Category Archives: Review

Live Review: Sticky Fingers @ The Zoo, Brisbane – April 18th, 2013

By Lauren Sherritt
Sticky Fingers have a lot to offer music lovers interested in hearing something a bit different to your average pop and they demonstrated this in undeniable fashion at the sold out Brisbane show of their national Caress Your Soul tour at The Zoo.

Equal mixes dub reggae and psychedelic pop go into the sound created by Sticky Fingers, the unique blend giving their live show a laid back atmosphere that still moves people to dance. The crowd at The Zoo was on average quite young, Sticky Fingers, or Sti-Fi as the band has nicknamed themselves, appealing with to a generation whose media is saturated with candy-sweet pop queens and synchronised, rosy-cheeked boy bands with their dark, humorous lyrics and a slower, dirtier rhythm.
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Review: Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 5 Wrap

By DOMINIC FEAIN
Bluesfest Day Five Wrap:

It was a fitting finale to one of the best ever Byron Bluesfests last night as the legendary Paul Simon capped off five days of extraordinary performances by countless artists across six stages.

Actually, that’s seven if you include the busking stage.

The Mojo tent was packed to overflowing with an all-ages crowd that was not only a testament to the enduring legacy of a musical icon, but also the festival organisers for once again staging a truly inclusive, cross-generational event.
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Review: Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 4 Wrap

By DOMINIC FEAIN
Day Four: Bluesfest wrap
The clouds set in for day four of Bluesfest but that didn’t dampen the festival spirit or the crowd numbers.

While yesterday’s line-up lacked the star-studded impact of the first three days, punters still poured in to enjoy the days high-energy bill packed with long-time Bluefest favourites.
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Photos! Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 4

Photographer: Stuart Blythe

Photographer: Stuart Blythe

Featured Artists: Rufus Wainwright, Roger Hodgson, Bettye LaVette, Karise Eden, Jon Anderson
Venue: Bluesfest Byron Bay
Date: 31 March 2013

More photos to come!

Visit Bluesfest Byron Bay Official Website here!


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Review: Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 3 Wrap

By DOMINIC FEAIN
Day three of Bluesfest.

Perhaps it’s the selective memory but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly one forgets the shear stamina and commitment five day festivals demand – let alone one with six stages and a line-up like this.

Herein lies the crux of the Bluesfest punter’s dilemma – how to choose between the likes of Iggy Pop and Robert Plant; Status Quo and the Beasts of Bourbon; the Dropkick Murphys and Taj Mahal, not to mention Santana and Wanda Jackson; Ben Harper and Chris Isaak; the Counting Crows and Joan Armatrading; Wilco and The Melbourne Ska Orchestra…

Bottom line? Decisiveness is the key. Where there’s no guts there’s no glory. Wavering between stages will only break you down faster and leave you with a gnawing sense of what might have been against a potential epiphany at a consecrated altar of live rock and roll.
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Review: Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 2 Wrap

By DOMINIC FEAIN
Byron Bay’s Bluesfest hit full stride yesterday, following a cracker opening night on Thursday, and the heavens responded in kind.

Let’s face it, it just wouldn’t be Bluesfest without the rain.

While it certainly wasn’t the 100mm organisers had promised would drain off faster than a heavy metal anthem, it did pour down.

But that didn’t deter the hundreds of punters spilling out three sides of Crossroads stage where Rodriguez had just won over a new generation of fans. The crowd knew most of the words to his classic 1970 album, Cold Fact, and weren’t afraid to sing them. It was spine-tingling stuff.

On the flip-side, it was yet another classic Bluesfest audience – relaxed, intelligent and forgiving – offering musicians the kind of reception that has elicited some extraordinary live performances over the years, and earned the festival an international reputation among artists second to none in Australia.
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Photos! Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 2

Photographer: Stuart Blythe

Photographer: Stuart Blythe

Featured Artists: Santana, Manu Chao La Ventura, Rodriguez, Joan Armatrading, Jimmy Cliff, Glen Hansard, Taj Mahal Trio, Ben Harper, Skipping Girl Vinegar, Wards Xpress
Venue: Bluesfest Byron Bay
Date: 29 March 2013

Visit Bluesfest Byron Bay Official Website here!


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Photos! Bluesfest Byron Bay 2013 – Day 1

Photographer: Stuart Blythe

Photographer: Stuart Blythe

Acts: Charlie Musselwhite, Ben Harper, Jason Mraz, Counting Crows, Rodriguez, Chris Isaak, Trombone Shorty, Fred Wesley
Venue: Bluesfest Byron Bay
Date: 28 March 2013

Visit Bluesfest Byron Bay Official Website here!


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Live Review: KISS + Motley Crue @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre – 12 March 2013

Review by Michelle O’Rance
Two of the biggest names in rock’n’roll and heavy metal joined forces and descended upon Brisbane in a fiery, laser light filled show complete with upside down drum solos, acrobatics, ladies on stilts, flying musicians and pyrotechnics.

