Review By Wanda Hill
Photos by Stuart Blythe
Wondering around the Bluesfest site during the early afternoon on day 2, I could hear a beautiful familiar voice rising over the cacophony of sounds emanating from multiple tents. Following the voice lead me to the Crossroads stage to find Djakapurra from Bangarra singing with East Journey, an amazing band from North East Arnhem Land carrying on the tradition of Yothu Yindi. They performed new original songs that are bound to end up in the charts as well as performing Yothu Yindi favourites such as Treaty. Lead singer Rrawun Maymuru’s versatility was showcased with vocal styles ranging form traditional ceremonial song poetry, to ballads and full on rock. His song writing is appreciated world wide through songs he has written for Gurrumul. The band and dancers were truly exceptional and will be appearing at the Boomerang Dance Grounds over the next 3 evenings.
Continue reading Live Review + Photo Gallery : Bluesfest Byron Bay 2016 – Day Two
Category Archives: Review
Live Review + Photo Gallery : Bluesfest Byron Bay 2016 – Day One
By Wanda Hill
Day one and there is already too many choices. Who to see and where to be? The answer… a bit of everything and everywhere. Entering the festival site was made sweet with the sounds of Lord Huron paving the way for a relaxing night at Bluesfest 2016. The opportunity to leave the world of commitments behind and bathe in sweet music for five days is a pleasure that I am always grateful for and being spoilt for choice of which brilliant set of musicians to cast my ears and eyes upon, never gets old. I guess thats why Bluesfest has been going strong for 27 years and still finds new audiences by stepping out of the mould and bringing artists like Kendrick Lamar into the fold.
Continue reading Live Review + Photo Gallery : Bluesfest Byron Bay 2016 – Day One
Live Review : Blackberry Smoke + Adam Eckersley Band at The Basement, Sydney – March 23, 2016
Review and photos by Peter Coates
Support act, the Adam Eckersley Band from the NSW Central Coast, took to the stage fresh from their CMC Rocks appearance and delivered a set of country-style folk-rock, full of Aussie attitude with a mean twin-acoustic guitar attack.
The band is pretty laid-back with lovely, easy harmonies with some raw emotion in the vocals and gave us a highlight set of ‘The First Album’ and the more recently released ‘The Second Album’. The crowd particularly enjoyed the acoustic solo from Adam in ‘Wheels’ and the set-closer featured some great interplay between the various band members, featuring drums, keyboards and bass. A terrific warm-up set from a great local outfit.
Blackberry Smoke are from Atlanta, Georgia, and have been linked to the stable of The Zac Brown Band for some of their earlier releases. They have been recording and touring for over 10 years, since the release of first album ‘Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime’ in 2004.
The lineup consists of Charlie Starr (lead vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), and Brandon Still (keyboards). While the band is one tight country-rock outfit, there is no doubting the talent and sheer presence of front-man Charlie Starr, with a powerful vocal delivery, sharp moves and great guitar playing.
This is the band’s first visit to Australia for the Bluesfest in Byron Bay, so an early show in Sydney is a great way to see this critically-acclaimed southern country-rock band in an intimate setting. This will be the first and last time we will get to see the band play to 250 people in this country!
‘Holding All The Roses’ is the latest and fourth full-length album from early 2015, but their set was drawn from all four studio albums opeing up with ‘Six Ways’, ‘Let Me help You’ and ‘Like I Am’, before really warming the place up with ‘Pretty Lil Lie’. The crowd knew most of the songs and Charlie Starr was delighted with the response and the frequent singalongs!
The Turner boys on bass and drums must be the most laconic rhythm section doing the rounds, but rock solid with it. Lots of keyboards give some of the songs an atmospheric jazz-fusion feel with some great Hammond organ and honky-tonk piano from Brandon Still, particularly in the extended workout of ‘Sleeping Dogs’ and ‘Holy Ghost’ – but the band never strays far from the electric guitar-based core of the music.
The set rolled on with two cracking tracks in ‘Wish In One Hand’ and my favourite from the latest album, ‘Payback’ which is just a great rock song with a cool story. Title track of the previous record, ‘Whippoorwill’ almost felt like early Pink Floyd in the beginning but rolled into some great guitar work from both Paul Jackson and Starr with a glorious piano and organ solo from Stills.
