Review by Merinda O’Brien / Jose Eduardo Cruz
The inaugural edition of Falls Festival, Byron Bay, launched in the midst of the stunning North Byron Parklands. The parklands, particularly the natural amphitheater in which the main stage is set, are a befitting setting for a festival that has always provided excellent music amongst nature. No doubt Byron Bay has captured the essence and sprit of the festival formerly held in only Lorne and Marion Bay.
Given the heat waves that have been hitting Northern NSW over the last couple of weeks; the crowds in mid afternoon were still very timid. It took British duo, The Correspondents, to begin to warm up the crowd in anticipation for the new year. Their trade mark British sound and high energy immediately enticed a sizable contingent of revelers to the front of the stage.
Continue reading Falls Festival 2013 – Byron Bay – Day 1 Wrap
There are few bands that could get away with pulling apart their own songs and reinterpreting them live on stage. There are even fewer bands that could make that sound good. The legendary hip hop crew The Roots are one of them. This past Friday, 27th December, at the Hordern Pavillion in Sydney, The Roots took to the stage to show all hip hop heads not only how to successfully do just that but how to go beyond any boundaries put on them by their genre. But did fans really expect anything less from one of hip hop’s most notable groups and the house band of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon? No.
Having produced one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year in Sunbather, Deafheaven’s relentless touring sees the band traveling to Australia for the first time ever to play shows in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth in January 2014.
We were shocked to see no line up for tonight’s show, just moments before opening time. There were literally 15 people waiting patiently in front of Sydney’s HiFi, with crowds of soccer fans streaming past at from Allianz Stadium wondering what these scruffy metal heads were doing out in public on a Sunday evening. Thankfully though, all this lack of early enthusiasm proved to be was a more mature, clever kind of music fan that clearly hates waiting in lines.
Touring Australia for the first time in January, supporting Busby Marou on their coastal tour, English singer-songwriter RYAN KEEN has just announced two intimate headline shows to showcase songs from his debut album “Room For Light”. 
Sydney rockers Papa Vs Pretty recently released their latest single “Smother”, taken from their anticipated second album, White Deer Park.
Aussie guitar virtuoso Joe Robinson has spent the majority of 2013 touring North America. Headlining clubs all over the North East as well as stints in Texas and the West Coast, Joe also played festivals including the main stage at Canada’s Ottawa Bluesfest (alongside The Black Keys and Dixie Chicks), Nashville’s Live On The Green with Robert Randolph, and Fender’s celebration event leading up to the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden. He also headlined shows in China and Japan in the middle of this year.
With sustained global popularity for over a decade, Metric have a wide fan-base to pull from when it comes to filling a show’s audience. Their loyal Brisbane following heard the call for the Wednesday night leg of Metric’s “Synthetica” tour, and a diverse crowd filled The Tivoli on one of those muggy Brisbane nights where even inside the busy venue it was cooler than sweating in the soupy air outside. The warm weather didn’t seem to affect the Canadian quartet, though, as they hit the stage in their trademark cool style.
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. 
Following a colossal three year-long writing and pre-production process, New Jersey’s instrumental freak attack trio, EL DRUGSTORE, has put the final touches on their virgin romp on full-length turf.