Tag Archives: live review

Live Review and Photos: CMA Fest 2024 – Nashville – Day 2

Words and Photos – LE / PC – @insideedgephotography

LIFE MUSIC MEDIA is on the ground in Nashville, Tennessee for the 2024 CMA Fest week – bringing some highlights from the core festival events, and a taste of the myriad of other gigs, performances and experiences that see the Country Music world take over the city for a full week.

Continue reading Live Review and Photos: CMA Fest 2024 – Nashville – Day 2

Live Review and Photos: CMA Fest 2024 – Nashville – Day 1

Words and Photos – LE / PC – @insideedgephotography

LIFE MUSIC MEDIA is on the ground in Nashville, Tennessee for the 2024 CMA Fest week – bringing some highlights from the core festival events, and a taste of the myriad of other gigs, performances and experiences that see the Country Music world take over the city for a full week.

Continue reading Live Review and Photos: CMA Fest 2024 – Nashville – Day 1

Live Review + Photos: JAYNE DENHAM – Album Launch Show – 03 May 2024

Review and photos by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

JAYNE DENHAM
The Beer Shed Brewery – Campbelltown
May 3rd 2024
Album Launch show for MOONSHINE.

Having reviewed the record last week, it was fantastic to be able to get to the live launch of the Moonshine album with Jayne Denham fronting her highly proficient band in a thoughtfully crafted and structured pair of sets, at the excellent venue within The Beer Shed Brewing Co premises in Leumeah, NSW.  Boasting a great sound system, and better lights than many inner-city music venues, the venue was packed for this sold out show.

Continue reading Live Review + Photos: JAYNE DENHAM – Album Launch Show – 03 May 2024

Live Review: Joe Bonamassa at Royal Albert Hall, London – April 4th 2024

Review – Peter Coates
Photos – Marty Moffatt

Any Joe Bonamassa show is something of an event, and the now fairly regular occurrences at the Royal Albert Hall are on another level.  This was the 11th show here in 15 years, and the first of two nights, and the local musician network was out in force to watch one of the masters at work. The lights dim, and the intro tape gets overtaken by the band, and then Joe hits the stage in sharp suit, shades and sneakers, and we are off and running.

Continue reading Live Review: Joe Bonamassa at Royal Albert Hall, London – April 4th 2024

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Monday 01 April 2024

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Byron Bay Bluesfest

A vigorous end to the 35th Bluesfest was had with Californian band Infectious Grooves powering up the Mojo with unprecedented levels of exhilaration and raw energy. Front man Mike Muir (also from Suicidal Tendencies) spoke between songs, espousing living life your own way and the benefits of abstaining from alcohol. Hardcore motivational speaking between funk/metal masterpieces that are a rare treat stylistically for Bluesfest. Festival director Peter Noble was down the front enjoying the final night’s headline act. Clearly his passion for music across a diverse range of genres is what makes his musical curation such a success year after year.  Bassist extraordinaire Rob Trujillo (current Metallica and former Suicidal Tendencies) brought his signature heavy yet deeply funky basslines to the show, and towards the end of the set his son Tye Trujillo (current Suicidal Tendencies) also a bass player of phenomenal skill, joined the band on stage for double delivery of bass brilliance.

Continue reading Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Monday 01 April 2024

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Sunday 31 March 2024

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Byron Bay Bluesfest

Great to witness some new to Bluesfest artists performing over the weekend. The Jambalaya was alive with powerful female vocalists this easter Sunday. Fresh Australian talent WILSN blew everyone away with the beauty and clarity of her tone. Citing a few years living in Nashville as seminal in her song writing development. She is back in Australia now sharing her contemporary soul music with new audiences. Don’t miss the opportunity to see her emerging brilliance 5pm today at the Delta stage.

Continue reading Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Sunday 31 March 2024

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Saturday 30 March 2024

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Byron Bay Bluesfest

Saturday Night Bluesfest 2024

Big bands and big personalities were the flavour of Saturday night. Age is no impediment to pulling a crowd at Bluesfest. Tom Jones had the lion’s share of the festival crowd donning portable camp chairs at the Crossroads, while he sang Sex Bomb and other hits to the largest audience so far at this year’s festival. At 83, women are still throwing their underwear at him. The Blind Boys of Alabama joined him on stage for a few songs making the one man show a more collaborative experience. With that much love in the room for one man he must be able to float to his next show. An aeroplane is probably unnecessary.    

Continue reading Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – Saturday 30 March 2024

Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – 28-29 March 2024

Review by Wanda Hill
Photos by Ant Ritz

Celebrating 35 years of Byron Bay Bluesfest

With recent seminal festival cancelations front of mind, celebrating 35 years of Byron Bay’s Bluesfest really is a remarkable achievement. In a press conference yesterday Peter Noble announced that the 36th Byron Bay Bluesfest will be a four rather than a five day event next year, to help ease music industry pressures and ensure continued delivery of the regions premiere world class music event.

