A whole lot of new acts have just been added to the already stellar Homebake lineup. But if you haven’t already grabbed your tickets, you’re too late. This year’s show sold out in record time. We did warn you!
If you got in early, you can now look forward to seeing Scribe, Architecture in Helsinki, Blue King Brown, Kisschasy, Old Man River and heaps more.
They’ll join original headliners including the Divinyls, Miss Higgins, Gotye, Sarah Blasko, and Paul Kelly. It all happens in The Domain in Sydney on December 8.
She’s known as Australian Idol’s “nice judge,” but Marcia Hines wasn’t smiling when she was on the end of a Channel Nine prank.
Marcia and her daughter Deni were lunching at the Rangoon Racquet Club in Crows Nest when the stunt, part of the new hidden camera show Surprise Surprise Gotcha, unfolded.
“Basically she was in a foul mood and had no sense of humour about the situation,” a program source told The Daily Telegraph. “She just didn’t want to react to what was happening at all.”
Apparently Marcia stormed out of the restaurant when she realised she’d been a victim of the show’s prank.
“She didn’t like being set-up and I don’t think she liked the fact that she didn’t have her hair and make-up done either,” the source added.
Marcia’s camp has asked the network not to air the offending footage, so we may never see what caused this typically patient judge to lose her cool.
200 guests attended Ricki-Lee Coulter’s recent wedding to long-term beau James Baddington. Her Australian Idol pals Casey Donovan, Amali Ward, and Marty Worrall were there. But where were her former band mates, the Young Divas?
The official word from the Young Divas’ management is that Paulini Curuenavuli, Kate DeAraugo, and Emily Williams all had performances scheduled on the night, and regretted missing the event. But according to Ricki-Lee, her former friends didn’t even bother to RSVP.
“I’d called the girls and texted them and emailed them, and hadn’t heard,” Ricki-Lee told the Woman’s Day.
“I thought everything was cool until they didn’t even turn up and didn’t bother to call me.”
Ouch! With bitchy behaviour like that, is it any wonder the Young Divas disbanded? But Ricki-Lee needn’t worry. Her solo single “Can’t Touch It” is still in the top 10, six weeks after its release. We can’t say the same for the other girls.
Aussie music royalty will turn out for a massive Max Merritt benefit show at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre on October 21.
The singer, best known for his hit “Slipping Away,” is suffering from Goodpastures Syndrome, a rare condition that has attacked his lungs and kidneys.
Concert for Max will feature an all-star line-up including Ross Wilson, James Reyne, Kevin Borich, Paul Norton, John Paul Young, Swanee, Normie Rowe, Peter Cupples, Dinah Lee, The Delltones, Doug Parkinson, Wilbur Wilde, Spectrum and Daryl Braithwaite. More performers will be announced before the show.
“I am finding it very difficult to adequately express my appreciation for the help and support during my time of extreme personal need,” Max said in a press statement. “Your help is absolutely overwhelming”.
Tickets for the show are available for $75 through Ticketmaster.
Sneaky Sound System has showed they’ll be a force to be reckoned with at this year’s Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. The dance outfit has led the nominations, with nods in six categories including best group, best dance album, and album of the year.
The John Butler Trio isn’t far behind with five nominations. Their top 10 smash Grand National is up for album of the year and best independent release.
The groups will battle with Powderfinger, Silverchair, and Gotye for the best album title.
The best group nominees are some of the biggest names in the biz: Sneaky Sound System, Eskimo Joe, Powderfinger, Silverchair, and Wolfmother.
Singer-songwriters have dominated the solo categories. Dan Kelly, Gotye, John Butler, Josh Pyke, and Paul Kelly are all up for best male artist, while Kasey Chambers, Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan, Missy Higgins, and Sarah Blasko will battle for the best female crown.
The ARIA Awards will be held in Sydney on October 28. Channel Ten personality Rove McManus will host the awards for the fifth time. Powderfinger, Silverchair, Missy Higgins, and John Butler Trio will perform on the night, but expect more big names to join the bill closer to the date.
Last night American songstress Tori Amos brought her breathtaking American Doll Posse Tour to Newcastle. Each show is divided into two distinct and unique parts. The first brings one of the American Dolls, made famous by her latest album, to life. Tori appears as one of the five unique characters which represent facets of the artist, and indeed all women.
In Newcastle, the sensual Santa made a dramatic entrance with a platinum blonde wig, stunning white minidress, and an explosive performance of “Body and Soul.” With Santa on show, the first portion of the concerts drew heavily from ‘her’ songs on American Doll Posse, including “Dragon,” “Secret Spell,” and “You Can Bring Your Dog.” Yet she still found time to ‘cover’ one of Tori Amos’ classics, “Sugar.”
I was awestruck watching Santa’s passionate set. While American Doll Posse was conceived as five separate voices, with Tori Amos as the mouthpiece for all the characters tend to blur. The theatrical element of the live show gave me a new appreciation of who Santa really is, and her part in the quintet. I only wish I could see more shows this tour to have the same understanding of the other dolls.