The elaborate stage set-up promised something big as the house lights dimmed and a single spotlight picked up the page bearers carrying the Motley Crue banners and leading a robed Nikki Sixx through the sea of people on the Entertainment Centre’s floor.
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Live Review: Soundwave Festival, Melbourne – 1st March 2013

Review by Billy Geary
Soundwave. Yes, it’s that time of year again. Where, for two weeks rock fans across the country come out of the woodwork to celebrate all things heavy, following one of Australia’s biggest travelling music festivals around the country. Due to it being the festival’s 10-year anniversary, the line up for this edition was as big as it gets, featuring giants of many different genres of heavy music. Add to this a monumental amount of ticket sales and the usual assortment of controversies in the festival’s lead up and the result is an absolute behemoth of a day.
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Live Review: Periphery and Crossfaith @ The Espy, Melbourne – 25 February 2013

Review by Billy Geary
Photo by Stuart Blythe
The last time Periphery played in Melbourne, back in 2011, they sold out the Hi-Fi Bar weeks in advance, highlighting just how popular the band is in the land down under. It appeared a similar occurrence was on the cards for their Soundwave sideshow held at the famous Esplanade Hotel in St Kilda. Well before doors had even opened, the line of fans waiting to enter the venue had snaked through the front bar and outside along The Esplanade quite away. As such, the early indication was that Periphery’s love affair with Australia and the local fans was by no means over.
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Live Review: Slayer, Anthrax & Kingdom of Sorrow @ Big Top – Luna Park, Sydney – 25 February 2013

Review and photos by Ben Hosking
Ahh, the annual Soundwave cavalcade. A time for sunburn, aching legs, aching livers and severe tinnitus. For those with average bank accounts, Soundwave is usually a choice between the main festival and the many and varied accompanying ‘Sidewave’ shows.

For some, the choice to purchase tickets to a Sidewave is more about being able to see their favourite bands in a more intimate environment with a few thousand other die-hards instead of tens of thousands. We’re left in no doubt tonight that many of the punters filling Luna Park’s Bog Top in Sydney fall squarely into the third category: those who feel compelled to spend up and see their favourite band/s in both arenas. Tonight’s Sidewave, starring Slayer, Anthrax and Kingdom of Sorrow is truly an exceptional line up of talent for one intimate venue and it comes as no surprise to find a long line of black-clad dudes stretching out past the big open mouth of the amusement park.
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Album Review: Björk – Bastards (Biophilia Remixes)

By Natalie Salvo
Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that Björk is an artist that never fails to be eccentric and interesting. Last year’s Biophilia album was a sprawling, mixed media affair where the music was released as an album alongside shows, educational projects and a special app for every single song. In 2012, Bastards draws together remixes of virtually all of these tracks.

Björk has acknowledged that these particular remixes took the listener somewhere else. The cuts were all chosen by the fine lady herself, because she says they contain much sturdier legs to dance on thanks to their rather heavy reliance on synths and beats. These particular songs have all been offered on the Internet as downloads at different times and this release collects them together in a handy but rather unnecessary package.
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Live Review – Big Day Out – Gold Coast 2013

Review by Lauren Sherritt
The Sunday set for the Gold Coast Big Day Out 2013 dawned hot and sunny as around the state thousands packed themselves into cars, shuttle buses and trains and headed to the Parklands.

There were those who arrived early, queuing eagerly at the gates with tickets in hands and starting the party with top-notch openers like the rocketing-towards-stardom Sydney two piece Toucan and the magnificent DJ Helena, who kick-started the burgeoning crowds’ energy.

Then there were those who waited out the sun to arrive later for the big names on the bill, with Grinspoon’s mid-afternoon efforts pulling the first really big crowd of the day. Hard Act to Follow and Thrills, Kills and Sunday Pills had the crowd singing as one and from a distance the moving sea of hands and bodies seemed to swell with excitement under the masterful conducting of the band’s front man Phil Jamieson.
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Live Review: 65daysofstatic + sleepmakeswaves @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne – 4 January 2013

Review by Billy Geary
As is the case with many bands that are somewhat lesser known, despite being critically acclaimed and possessing a stellar live sound, British four piece 65daysofstatic have taken quite a while to finally make it down under. After over ten years together, the band, with the help of the increasingly impressive Birds Robe record label, it was finally Australia’s turn to experience the quartet in the flesh.

Fresh from a huge 2012, including an ARIA award nomination, Sydney’s sleepmakeswaves were tasked with the role of main support for the entire tour. The quartet has, over the last few years, grown their fan base quite significantly and it showed in the sheer volume of the crowd’s cheers on Friday night as the band wandered on stage. The highlights of the set were opener ‘To You They Are Birds…’ and ‘We Sing The Body Electric,’ displaying exactly why they are considered one of Australia’s best young bands. To the delight of many, the band also showcased a couple of new tracks in ‘Avalanches’ and ‘Freshmaker.’ The former was particularly impressive, being slighter faster paced compared to most sleepmakeswaves tracks whilst still retaining their original sound.
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