The 2024 iteration started in glorious sunshine and good vibes. The thinner crowds of Thursday night enabled friends to find each other easily amidst a sense of being in a magical place for a marathon of music. The sunset obliged filling the sky with golds and reds, illuminating the feelings of happiness oozing from the venue.

Continue reading Live Review + Photos: Byron Bay Bluesfest – 28-29 March 2024

Live Review: The Butterfly Effect + Wayside at Enmore Theatre, Sydney – 3 February 2024

Review and photos by Krista Melsom

The Butterfly Effect

Photo Gallery here…

Backstory, my favourite song on Begins Here is Overwhelmed and I had NEVER seen it live. Back in the early 2000s, whenever I bumped into a band member, which happened quite often, I would consistently ask for them to perform it live. The guys could frequently be found at Brisbane bars that showed support for the local music scene. Considering how often I attended their shows in Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast, one can only imagine how many encounters I had with them. The response was always along the lines of ‘not tonight’, but always delivered in the most polite way, no matter which band member I interacted with, even though I was sure they were getting sick of this girl asking to play Overwhelmed. Can you imagine my excitement when the Begins Here tour was announced, with the album to be played in full. This was it, 20 years of waiting and I would finally get to see the song which resonated with me then and still to this day. Stick around to find out how the night unfolded. 

Continue reading Live Review: The Butterfly Effect + Wayside at Enmore Theatre, Sydney – 3 February 2024

Live Review + Photos: Jackson Dean / Tori Forsyth – FACTORY THEATRE Sydney – Oct 18th 2023

Review and photos by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

Jackson Dean / Tori Forsyth – FACTORY THEATRE Sydney – Oct 18th 2023

Jackson Dean is just 23 years old, hailing from Maryland in the US, and now based, like all the rest, in Nashville, having released his debut album, Greenbroke, in March 2022.  He has been brought over to Australia for the Groundwater Festival on the Gold Coast, and has managed to fit in a couple of side shows in Sydney, and next week in Melbourne (CORNER HOTEL, Oct 25th).

Opening act for both the sideshows is Tori Forsyth, a singer from country NSW who debuted in 2017with the evocative single New Wall and the acclaimed EP Black Bird.   Forsyth’s highly anticipated 2018 debut album Dawn of the Dark was hailed as one of the strongest country records of the year in Australia, its powerful song writing underpinning Tori’s gritty and expressive vocals.  It planted Tori at the forefront of country in Australia, earning three Golden Guitar nominations and landing Tori on stages across the country and beyond.   Not one to follow a predictable path, Tori’s second album Provlépseis (2021) was a stunning swerve away from traditional country – a bold and bruising rock record that pushed her out of her comfort zone and became a favourite with fans.

The set on Wednesday was a mix of both, some straight-up country, and some darker, heavier rock songs, delivered with intensity, backed by a really tight band.

We got some old and new songs, including the new single, Sometimes, and all in all were left with a sense that with the right support and exposure, Tori could really make a name for herself.

Jackson Dean will be on the bill at CMC Rocks 2024, and has been picking up exposure over in Australia in the past 12 months, so this was a must-see show, and Sydney turned out in force at the Factory Theatre to welcome him Down Under.  A generally more switched on crowd, without the usual cries for a Shoey, and highly receptive to the top quality songs and delivery from Jackson and the band.

Jackson plays and interesting pair of Takamine guitars with custom carved finishes which I’d love to get the story of, and has a superb, solid tight backing band who built up a real head of steam as the show developed.  It was all quite low key to start with, and little fuss about this being his first show in Australia, and he played a bunch of songs from Greenbroke, and treated the crowd to some really well chosen covers and a smattering of new songs from his upcoming follow-up album, due for release sometime in mid 2024, which were terrific.

Opening and closing the set with well-known songs Trailer Park and Red Light, Dean took charge of the stage with the power of his vocals.  In-between these two we got Big Blue Sky, Don’t Take Much and Keep the Wolves away (Uncle Lucius cover).  Then it was Train, and a couple of new songs in Heavens To Betsy, featuring the first of a handful of searing lead solos from guitarist Brandon Aksteter, and the hard-driving Blackout which was a real trip to the dark side…… a crunching riff in the chorus, with a stripped back verse.  Jackson’s voice has really warmed up as the set goes on, and he takes the time mid song to thank the crowd for turning up!   This has a bit of Gods Country about it with an awesome epic feel to it.  In between these new ones we got What’s Up?  From 4 Non-Blondes, with some crowd participation teed up at the start, and overall an interesting choice of cover song.  Jackson gives it a Chris Stapleton workout and lets the crowd take the chorus, which they do in style.

