Review: Heather McNab
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.
After a short break and the venue filling quickly, the lights dim and with enthusiastic screams and whistles from the audience, Vampire Weekend take to the stage starting out with “Diane Young”. Fans were onboard from the first note, singing along to every word of every song, completely emmersed and happy. Frontman Ezra Koenig’s easy style relaxing the crowd with a feel good vibe. In contrast, bassist Chris Baio’s dancing and movements were mesmerising, a life force all to themselves.
Continue reading Live Review: Vampire Weekend + Gang of Youths @ Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – January 8, 2014
A double billing doesn’t happen very often here in Australia, let alone in the often neglected genre of R&B. but this past Wednesday, at Allphones Arena that’s just what Sydney-siders were treated to. They turned up in droves to see R&B darling Alicia Keys perform, along with special guest John Legend on the Set The World On Fire tour. 
As we arrive at Sydney’s Metro Theatre to a line of punters that stretches down that little side street and around the corner, we realise this will be one of this year’s more special musical events. The range of fans waiting patiently for Steven Wilson’s gig are as mixed and varied as the artist’s back catalogue, with young and old, male and female, overtly metal and overtly not… 
Dark Tranquillity will finally be returning to tour Australia; it will be their first time back here since 2006. One of the pioneers of the Swedish Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal scene of the time, and, an iconic namesake in their own right, Dark Tranquillity has evolved into far more than a pigeon holed stereotype act akin to the region which has defined a genre of its own. Dark Tranquillity is the complete package; they have that emotional and captivating groove laden sound with enough melodic and crisp guitars which is nowadays filled with melancholic thought provoking hooks and music score; they have a charisma and aura uniquely defined and attached to everything they do; they are, in the true sense, standing alone yet leading the way for the evolution and continuation of acts that spawned from Sweden born of the Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal mould. Dark Tranquillity is entrenched in the hearts and souls of a gripping cross section demographic.
Australian death metal fans generally aren’t quite as lucky when it comes to high-profile gigs like their brethren who enjoy less-heavy strains of metal. You could probably blame the state of the music industry for the lack of international death artists all the way over here to our little patch of dirt in the middle of nowhere.
On a darkened stage and with little fanfare, a pretty and bespectacled 
It’s been a long time coming for fans of Finnish band Apocalyptica to finally catch the band on Australian soil for the first time in their 16+ year career – and it was well worth the wait.
Thursday night got underway at 8pm when early punters began filling into the doors of the Sydney Metro. The darkened room was a hotbed of activity, buzzing conversation as indie fans alike milled around drinking beer and anticipating the first time visit of English indie rockers The Maccabees to Australia. The quintet who are visiting this autumn for the 