The songs kept coming, with the simplest of ballads written about Manette, Alabama, One Horse Town, and then a retreat into 1980’s classic rock with ‘Up In Smoke’, contrasting the ballad with rumbling riffs and a wailing solo. The energy started building through ‘Ain’t Got The Blues’ and the enormous-sounding ‘Holding All The Roses’ with more killer riffs and a false ending before the raucous close.
‘Shake Your Magnolia’ closed the set as another upbeat piano and guitar-driven track before the encores brought the band back out, Starr in a tasteful hat, for ‘Too High’, new song ‘Let It Burn’, and the signature southern rock anthem of ‘Ain’t Much Left’.
Good luck Bluesfest – these guys are going to bring the deep south all the way to Bryon Bay this weekend – Do Not Miss Blackberry Smoke!
Click here to view our photos from the show
Headliner: Blackberry Smoke – www.blackberrysmoke.com
Support: Adam Eckersley Band – www.adameckersleyband.com
Venue: The Basement, Sydney Australia
Date: March 23, 2016
Photographer: Peter Coates – www.facebook.com/InsideEdgePhotography
Live Review : Melissa Etheridge at Enmore Theatre, Sydney – March 23, 2016
Review by Natasha Wyborn
Making a welcome return to Australia, Melissa Etheridge was in fine form on Wednesday night. Playing to a sell-out crowd on the first night of a two show stint, Etheridge poured her heart and soul out for a predominantly adoring female crowd. Although older, the crowd responded to the songs with a loud voice of approval. The moment Etheridge walked out on stage she looked at home. There was no holding Ethridge’s fans in their seats, From the first chord to the last, they were dancing in the aisles.
Continue reading Live Review : Melissa Etheridge at Enmore Theatre, Sydney – March 23, 2016
Live Review : Tedeschi Trucks Band at Enmore Theatre, Sydney – March 22, 2016
Review by Natasha Wyborn
Photographer: David Jackson
The harbour city welcomed two of the best to the Enmore Theatre on Tuesday night. Husband and wife rock and blues outfit Susan Tedeschi and slide guitar maestro Derek Trucks took to the Enmore stage for a sold out event. It was the first time the band had visited Australia since 2013 and the fans welcomed them back with open arms! Fans were treated with numbers from the bands back catalogue and their new album ‘Let Me Get By’ which was featured throughout the two hour plus set.
Continue reading Live Review : Tedeschi Trucks Band at Enmore Theatre, Sydney – March 22, 2016
Live Review : Birds of Tokyo + Dustin Tebbutt at Spectrum Now Festival – The Domain, Sydney – 11 March, 2016
Reviewed by Meghan Player
Spectrum Now Festival has been playing to its strengths in 2016, with a vast array of music, entertainment, talks and exhibitions being held across various locations in Sydney. The creation of the Big Top in The Domain has been one such highlight, showcasing some of the finest Australian acts for each night of the festival.
Continue reading Live Review : Birds of Tokyo + Dustin Tebbutt at Spectrum Now Festival – The Domain, Sydney – 11 March, 2016
Live Review : Jason Aldean + Florida Georgia Line at Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – March 9, 2016
Review and photos by Peter Coates
“My favourite colour is John Deere Green” (1994 – Jason Aldean)
This was not country music as we normally understand it. Yes there were large numbers of guys in jeans, check shirts and cowboy hats, and hordes of girls in denim shorts and boots, but both these acts are modern country rock, with attitude and edge, and clearly have a massive fanbase in Australia.
Continue reading Live Review : Jason Aldean + Florida Georgia Line at Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – March 9, 2016
Live Review : Hoodoo Gurus + Violent Femmes + Sunnyboys + Died Pretty + Ratcat at A Day On The Green – Bimbadgen Estate – March 5, 2016
Review by Natasha Wyborn
Like wow, a clear day, thirty plus degree heat, good wine, and a record 10,000 crowd. That was the setting for Bimbadgen Estate on Saturday as fans come to watch what could be described as the best eclectic line-up the area has seen in years. This event proved a smash, selling out within days of going on sale. An additional 2000 tickets were made available courtesy of a new makeshift stand. The theme for the day was interesting with 5 bands, all from different music categories including college rock to psychedelic punk and the result was spectacular.
