Hailey Whitters is country through and through, as a writer for greats like Alan Jackson and Little Big Town, and released her own third album in 2022, and we got some old and news songs including her most recent Everything She Ain’t, and her perky voice and upbeat attitude was the perfect opener to Day 2 on the main stages.
A scorching hot and humid day welcomed the crowds to CMC Rocks on Day 1 proper of the festival, with all the usual sights and sounds of this iconic feature of the Australian and global Country Music calendar, curated by Michael Chugg and his incredible team at Frontier. The sad news was the death this week of Foxtel boss Brian Walsh, who along with the late Rob Potts and Michael Chugg were the three key founders of the CM Rocks phenomenon, and a toast and cheer from the crowd was warm and genuine.
KIP MOORE / RANDY HOUSER Hordern Pavilion, Sydney 16th March 2023
This was the second show of this CMC Rocks week of sideshows and festival, after Melbourne the night before, and a sold out crowd at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney had streamed in from the country and was ready to get down and party.
Randy Houser may be one of the undercard for CMC Rocks , but he has perhaps the best voice in country music, and from the first line of the Whistlin’ Dixie he is right on song, with a voice like honey smoked JD that hits the spot immediately. After Boots On we get the monster hit of How Country Feels, with some great guitar interplay and a massive crowd reaction. Randy lets the super tight band let rip with a hoe-down middle eight that absolutely rocked, and there was lots of crowd singing in an extended back half of the song.
With just over ten years since the release of their staggering debut album Neverbloom, Aussie metal leviathans MAKE THEM SUFFER have continued to flourish in the decade that has since passed.
MAKE THEM SUFFER will also pay homage to the album that started it all with the Neverbloom 10 Year Anniversary Tour this May and June, with special guests FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY all the way from New Jersey, as well as metalcore locals OCEAN SLEEPER.
When Richard Clapton told us the party never ends, he meant it.
Ralph, as he’s affectionately known, is celebrating 50 years as one of Australia’s foremost singer / songwriters with anniversary shows at the State Theatre in Sydney on Saturday, 15 April and the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Friday, 19 May. Tickets for both shows go on sale at 9.00am on Monday, 20 February from Ticketmaster.
Australian chart-topping and ARIA-award winning act Boy & Bear announce their forthcoming self-titled fifth studio album, Boy & Bear, set to be released independently on May 26. To celebrate, the band shares the news that their latest single “Apex” is available today, and that they will hit the road touring Australia and New Zealand throughout June and July.
Following four ARIA top-10 charted albums, including two number ones, the indie band are following up with a new body of work, self-produced and recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Marrickville, Sydney, and mixed by Craig Silvey at Toast Studios in London.
Boorloo/Perth-based indie-folk artist Jordy Maxwell has returned with his touching new single ‘Let Me Out‘ – produced by Andy Lawson (Noah Dillon, Death By Denim, Eskimo Joe).
STARCRAZY ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER SQUALOR EP Released – March 10th 2023
Seldom does a new band appear on the Sydney scene with such a polished set of songs, and a live performance that goes perfectly with the music. When I saw them live at Glamfest last month I was taken aback at just how good Starcrazy turned out to be!