Author: Lauren Katulka

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Pleasure Garden Ready to Charm Melbourne

If you thought summer festivals were starting to feel a little same-same, then you’ll want to head to the Pleasure Garden next month. This is a game changer, with roving performers like a giant hairy snail, carnies performing stunts, and full-scale fantasy models from General Zodd adding to the fun.

Of course there’s also music, with top quality performers like The Cat Empire, Blue King Brown, Dub FX, and Tash Sultana all on the bill. And since it’s in Melbourne, you know the food is going to be amazing. The folks from 400 Gradi, Vegilicious, Dos Diablos, and Kombi Burger will all sell their wares on the day.

It’s all happening on December 10 at Catani Gardens on the St Kilda Foreshore. Get your tickets from the Pleasure Garden website.

Image used with permission from Remedy PR

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The ARIAs … 30 Years On

Unlike most music lovers in Australia, I wasn’t watching the ARIAs last night. I was playing trivia, expecting to catch up on all the action this morning. I managed to avoid learning of the winners until I watched the broadcast, but last night I did learn that a lot of people were fed up with the awards. Perhaps it’s just a symptom of getting older, but my Facebook feed was full of people bemoaning the new acts and insisting things were better in their day.

Watching the broadcast, I think it’s very easy for nostalgia to creep in. We were celebrating 30 years of music awards, and watching the montages of artists that came before I too felt that sense of longing for some of my favourite performers of the past.

But the thing is, that shouldn’t take away from embracing what’s great about the music industry today. I got really excited about Illy’s album this week. I was thrilled about Montaigne’s win because she’s created some of my favourite songs this year. What Flume does isn’t quite to my taste, but he’s clearly dominating right now. Diversity is what the industry has always been about. Hats off to him and his five pointy trophies.

I think the organisers of this year’s ARIAs did a wonderful job of celebrating the past and the present. Watching Jimmy Barnes sing with Jess Mauboy, seeing current acts like Bernard Fanning and Missy Higgins sing Crowded House songs before the act themselves performed, grinning ear to ear as The Veronicas bowed down to John Farnham, these are moments that symbolise not just the great music we’ve made as a country but that we continue to make.

It’s very easy to stay in our bubble and just listen to the music we’ve always loved. But the arts will only thrive if we take chances on something new.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Meet Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird

Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird might just have the coolest name on the music scene at the moment. The Melbourne band’s also creating some amazing music. Exhibit A is the band’s latest single “Cool Parties,” lifted from the current EP Melbourne Bitter.

I love the film clip which captures the band doing its thing, without frills or unnecessary fuss.

“The song itself is about the sense of detachment that can sometimes wash over you whilst in social situations. The feeling that nothing occurring around you is quite authentic and the quiet desire for something more substantial,” frontman Lachlan Rose explained. “This performance was shot overlooking Edinburgh Gardens in North Fitzroy, the place where the vast majority of our socialising occurs … so there was perhaps something significant about shooting it there.”

What do you think of this groovy new track?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

From the Ashes of Motor Ace, Meet Nighthawk

As we look for the next big thing in music, I think we sometimes forget about the value of classic sounds. Nighthawk reminds us with its debut single “Surely Getting On.”

This is the kind of straight up honest rock music I remember hearing in pubs when I first started seeing bands. We shouldn’t be surprised though, because Nighthawk features members of Motor Ace, who were one of the biggest acts of the early 2000s.

“The fire that compelled me to make music in the first place was extinguished by the end of Motor Ace. I was young and took every kink in the road harder than I should have. I do have some regrets about not enjoying the great music we made and our success a little more,” explained founding member Patrick Robertson.

“Nighthawk comes from a very different place. It was a party before it was a band. There’s a simplicity about the music and the attitude. I haven’t felt as excited about a group of musicians and making music for a very long time. I think you can hear it.”

“Surely Getting On” is our first taste of Nighthawk’s upcoming album. After experiencing it, I’m hungry for more.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Two Degrees” – Illy

I consider myself open to most musical genres, but I haven’t really listened to a lot of rap since the 90s. I had fun with acts like Salt-N-Pepa and The Fugees, but then the genre evolved, as most do, and I felt left behind. It seemed rap was either about the struggle of people from the “wrong side of the tracks” or about the excess of those living it large. Neither type of rap resonated with me, so I found myself listening to the genre less and less. And then came Illy.

It’s hard to believe, considering how Illy seems to have burst onto the scene a relatively short time ago, but his newie Two Degrees is actually his fifth studio album. It’s a highly anticipated release considering the way Australia’s responded to singles like “Papercuts” and “Catch 22.” It’s the strength of those singles that have taken it to number one on debut. But it’s the strength of the other songs that’s going to get people talking and keep it on the charts for many weeks to come.

