Photographer: Cody Alexander
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Good Vibrations Festival 20 February 2010, Gold Coast, QLD
Everyone’s favourite Gold Coast collective, Operator Please, return with their remarkably sophisticated sophomore album ‘Gloves’ on Friday April 23.
The band spent 12 months pouring their heart and soul into a record that was largely self produced at a Byron Bay farm and in Amandah Wilkinson’s Gold Coast lounge room.
Lead singer Amandah says, “The album is the perfect representation for where we are at right now. It has all the experiences and growth from touring, seeing places and discovering the new; encompassed into about 35 minutes of songs.”
The band chose to upload the debut single ‘Logic’ to Myspace two weeks ahead of service: the reaction was incredible, with national radio stations adding the track immediately. Proving to be an instant hit, ‘Logic’ is released digitally on February 16.
Continue reading Operator Please Announce Details Of Their Sophomore Album ‘Gloves’!
Interview: Elize Strydom
Knock Knock… Who’s there? Tom…. Tom who?
Tom Ballard, the triple j Breakfast co-host and comedian extraordinaire. He’s only 20 but he’s already performed at comedy festivals in Edinburgh and Montreal. He was the youngest person ever to win the prestigious Best Newcomer award at the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He’ll be in Brisbane soon for a run of solo shows called Cogito Ergo Some Funny (as part of the Brisbane Comedy Festival).
That’s not funny. Yeah, you’re right. But Mr Ballard is!
Life Music Media (LMM): Afternoon Tom! Have I woken you up? I’d say your sleeping patterns have changed a lot since starting in triple j Breakfast?
Tom Ballard (TB): Yes, I used to sleep until 12 and eat good food. Now I get up at 4am and eat a lot of sandwiches and come home at about 1.30pm and then have a nap and try to continue to clean my apartment. That’s my rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
LMM: Has radio taken over your life? You’ve obviously still got a bit of room for comedy.
TB: Yeah, I’ve got to figure out that balance. It’s been an intense couple of weeks so far. This week, I had a gig on Monday night which threw me off schedule so I’ve been trying to catch up on sleep. Hopefully I can figure out the napping thing so I can work both ends of the day.
Continue reading Interview: Tom Ballard – comedian extraordinaire!
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Like a bull at a gate GTM is ready to charge into both familiar territory and territory never ventured before, rumble with an incredible array of Australian and International artists and put on five spectacular shows like no other music event in Australia.
A one day explosion of carnival and cavorting under the sun, clouds and moon, in front of a magnificent outdoor double stage, and in one of the biggest dance tents around, GTM is Australia’s only touring music event to feature regional cities in the tour diary. |
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MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE regretfully announce that they have been forced to cancel all upcoming engagements, including their appearance at The Soundwave Festival in Australia.
Singer Gerard Way has been having severe vocal problems and is under doctor’s advisement to forgo the tour in order to receive treatment for his throat and vocal chords and protect their long-term use. |
Continue reading Jimmy Eat World replaces My Chemical Romance at Soundwave Festival 2010
Photographer: Stuart Blythe
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St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival 29 Jan 2010, Brisbane
Acts: Florence And The Machine, Mumford and Sons, Sarah Blasko, The Dirty Three, Wild Beasts, Drappled Cities and more…
Click here for Photos Gallery
St Kilda Laughs Festival present 4 MINUTE WARNING
It is 1966. England is a derelict wasteland. The BBC’s Emergency Broadcast System is our only hope. Let’s see who’s on line 1.
Four Minute Warning takes a look at history and gets it wrong. Germany won WWII with nuclear weapons. England’s survivors are living in bunkers. Albert is defiant. Ted is bored. What happens when the stiff upper lip starts to quiver? The mindset is outdated. The situation is dire. Four Minute Warning is hilarious.
Written by and starring Neil Sinclair (Raw Comedy winner 2008, Comedy Zone at MICF2009) and Doug Pickering (McPony, Sainsburize Me!), Four Minute Warning has been performed monthly at The Butterfly Club, with sell out shows, and is developing a cult status.
Patrons under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult (18+)
 4 MINUTE WARNING |
4 MINUTE WARNING 4/02/2010 |
Dogs Bar St Kilda Victoria |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 5/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 6/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 7/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 8/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 9/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 10/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 11/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 12/02/2010 |
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4 MINUTE WARNING 13/02/2010 |
Dogs Bar St Kilda Victoria |
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Why don’t we let the squires at Metal Hammer begin our introduction to the brutality that is Alexisonfire and their brand new album ‘Old Crows Young Cardinals’; “A dense and beautiful heavy rock album with as many hardcore influences as progressive ones: rewarding and utterly gripping.” |
The summer heat was in full swing, but that didn’t stop punters from soaking up killer sets today, enjoying the first of two sold out Sydney BIG DAY OUTs. Capping off the show with an absolutely spectacular fireworks and fire cannon finale, the entire arena of Sydney Showground was lit up, as the BDO celebrated the eve of our 100th show.