49 Tons. (Fred Eaglesmith cover) is driven along by the bassline and drums, topped off with a gritty and powerful vocal line and a ripper solo, from the guitar hero who delivers with a hint of fiddle, and some rumbling Toms giving us the sound of the locomotive on the tracks.    Fearless is up next, and  is yet another example of this rich vocal tone delivering a more powerful sound than on the recordings.  After the pulsating Blackout, Jackson did yet another cover, this time Ryan Bingham’s Hallelujah, which showcases more of this powerful voice accompanied by acoustic guitar in the verse, and then soaring over a heavy country rock beat for the chorus .  A nice breakdown section letting lead guitarist show off a little, which turns into a lot!

The last two songs of the main set were 1971, the first song the band ever wrote together, and is a rollicking track driven by drums and with more of the fiddle effect on the guitar, before the drum intro to Don’t Come Lookin’ and the guitars kicking in.  100 mobile phones in the air and a few hundred voices singing the chorus back to him to close the set.

An encore was inevitable, and before the rousing Red Light we got the epic ballad of Wings – which again just highlights this young man’s extraordinary voice.

This was a bit of a slow-burner of a set, but Jackson was able to demonstrate what a powerful vocalist he is, and a couple of the unreleased tracks from the next album bode well for the development of his songwriting, and the growing maturity of the performance – assuming his voice holds out!  This is a really appealing mix of quality country and southern rock that works so well when done well, and Jackson and the band really delivered on this.
This may end up being one of those shows that down the track many hundreds of people claim they were at, as his first show in Australia – those of us who were actually there know the truth!

Thanks to FRONTIER TOURING.

Tori Forsyth

Live Review: Morgan Evans at Palais Theatre, Melbourne – 14 September 2023

Review by Natasha Rachow

Morgan Evans
Life Upside Down Tour
Palais Theatre St Kilda Thursday, September 14th, 2023

Morgan Evans is on the last leg of fourteen sold-out shows across Australia, including two at the Sydney Opera House and a record-breaking crowd at Queensland Gympie Muster. For those of us lucky enough to follow the career of this Newcastle-born, now Nashville resident, they would have witnessed the best part of fifteen years of hard work and commitment. As a Newcastle local, did I feel proud to be there and watch this? Dam right I am.

Continue reading Live Review: Morgan Evans at Palais Theatre, Melbourne – 14 September 2023

Live Review + Photos: Gympie Music Muster 2023

One Night at The Muster
Gympie Music Muster Amamoor State Forest Queensland
August 24 – 27, 2023
Review by Natasha Rachow
Photos by David Jackson

https://www.muster.com.au/

From the onset, one night at Gympie was not enough. We arrived early Thursday afternoon to find the forest bulging. Campers were forced into overflow areas due to record ticket sales. For the first time in history, the four-day passes were sold out before the event started, and the number of attendees was estimated to be over 45,000, which is incredible given the oversaturation of festivals in 2023. Gympie has always been on the musical fans’ bucket list with a line-up dominated by country. The vibe from the onset was one of relaxation and fun. The transition into the camping area was done with ease; a massive shout out to the volunteers who were pinnacle in making this happen. 

Continue reading Live Review + Photos: Gympie Music Muster 2023

Live Review : LUKE COMBS at Spark Arena, Auckland – 9 August 2023

Review by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

LUKE COMBS / CODY JOHNSON / LANE PITTMAN
Spark Arena, Auckland   9th August 2023

A full house at Auckland’s Spark Arena on a chilly Wednesday night saw a big slice of New Zealand’s country crew fly and drive in to catch the opening night of the AU/NZ leg of the massive Luke Combs World Tour.

Continue reading Live Review : LUKE COMBS at Spark Arena, Auckland – 9 August 2023

Live Review: Brad Cox at the Dalrymple Hotel Townsville Queensland – 2 July 2023

Review by Natasha Rachow
Photos by David Jackson – shotz by jackson

Brad Cox  Live at the Dalrymple Hotel Townsville Queensland – 2 July 2023

 I had an opportunistic chance to see Brad Cox’s show in Townsville on Sunday night. The venue, the Dalrymple Hotel, a pub in the centre of Townsville on a steamy night, was packed, yet another sellout on this national tour. Nearly 600 “Coxheads” packed the venue tonight to see what has quickly become the hottest act in Australian country music.  

Continue reading Live Review: Brad Cox at the Dalrymple Hotel Townsville Queensland – 2 July 2023

Live Review: The Winery Dogs + Jared James Nichols at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 18 June 2023

Review and photos by Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography

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The Winery Dogs + Jared James Nichols at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 18 June 2023

Continue reading Live Review: The Winery Dogs + Jared James Nichols at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 18 June 2023