My favourite songs are the ones where Illy collaborates with other artists. I think he does some of his best work when he has someone to bounce off. The chemistry he has with the artists he’s handpicked here elevates these tracks. “Hazard to Myself,” a collaboration with Sir the Baptist, is so playful and irreverent. “Oh My,” with Jenna McDougall, feels like a summer anthem. “Extra Extra,” featuring Mike Waters, is pure feelgood joy.

While these songs make me smile, some of the album’s most poignant moments come when Illy’s working alone. “Truce” feels very personal, with powerful lyrics that pack a serious emotional punch. The closing track “Highway” is such a perfect way to finish the album. This song closes this chapter in the Illy story by looking forward to the future.

Illy is a rapper, but his music is so much more than that. He effortlessly fuses his rhymes with pop, dance, and electronic sounds to broaden its appeal and make it accessible to people like myself who don’t spend a lot of time listening to rap. If like me you’ve moved away from rap music, Two Degrees encourages you to dip your toe back in to the genre. You won’t be disappointed.

Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Behold Millington’s “Being” Clip

I can’t remember the last time a music video made an impression on me like the clip for “Being,” the latest single from British-born Melbourne-based muso Millington. It’s a visual feast which takes a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Strap yourself in!

Aside from the outrageous video, the song is pretty special, a charming folk-pop ditty that you’ll find yourself humming for days.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sheppard Back With New Pop Smash “We Belong”

It was always going to take some work for Sheppard to top the catchy “Geronimo.” But it just might have done it with new single “We Belong.” It’s only November, but I can see this irresistible track becoming the feel-good song of the summer.

“We Belong” came from the last year Sheppard spent writing and producing new material between Los Angeles and Brisbane.

“So excited for the release of We Belong,” George Sheppard said in a presser. “Our fans have been very patient, and we finally get to give them something to wrap their ears around. This new single is a great taste of what’s to come on the album next year.”

That album is set for release everywhere in 2017.

Image used with permission from SGC Media

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Rough River Casts a Spell With “This Love”

Take a moment out from your weekend chores and socializing to just stop and listen to “This Love,” the stunning new single from Melbourne singer-songwriter Rough River.

I say you should take a moment, because this is a gentle, delicate track. A slow burner if you will. And if you just hit play and go about your day, you might miss exactly what’s so special about it. It doesn’t have those obvious hooks or singalong choruses so many songs do after all. But it’s utterly beautiful.

“This Love” is the first track lifted from Rough River’s sophomore album, The Leaving, which gets released on 17 February 2017. A limited run of vinyl copies are available via the Rough River Bandcamp page. If you’re among the first 100 to pre-order, you’ll get a nifty tote from record label Dusky Tracks to carry the LP in.

Image used with permission from Dusky Tracks

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

High Violet Release Pop Smash “All I Want”

Grab yourself a hairbrush to sing into, kick over your shoes, and prepare to give yourself over to the shimmery electro-pop genius of “All I Want,” the latest single from Adelaide outfit High Violet.

This song is just so much fun. The synths take me back to my childhood and the interplay of male and female vocals tells the story of love and longing beautifully.

High Violet will play the following shows in the coming weeks.

26 November 2016 – The Metro, Sydney (supporting British India)
29 November 2016 – National Live Music Awards @ The Basement, Sydney
16 December 2016 – The Gov, Adelaide (supporting British India)

Image used with permission from Rare Finds

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“The Housefox Sessions” – Pepperhead

Some of the best rock outfits have been featured groups of guys with a woman out front. Perhaps it’s that these women are forging a path in a male dominated genre, but they seem to have an extra bit of grit and fire about them. Pepperhead frontwoman Louisa Thomas picks up where the likes of Suze de Marchi and Sarah McLeod left off.

She owns every track on The Housefox Sessions EP, a collection of songs recorded at Housefox Studios on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. When I think of the Northern Beaches, I think of privilege and a little pretension, but there’s none of that artifice about this recording.

Opening track “Angels & Demons” is a straight-up rock gem, all heart and soul. It’s followed up by the single “See Through You,” a track which adds a little more punk and rebellion to Pepperhead’s rock sound. If you’re not punching the air by the end, I’m a poor judge. “Superhero” sees Pepperhead shifting gears slightly, with gentle verses contrasting with its explosive chorus. The closer, “Unresolved,” is a frenetic piece of power-punk clocking in at just a little more than two minutes. It’s the kind of song that takes your breath away, before making you feel like you want to experience it all again.

The Housefox Sessions might have been recorded in a professional studio, but it feels more like something cut in a garage or live at a gig in a sweaty pub. There’s an irresistible energy about the way Pepperhead plays, with Louisa a commanding presence well supported by this tight unit of players. In just four tracks, Pepperhead shows enough to suggest it could be the next big thing.

Image used with permission from The A & R Department