With seven BDO’s taking place across the nation (today’s show following on from successful events in Auckland on Friday 15th January, and the Gold Coast on Sunday 17th January), a sold-out crowd of 53,000 music fans kept their cool despite the soaring temperature. Making the most of the free water fountains and water stations across the BDO site, festival-goers took in 70+ acts hailing from both Australia and beyond, proving yet again why the BDO is Australia’s premier live music festival.
UK trio MUSE headlined with an amazing set that had to be seen to believed – even inviting JET’s Nic Cester up onstage for a rendition of AC/DC’s “Back In Black”. LILY ALLEN seduced the crowd on the Orange Stage, while punters headed indoors to keep cool with SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, GIRL TALK and CALVIN HARRIS in the Boiler Room. The Silent Disco also provided a reprieve from the heat.
Aussie artists showcased yet again why they rival the biggest overseas names when it comes to live music. The TEMPER TRAP lit up the Green Stage with a huge singalong to “Sweet Disposition”, while hip-hop kings the HILLTOP HOODS nailed it over on the Orange Stage.
In addition to the music, the BIG DAY OUT showcased a collection of visual art, including: sculpture that comes to life, progressive street art, film, and photography.
The fireworks and fire canon spectacular took place shortly after Muse left the stage. The BDO reaches a mammoth milestone tomorrow, with the second sold-out Sydney event – taking place Saturday 23rd January – marking our 100th BIG DAY OUT show.
St Johns Ambulance Commander, John Merlino reported that the majority of treatments across the day were heat related, including dehydration, exhaustion and sunburn. Despite this, figures were down on last year’s event.
Tomorrow’s show (Saturday 23rd January) is expected to be another scorcher with an early evening storm predicted. Organisers urge everyone attending to take the necessary precautions to ensure they have a happy and safe day.
Please keep hydrated by drinking lots of water, apply sunscreen before you arrive, and keep applying throughout the day. (Free sunscreen is available from the St Johns.) We strongly recommend you wear a hat.
>From Sydney, the BIG DAY OUT travels to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The line-up features some of the biggest names in the music world including MUSE, LILY ALLEN, DIZZEE RASCAL, PEACHES, KASABIAN, GROOVE ARMADA and many, many more.
www.bigdayout.com
Like to roll like Empire Of The Sun royalty?
To celebrate the double platinum sales of the ‘Walking On A Dream’ (
– Empire of the Sun available at iTunes)album this week, Empire Of The Sun are giving one lucky person the chance to win this exclusive ‘hotter than the sun’ customized V8 Holden Sandman.
To win this one-of-a-kind rumbling beast, simply purchase the ARIA Album Of The Year ‘Walking On A Dream’ two-disc Special Edition and enter via this ‘Win the Sun Chariot’ link –
Photographer: Stuart Blythe
Click image to view photo gallery
Sunset Sounds 2010 (06 Jan 2010 – 07 Jan 2010) , Brisbane
In a supreme tease to office workers across the CBD, Sunset Sounds opened its gates for a second year to accept the swarm of humanity buzzing around the Botanic Gardens mid-afternoon…
Click here for Photos by Stuart Blythe
Review: Duncan McKimm
 [Photo: Matt Palmer] |
With a dominant lineup from start to finish, the Riverstage was heavily populated from early on the second day of Sunset Sounds. Blessed with pleasingly mild weather again, the general affability of the crowd should be commended – as should the prevalence of shirts on male patrons (why is that so hard at other festivals?). |
Having recently released what can only be described as a puzzling third album, Editors brought the air-strike riffs and towering vocals of their first two albums, interspersed with tracks from their strange Kulture Klub meets Ian Curtis new album to the Riverstage. Suffice to say their earlier material like ‘Munich’ and ‘Bullets’ moved the crowd and sounded fantastic through the big sound system. The less said about the few new tracks they brought the better.
Continue reading Live Review: Sunset Sounds Day 2, January 7 2010
Photographer: Matt Palmer
Sunset Sounds 2010 (06 Jan 2010 – 07 Jan 2010) , Brisbane
In a supreme tease to office workers across the CBD, Sunset Sounds opened its gates for a second year to accept the swarm of humanity buzzing around the Botanic Gardens mid-afternoon…
Click here for Photos by Matt Palmer
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Playground Weekender HQ are pleased as punch to announce BLUEJUICE, OK GO (USA), MISTA SAVONA & PRINCE ALLA (JAMAICA), LOST VALENTINOS, KING TIDE and THE HOLIDAYS will join megastars ORBITAL (Live), LUPE FIASCO, BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, THE CRIBS and over 100 more acts at Australia’s award winning four day boutique music festival – rounding up an eclectic line up set to make your summer sizzle. |
“Any festival that requires a ferry crossing to get to is a good festival as far as we’re concerned. The line-up is amazing, but it’s the ferry ride that really stokes the fires of our childish desires”… Jake Stone – BLUEJUICE
TICKETS SELLING OUT
Four-day camping tickets + early bird and members tickets have completely SOLD OUT.
There are only 200 1st release tickets left so get in quick!
