written by Chris Familton Touring on the back of two albums that came out in the 90s can pigeonhole a band as a nostalgia or heritage act and many attend to relive that part of their youth when they connected with the music. Leftfield are one of the ‘Big Four’ of UK 90s electronica alongside Chemical Bros, The Orb and Underworld yet they are probably … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Leftfield @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney (17/03/11)
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 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 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
Great gig last night from all three bands, review will be up soon but in the meantime here are a couple of shots from the evening. Check out more over at FLICKR. Continue reading LIVE PHOTOS: Deep Sea Arcade/Surf City/Step Panther @ OAF, Sydney 11/02/11
written by Chris Familton As with last year’s Big Day Out the weather gods decided to test the endurance of the masses with another hot and sweaty day in the concrete sauna of the Sydney Showground. The event that is as much a rite of passage for teenagers as a music festival had this year gone with somewhat of a best-of lineup that glanced back … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Big Day Out 2011, Sydney Showground 26/01/11
written by Chris Familton The Verlaines formed around 30 years ago in New Zealand and wrote some classic songs like Death & The Maiden, Doomsday and C.D., Jimmy Jazz & Me. Graeme Downes went on to be a a professor of music at Otago University – still writing and recording albums both solo (the brilliant Hammers & Anvils) and more recently Pot Boiler and Corporate … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: The Verlaines & Songs @ Annandale, Sydney 30/01/11
I only managed to get the little old point and shoot into the festival but here are a few of the highlights… Continue reading PHOTOS: Sydney Big Day Out 2011
Doubtful Sounds 