written by Chris Familton It was a night for the girls on stage at Oxford Art Factory with only Best Coast’s Bob Bruno representing the male form. Super Wild Horses were up first and though they seemed tentative and a little thin on sound for the first few songs they quickly built up a great vibe with their Sonic Youth guitar tones and sometimes chanting, … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Best Coast @ OAF, Sydney (07/03/11)
written by Chris Familton Apart from a few diversions on recent albums, Queens Of The Stone Age have been one of the more consistent rock bands of the last 13 years and to celebrate the journey so far the band decided to treat us to a run through of their landmark self-titled debut album. Of course there was the obligatory encore to add a handful … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Queens Of The Stone Age @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney (02/03/11)
written by Chris Familton Sam Shinazzi performed as a duo with guitarist Barry Adamson, even though their drummer was in attendance but opted out as he was playing with Matt Purcell later. The minimal framework for the songs served to highlight Shinazzi’s forlorn and love-lost lyrics while at the same time leaving the songs feel somewhat exposed and fragile. A closing cover of Springsteen’s Dancing … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Matt Purcell & The Blessed Curse/Knievel/ Sam Shinazzi @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney (24/02/10)
written by Chris Familton Black Mountain were repeating their March 2009 two night stand at the Annandale – a venue that perfectly suits their psych, stoner rock sound. It needs to be filtered through beer, sticky floors and humid air to really connect and feel like the real deal. The Night Terrors proved to be a nice counterpoint to the more traditional sounds of the … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Black Mountain @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney (19/02/11)
written by Chris Familton As M. Ward admitted tonight it had been a while since his last visit and he was touring to promote his album Post War that came out two years ago. That didn’t make for much of a deterrence to the fans who packed out a reduced ‘intimate’ Enmore Theatre for a solo performance. Holly Throsby played a set that showcased some … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: M. Ward @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney (20/02/11)
written by Chris Familton There was a fair amount of anticipation about the return of Swervedriver to these shores – in terms of whether they would live up to the expectation of those who revered the albums but had never seen them live, mixed with a small dose of skepticism about reforming bands trading on past glories. Albums like Raise and Mezcal Head are held … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Swervedriver @ Metro Theatre, Sydney 18/02/11
written by Chris Familton Holy Balm eased the arriving crowd into the vibe of the evening with an impressive set that showcased their organic psychedelic take on electronic music. The constant tempo of their songs had the earlybirds settling into a shuffling head nod while the trio plugged away at their primitive, droning dance music. The cool thing was that they primarily create music from … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti @ Manning Bar, Sydney (09/02/11)
written by Chris Familton Tiger Choir seemed to have most indie bases covered with a set that swung from Animal Collective electronic tribal yelps to super-melodic buzzed out guitar pop. A trio hailing from Tasmania, they initially came across like copyists of whatever is buzzing out the kids these days but as their set evolved there were some really nice moments of spiraling guitar melodies … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Deerhunter @ Metro, Sydney (08/02/11)
written by Chris Familton When Nick Cave took a couple of his Bad Seeds and gave birth to Grinderman a few years ago there were suspicions that the side project would be a fleeting affair, a stroppy regression to Birthday Party-esque guttural blues and lascivious shock value. That was the sense the album, videos and artwork gave and though Cave stressed it was a project … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Grinderman @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney 28/01/11
written by Chris Familton In the last six months The Naked And Famous have achieved a #1 album in their homeland of New Zealand, international radio-play and YouTube viewings reaching into the millions for their single Young Blood. After a quick visit to these shores late last year, the band secured a slot on the Big Day Out and threw in a few sideshows for … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: The Naked & Famous @ OAF, Sydney 02/02/11
written by Chris Familton CocoRosie have attracted a larger audience each time they visit Australia and so this time were rewarded with a gig in the iconic surrounds of the Opera House. Always a duo that combines music, theatre and creative mischief, they were much deserved of a different style of venue from the usual rock haunts. A last minute addition to the bill was … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: CocoRosie @ Sydney Opera House, 25/01/11
written by Chris Familton The opening set in the surrounds of Raval’s lush lounge bar was a last minute addition in the form of the Boom! Bap! Pow!’s bass player – Clint Bracknell – playing a solo set on acoustic guitar. Bracknell possesses one hell of a voice with deep, rich tones akin to Ray LaMontagne as well as being a sweet guitarist. It was an … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Boom! Bap! Pow! @ Raval, Sydney 21/01/11
Doubtful Sounds 