ACCOMMODATION SELLING OUt
Houseboats and cabins have completely SOLD OUT.
There are only 20 campervan spaces left! Book now for Tent Hotel or Tipis.
BLUEJUICE
Sydney’s BLUEJUICE are the ultimate complement to the Playground Weekender lineup – perfectly epitomizing the festivals maverick, eclectic feel. Whilst fundamentally a rock band, they also stir into their pot a mixture of hip hop with pop, ska, punk and disco.
It’s been a huge two years which as seen the band break into the top of Triple J playlists with favorites ‘Vitriol’ and Reductionist’, before becoming global internet sensations with their hilarious skipping video for the hook laden cross over hit ‘Broken Leg’, which went onto be a top 30 ARIA hit with two ARIA award nominations. As unpredictable as a day spent without taking your medication, BLUEJUICE put on an infamously energetic live show…
OK GO (USA)
Chicago band OK Go combine off-kilter guitars, Pixies/Cars fetishism, and straightforward power pop sensibilities to produce eccentric, catchy songs.
OK Go wrote the book on how to turn a creative low budget video into a viral Internet phenomenon. The video for ‘Here It Goes Again’ saw OK Go pull of some incredible synchronized dance moves on multiple treadmills. It became one of the most watched videos of all time with over 49 million view on YouTube and a 2007 Grammy Award for ‘Best Short-Form Music Video’. That exposure helping the track break the Top 40 in both the US and the UK. The four piece are getting ready and set to go get you dancing at Playground Weekender!
‘Here It Goes Again’ (Treadmill video) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
‘A Million Ways’ (Backyard video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1_CLW-NNwc
MISTA SAVONA & PRINCE ALLA (JAMAICA)
Leading exponents of roots reggae, dancehall and heavyweight dub music MISTA SAVONA will raise the roof with percussion bliss and crazy good songs from international guest artist – reggae royalty – PRINCE ALLA. Straight from Jamaica, a serious, humble and genuine Rastaman.
NICKODEMUS (NEW YORK)
A mainstay of the New York underground, NICKODEMUS is a DJ and producer who co-founded the now legendary Turntable on the Hudson (the longest running weekly party in NY) parties with the simple edict of playing “music with soul”. NICKODEMUS will be bringing his ‘spinning at sea’ set to Playground Weekender blending Latin, Afro-funk, hip-hop, big beat, house, funk, reggae, broken beat, soul and more.
LOST VALENTINOS
Formed in Sydney in 2005 LOST VALENTINOS quickly established themselves as one of the hottest acts in on Australia’s indie scene. The immediate success of their self tiled EP, and the follow up ‘Damn & Damn Again’ nailed their reputation as a gang of rogue’s intent on forging their own original sound. Current single ‘Serio’ is out now and taken from their debut album ‘Cities of Gold’. With punk intensity and noise-drenched melodies, a LOST VALENTINOS set is for young adventurers seeking a new treasure. Dig deep with them at Playground Weekender!
KING TIDE
Renowned for their brilliant high-energy shows, KING TIDE have earned their fan base on the live scene. Using reggae as the compass guiding them to new and wonderful musical lands. Renowned reggae and roots influenced band, KING TIDE are the first Australian band to be signed to prestigious UK record label, Urban Sedated.
“I love me hip hop but Reggaes me life. We’re gonna have a Reggae party tonight.” Tony Hughes.
THE HOLIDAYS
Time for a change of scenery? It’s time for THE HOLIDAYS. After only a handful of shows, Sydney’s FBI radio latched on to the band, then Triple J put them on high rotation with their self titled single. THE HOLIDAYS ball had begun rolling in a big way. They soon achieved airplay on several eagle-eyed US stations, which led to the ‘Artist of the Week’ billing in influential US trade publication A&R Worldwide. They are very much a band in the ‘next big thing’ bracket. We are sure you won’t be disappointed by their performance at Del Rio Resort.
“We play every gig like it’s our first gig’’ said Will Magnus.
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With the stellar line up, Australia’s largest fancy dress party, houseboats, tipi’s and wine bars under the stars, don’t miss out on getting your tickets now!
FULL PLAYGROUND WEEKENDER 2010 LINEUP… SO FAR!
Orbital Live, Lupe Fiasco, Polyphonic Spree, The Cribs, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jamie Lidell, Bluejuice, Bjorn Again, Gui Boratto live, OK GO, Steve Lawler, LTJ Bukem, British Sea Power, Norman Jay, Bertie Blackman, Mark Farina, James Lavelle, Prins Thomas, Pivot, New Orleans Bingo Show, Mista Savona & Prince Alla, Ewan Pearson, Washington, Luna City Express, The Bees DJ set, Lost Valentinos, Gaslamp Killer, 16 BIT (Southside Dubstars), Vincenzo, King Tide, Charles Webster, The Holidays, Regular John, Goons of Doom, The Jezabels, Black Ryder, PBR Street Gang (2020 Vision), Kid Mac, Mr Doris, Snowdroppers
www.playgroundweekender.com.au
