & Reiby Place, Circular Quay

Onsale NOW

Online Booking: www.moshtix.com.au
Phone Booking: 1300 GET TIX (438 849) and all Moshtix outlets nationwide.

Purchase Laneway tickets from these Levi’s® stores to receive your FREE Laneway T-shirt (while stocks last).

MELBOURNE ONLY:
St. Jerome’s Bar, 7 Caledonian Lane, Melbourne
Polyester Fitzroy store: 387 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy – (03) 9419 5137

www.lanewayfestival.com.au

Brisbane, Concert, event, Festival, Music

Jackson Browne @ Brisbane Riverstage – 27 February 2009 with Toni Childs, Richard Clapton and Tim Freedman

jacksonbrowne
Music legend Jackson Browne is returning to Australia with his full band. Andrew McManus Presents one of music’s most influential songwriters, Jackson Browne, with Toni Childs, Richard Clapton and Tim Freedman at selected shows, live in concert Feb/March 2009! Tickets for this not to be missed performance are on sale now.


JACKSON BROWNE has been described as the ultimate LA singer-songwriter. Over the course of three decades, he has
Continue reading Jackson Browne @ Brisbane Riverstage – 27 February 2009 with Toni Childs, Richard Clapton and Tim Freedman →

Brisbane, Concert, Music

PRIMAL SCREAM Welcome To Your Beautiful Future AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2009

Good things come in nines…….

In July this year Primal Scream released their ninth studio album Welcome To Your Beautiful Future.

And when they return in February 2009, it will have been nine years since they graced Australian fans with their live presence. We are sure there is at least nine hundred ways to get excited about this!

With 26 years of music behind them, and a discography that holds some of the most critically acclaimed and important records of the modern era, Primal Scream have drawn descriptions as varied as noise terrorists to retro rock and even pop with their newest release.

Continue reading PRIMAL SCREAM Welcome To Your Beautiful Future AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, event, Music

José González @ Brisbane Powerhouse 7th February 2009

josegonzalez2009iconphoto
José González
Brisbane Powerhouse – Sat 7 Feb 09 – 7:30pm

Swedish Grammy Award winner José González’s extraordinary finger-picking guitar skills, hushed vocals and warm melodies create an intimate musical experience with universal appeal.

Born in Sweden to Argentinean parents, González’s signature Spanish-meets classical guitar style is influenced by both Northern Argentinean folk and Scandinavian pop.

With gold and platinum records in multiple countries, González is revered for his own song writing as well as his inspired acoustic interpretations of songs by artists such as Massive Attack, Kylie Minogue and Joy Division.
Continue reading José González @ Brisbane Powerhouse 7th February 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, Music

Coldplay Australian Viva La Vida Tour 2009

coldplayvivatour

Two-Disc Set, Viva La Vida – Prospekt’s March Edition, Features Eight Previously Unreleased Tracks, Including A Collaboration With Jay-Z;
Prospekt’s March Also Available As EP 
 Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

Chugg Entertainment today confirmed that Coldplay would return to Australia next February on their “Viva La Vida” tour, in support of their new album of the same name.

In a rare move for the Australian market, Coldplay will go on-sale with two shows in each of the East Coast cities to ensure as many tickets as possible are made available to meet the demand that was set the last time they toured.



Continue reading Coldplay Australian Viva La Vida Tour 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, event, Music

The Waifs Australian Tour Jan-Feb 2009

The Waifs Australian Tour With Special Guests Jez Mead/ Mama Kin

The Waifs

Last year The Waifs were part of the huge Union Of Soul WA tour with the John Butler Trio, this year they return to headline their own series of concerts over the summer. In WA they will be joined by America’s Independent sweetheart, Ani Di Franco and new WA act Mama Kin and for the rest of the country, old friend and fellow independent road warrior, Jez Mead.

 

The Waifs have been one of West Australia’s most loved and appreciated bands over their 20 year history. Building their fan base the hard way, playing every corner of the country, earning respect of peers and fans alike for their tenacity and drive to do things their own way.

From the back streets of sleepy towns in WA, to an internationally loved, multiple ARIA Award winning multiple platinum selling act, (their latest release Sun Dirt Water now about to go platinum), The Waifs have paved the way for Australian independent artists to be able to forge successful careers outside of the major label rules.

 

Since they last took to the stage on home soil, The Waifs have been busy touring through Europe and America to support the release of Sun Dirt Water.

 

Jez Mead will bring his raw, hypnotic folk blues to the stage, a well travelled journeyman on a quest to invite listeners to explore his sonic sensibilities and diverse guitar styles. Sun Dirt Water is in store now through Jarrah Records and MGM Distribution. www.thewaifs.com

Continue reading The Waifs Australian Tour Jan-Feb 2009 →

Brisbane, Concert, Music

A Day On The Green with Simply Red, 22 Feb 2009 Sirromet Winery – QLD

A Day On The Green with Simply Red, 22 Feb 2009 Sirromet Wines – QLD

simplyredonthegreen

In what is being billed as the The Greatest Hits Live, SIMPLY RED led by charismatic front man Mick Hucknall, will revisit the highlights of their incredible 25 year, 10 album career, in an outdoor show at Sirromet Wines, Mount Cotton, QLD on Sunday February 22nd 2009.

Special guest support artists will be the wonderful Kate Ceberano and the classic pop of Dragon.
Continue reading A Day On The Green with Simply Red, 22 Feb 2009 Sirromet Winery – QLD →

Concert, event, Music

Leonard Cohen

leonard_cohen
For four decades, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, a figure whose body of work achieves greater depths of mystery and meaning as time goes on. His songs have set a virtually unmatched standard in their seriousness and range. Sex, spirituality, religion, power – he has relentlessly examined the largest issues in human lives, always with a full appreciation of how elusive answers can be to the vexing questions he raises. But those questions, and the journey he has traveled in seeking to address them, are the ever-shifting substance of his work, as well as the reasons why his songs never lose their overwhelming emotional force.

His first album, Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967), announced him as an undeniable major talent. It includes such songs as “Suzanne,” “Sisters of Mercy,” “So Long, Marianne” and “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Good,” all now longstanding classics. If Cohen had never recorded another album, his daunting reputation would have been assured by this one alone.

However, the two extraordinary albums that followed, Songs From a Room (1969), which includes his classic song, “Bird on the Wire,” and Songs of Love and Hate (1971), provided whatever proof anyone may have required that that the greatness of his debut was not a fluke. (All three albums are reissued in April, 2007.)



Continue reading Leonard Cohen →

Artist, Bio, Interview, Music, Photos