Continue reading Live Review : Hoodoo Gurus + Violent Femmes + Sunnyboys + Died Pretty + Ratcat at A Day On The Green – Bimbadgen Estate – March 5, 2016
Live Review : San Cisco at Melbourne Zoo Twilights – February 26, 2016
Review by Ben Connolly
There’s a lot to be said for the uplifting positivity of indie jangle pop. And as current doyens of Australia’s indie scene, Western Australia’s San Cisco is saying it – a lot. Since dropping the mind bendingly on-point and cute Awkward single in 2012, they are notching up some serious points as Australia’s hardest working live act, with nary a month going by without a national or international appearance.
Continue reading Live Review : San Cisco at Melbourne Zoo Twilights – February 26, 2016
Live Review : Mark Seymour & The Undertow at Melbourne Zoo Twilights w/ Ben Salter – February 20, 2016
Review by Ben Connolly
Photo credit: Maclay Heriot
Watching a legendary artist grapple with a formidable back catalogue can be a frustrating affair for a fan. It can almost be described through a stages of grief process: at first denial – burying the songs begrudgingly down the setlist in the hopes that newer works get due recognition. After that comes the anger – deleting songs from the setlist completely in a vain hope of erasing them from the collective memory. Bargaining and depression swiftly follow – where the artist reinvents or reworks the songs to placate the hordes. Audiences hold out for the last stage of acceptance, where the original brilliance of the songs are embraced and delivered with a straight bat.
Continue reading Live Review : Mark Seymour & The Undertow at Melbourne Zoo Twilights w/ Ben Salter – February 20, 2016
Live Review : Simply Red at Bimbadgen Winery, Pokolbin Australia – February 20, 2016
Review by Natasha Wyborn
A return to the valley after a five year hiatus, Simply Red hit the stage with gusto on Saturday night. A perfect venue, weather warm and sunny, concert sold out as you would expect. The Hunter Valley got to continue its love affair with Mick Hucknall and his classy band. Joining the musicians from the side of the stage after a brief instrumental introduction, Hucknall looked happy and at home. Dressed casual but there was nothing unrehearsed about the bands performance. Hitting almost perfect notes from their first song ‘Look at you now’ Hucknall romanced the audience with a very appealing collection of hits. The crowd responded from the onset, “A new flame” signalled a calling to all people to get up and join the party.
Continue reading Live Review : Simply Red at Bimbadgen Winery, Pokolbin Australia – February 20, 2016
Review : Meatstock Festival at Sydney Showgrounds – February 13-14, 2016
Review by Natasha Wyborn
Hair, heat and hunger were the flavour of the weekend at the inaugural Meatstock held at Sydney showgrounds on the 13th and 14th of February 2016. Capitalising on the increasing worldwide trend of BBQ’s and the art of grilling, Meatfest incorporated all the best that a carnivore could want, BBQ’s, beards, butchers, barbers, beers and bands. Too put it simple what more could a fella want for his Valentine’s weekend?
Continue reading Review : Meatstock Festival at Sydney Showgrounds – February 13-14, 2016
Live Review : John Butler Trio at Melbourne Zoo Twilights w/ Tinpan Orange – February 6, 2016
Review by Ben Connolly
Photos Lucinda Goodwin Photography
The support slot on the summer picnic rug festival circuit is easily the toughest around at the moment. With audience attention divided between divvying up the roast chook, keeping the ants out of hummus and wrangling over-excited toddlers out way past their bedtimes, it’s a tough mix. And, in the case of the hugely successful Melbourne Zoo Twilights series, adding to this is the distraction of a couple of boisterous lions having a bellow; it leaves little room for paying close attention to what’s happening on the main stage.
Continue reading Live Review : John Butler Trio at Melbourne Zoo Twilights w/ Tinpan Orange – February 6, 2016
Live Review : Jose Gonzalez – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane – February 10, 2016
Review by Eve Mayzes
The Tivoli Theatre in Brisbane was abuzz tonight as a diverse crowd of music-lovers ranging in age from 20 to 70 awaited the much anticipated return of Swedish born, Argentinean singer/songwriter, Jose Gonzalez. And it is safe to say, the show more than surpassed everyone’s expectations.
Continue reading Live Review : Jose Gonzalez – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane – February 10, 2016
Live Review : Tamworth Country Music Festival 2016
Review and photos by Nat Wyborn
Every January the town and people of Tamworth unite to host Australia’s biggest music festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival or the TCMF as it is most commonly known to its patrons runs for 10 days. Now in its 44th year the festival does not look like slowing down.
Continue reading Live Review : Tamworth Country Music Festival 2016