New Found energy, New Found purpose; New Found Glory is back in the ring.
As opposed to the majority of their stale contemporaries, New Found Glory attacks each album with a breath of fresh air in a genre saturated with vocoder and neon. With an impressive catalog that hosts some of the most memorable pop punk songs of the past decade, their Epitaph Records debut ‘Not Without a Fight’, shows just how well they put their competition in a finishing headlock, “there’s no need to put up a fight, because New Found Glory takes the title by default.” – Absolute Punk
They say video killed the radio star… well we’re not so sure. Come and decide for yourself and be part of a “live studio audience” as Australia’s own award winning vocal quartet, The Idea of North present “Radio Show” Step back in time to an era of simple pleasures when the entire family would gather around the old transistor radio on a Saturday night to listen to their favourite show, excited and intrigued by what was happening at the other end. It’s now your turn to find out what goes on behind the scenes. Join in the fun of a live radio show where you’ll hear The Idea of North perform golden oldies to the top of the pops. They’ll be your very own radio hosts and who knows what else! This show is bound to have just about everything. The only difference is it probably won’t make it out onto the airwaves… it’ll just be for your ears (and eyes) only! Continue reading The Idea of North: Radio Show @ Brisbane Powerhouse 27 March 2010→
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[Photo: Arfy Papadam]
Within only a matter of moments after disembarking the ferry, it becomes immediately apparent why Playground Weekender (PW) has been the recipient of the “Best Crowd & Atmosphere” award for the last two years running.
PW organisers pride themselves on compiling a line-up that will attract a friendly and laid back crowd, and they know their craft well. The result is, quite bluntly and refreshingly, a music festival without all the jerks.
Over the four long and hot days festival goers remained pumped, happy and, as far as intoxicated crowds go, fairly mature. Even during the headliners when the main stage crowd was in full force, there was little pushing and shoving, people seemed pretty considerate of each other.
With little requirement for much control, the friendly crowd seemed slightly at odds with the size of the police force throughout the weekend. Officers walking sniffer dogs through festival grounds among the punters simply enjoying their lunch was an unusual sight. Though despite their numbers and high visibility, police were friendly and relaxed. Security were equally laid back in general. Continue reading Festival Review: Playground Weekender 2010→
Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane Marketing and Brispop Present The ResidentsMUSIC
They’re fresh, they’re free and they’re moving in. Fridays are about to get a lot more interesting as some of the best Indie-Pop bands around stake their claim on the Turbine Platform. No ‘one night only’ gigs here. Each band will have an entire month to capture the hearts of Brisbane music lovers with a set every week. So, if you’re liking what you hear, come back again and again.
Family can be a strange place. Despite this being a school night, a somewhat uneasy and restless vibe is easily palpable as dilated-pupil clientele wander about, while one clearly “under the influence” punter tries to strike up a conversation with me about how it’s going to be “a good night” and later passes by and wonders whether I’m “trying to be cool” as I check my phone for messages. Peaking too early is never fun, dude. Continue reading Live Review: Orbital @ Family, Brisbane, 24 February 2010→
To celebrate the success of her debut EP ‘If You Can’t Whistle’, Gossling (aka Helen Croome) will take to the stage with headlining shows in Melbourne, and offering support to The Whitlams and Whitley in Canberra.
Gossling’s debut EP ‘If You Can’t Whistle’ has garnered plenty of attention, with the track “Days Are Over” becoming part of Triple J’s staple play list in recent times, and “He Knows My Love” being used in the Triple J ‘Unearthed’ promos. Gossling’s tracks were discovered by Triple J after she drew attention as an Unearthed artist. Gossling started 2010 supporting Lamb for their side shows during their visit for Peats Ridge Festival. Continue reading Tour: Gossling to tour in support of debut EP – ‘If You Can’t Whistle’→
Review: Lana Harris The Break was formed from three of the previously in-your-face-political pub rockers Midnight Oil (Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey) plus the bassist (Brian Ritchie) from the grungy, always a bit teen-angst Violent Femmes. The love child spawned is nothing like its parents. Instead, it is a fun loving, apolitical coast dweller called The Break.
‘Cylinders’ is the pre release, first impression of the new creation. What is presented is a three and a half minute instrumental surf rock track. Surf rock? If you have ever seen a movie with teens at a beach shack party, circa 1960’s, you’ve heard surf rock. Remember ‘Wwwwwwwwipeout!’ Surf rock. It was repopularised for a while in the 1990’s – the opening credits to Pulp Fiction are overlaid with a revamped version of surf rock in the form of song ‘Misirlou’ and put the genre back into the population’s consciousness.
The Break’s postmillennial take on the genre has a heavier, deeper feel. Darkness washes across the laid back and loose vibes from the sixties, as though a man with sinister intentions is hiding amongst the palms that surround the beach shack party. There is a strong energy to the track, which explodes in your face like salt spray from a crashing wave. The Break thump straight into up-tempo, driving, full band participating music that ebbs and swells as the song progresses. The beach theme and vibes will continue with debut album Church of the Open Sky (released by Bombora Records) promising to be a mostly instrumental surf rock record with tracks named after famous surf breaks.
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[Photo: Stuart Blythe]
For the many festival’s we’ve attentively followed in the last year or so, I hope I’m not going to cop to much backlash for saying that Soundwave is now, pretty much, the festival to be at, particularly if you indulge in music of the ah, heavier nature. They’ve marked their territory well, and will be hard to compete with in coming years after continually displaying such high levels of organization and forward planning, with larger than life line ups to match, last year
featuring headliners Nine in Nails, and Alice in Chains, this year the newly reunited outfits Jane’s Addiction and of course, Faith No More.
Ticket sales at the door had prices marked up by over 50 dollars from the original price, but it didn’t see people back away from the queue. With a line up like today’s, I wouldn’t have been backing away from those prices either, had I’d have been stupid enough, not to buy a ticket during one of the previous releases.
Walking the streets of Brisbane’s fortitude valley on the morning of the event is galvanizing. The streets are flooded with waves of charismatic show goers of all age’s shapes and sizes. The crowd’s equal to what you may see before the opening day of the Ekka; Brisbane’s annual Royal show. Continue reading Live Review: Soundwave Festival 2010 – Brisbane→
TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE STRONG!
A massive rally by the Melbourne music loving community got together in a show of strength to protest against the out of touch state government’s liquor licensing laws. On the 34th anniversary of the famous ACCA-DACCA, “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”, the famous music clip was recreated again on the back of a truck with the Rockwiz Orchestra and the original bagpipe players of the classic video. – Location: Swanston & Bourke Streets, Melbourne, Australia CARBIE was there to capture the event!
Review: Elena Gomez Down The Way, second album from beloved folksy duo Angus & Julia Stone, sees the siblings put on their Producer hats and travel the globe, touring and recording with the likes of Martha Wainwright and Brad Albetta. They’ve sacrificed their memorable melodies and the arc that seemed to form their debut album, A Book Like This. But what they lose in melodious offerings, they make up in having a much more polished sound. Where A Book Like This was a home movie filmed in sepia, filled with character-forming crackles and perfect imperfections, Down The Way has been steered more professionally. Its homey elements are still present but they have been muted. – Angus & Julia Stone available at iTunes
The album opens with “Hold On”, in Julia’s fragile voice, and it’s clear from this point that the energy has been amplified, possibly a result of having a three year gap to progress and grow in their sound. There are lulls and swells in Down The Way that make for less passive listening. A little less of ‘round the campfire with last pair of clean undies’ and a bit more of ‘coasty road trip in a car with air-con and an icy-pole’. Continue reading CD Review: Angus and Julia Stone – Down The Way→
This second single release from The Boat People is just as surprising as the first single ‘Echo Stick Guitars’ was. ‘Echo Stick Guitars’ showed an electronic, hip-hop side of the Brisbane based quartet. Anticipation and assumptions regarding future singles led to thinking that more of the same would naturally follow. Thwarting expectations, ‘Soporific’ is nothing like its predecessor. ‘Soporific’ is an aptly named track, mellow, laid back indie pop
with words that had me reaching for the dictionary a couple of times. A break from the lyrics, where guitarist Charles Dugan is given the limelight and solos forth, allows his technical capabilities to shine and gives the track a more complex feel.
The single comes with two B-sides, ‘Flower Water’ and ‘Stereo Pair’. ‘Flower Water’ flows even gentler than ‘Soporific’. It’s a song about waiting for someone who has left, and the questioning and emptiness that comes with it. The music echoes the lyrical content. It is instrumentally sparse, delicate, imbibed with cascading electronic tinkling through the chorus. Continue reading CD Review: The Boat People – Soporific Single→