A spectacular light show and “Professional Widow” over the PA marked the end of the first act. Then Tori emerged, her long red hair clashing delightfully with a garish red sequined jumpsuit. She began with “Big Wheel,” then launched into “Black Dove” which seemed to assure us we’d get to hear more than the new album.
Tori is a woman of few words. As a matter of fact, the only time she actually spoke was to introduce the band. Yet what she fails to say verbally, she makes up for with her impassioned performance. She’s strong, driven, feminine, blissful, tender, outrageous, and so many other positive adjectives. Her set managed to satisfy both casual fans and the more dedicated. I attended the show with my sisters, and they were thrilled to hear the hits “Cornflake Girl” and “God.” Personally my biggest delights came when she played the tracks I didn’t expect.
“Honey” was the first of these, a B-side the “Cornflake Girl” single. My heart soared when she began “Northern Lad,” one of my very favourite Tori songs, and “Tear In Your Hand” was so joyous I couldn’t help but grin ear to ear.
We were spoilt with not one but two encores. Every time she stood to leave the crowd rose to give this rare talent the standing ovation she deserved. Perhaps that’s why she kept coming back. Watching the awestruck crowd rise for the last time, as the closing strains of “Hotel” faded, I knew every person in that room was as moved as I was.
You may not have heard of Ry Cuming yet, but his laidback acoustic pop could just be the next big thing. Ry’s from Angourie, near Byron Bay, but he’s currently living in Los Angeles.
Ry’s spent his time in America songwriting with Maroon 5, Phantom Planet and Jude Cole, and he’s on the verge of signing with a major label. To get a taste of this fantastic new artist, I urge you to visit his MySpace. It features four brilliant tracks that I just can’t stop singing.
My Californian readers can catch Ry at the Hotel Café – he’s playing there every Sunday night until the end of the month. Unfortunately I’ll just have to wait until he gets big enough to come back to Australia!
To learn more about Ry, his music, and his charity work with the Quicksilver Foundatio watch the video below!
Brianna Carpenter is the second Idol hopeful to leave the reality talent quest, following a painful performance of Supertramp’s “The Logical Song.”
Rock was always going to be a stretch for the Brisbane music student, but it appeared that “sound issues” may have been her greatest challenge. Last night she assured the crowd last night they had not see the last of her.
“This isn’t the end for me by any means,” she said.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she’s right. I was entranced by Brianna from her first audition, and would love to hear more of her original material.
Marty Simpson and Jacob Butler were also in the bottom three, so they’ll need to lift their game for next week’s disco theme.
Last night the Australian Idols turned their hand to rock, but unfortunately the theme exposed the weaknesses of many of our contestants. The odd star shone, but it was a very dark night in the Idol studio indeed.
Matt Corby kicked off the night with a great rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “The Immigrant Song.” This is such a challenging song, but Matt kept his cool and rocked hard. While the song choice failed to impress Kyle, I was thrilled. Your average teenager knows “Stairway to Heaven,” and the like, but this more obscure option showed this kid’s got real musical depth. Very cool.
We all expected rock week to challenge swing king Carl Riseley. But it didn’t. Coldplay are about as rock as Michael Bublé. By choosing “Clocks,” Carl showed that his musical knowledge is sorely lacking. The vocals were adequate, but by copping out in the song choice I think he’s really in danger this week.
Luckily for Carl, his performance was followed by Brianna Carpenter’s equally dismal attempt. “The Logical Song” should have been a great fit for her, but again she struggled with pitch problems. Brianna insists she’s deaf in one ear and struggling to hear herself. That may be so, but I wonder how long her fans can keep her around based on what she can do, rather than what she is doing. I love Brianna, but I really think her number may be up.
Marty Simpson did a respectable job with Paolo Nutini’s hit “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty.” However, I’m not sure it was as good as the judges believed. Perhaps it was just great compared to Carl and Brianna’s songs. I believe song choice let him down here. This is a fun song, but it really flatlines and doesn’t go anywhere. Still, I think he’s done enough to stay in the comp.
Lana Krost made a big improvement with her take on Little Birdy’s “Come On, Come On.” We saw a little grit in her voice, and a little spontaneity in her movements. There were a lot of things that could have been better, but it was a start. While the judges were still unmoved, I think this could be the turning point for her.
Jacob Butler gave the crowd the show stopper they were waiting for with his performance of “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory.” He was the first person to really rock the performance, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Tarisai Vushe got a rousing reception for her take on “Hard to Handle.” Technically I think this was closer to the soul-laden Otis Redding original than the rocking Black Crowes cover, but it didn’t seem to worry anyone. She’s a born performer, and her voice is stunning. My only criticism is that she seemed to be shouting in patches, but I can forgive that.
Ben McKenzie was the second performer to sing some Little Birdy; he chose “Bodies.” It was a really solid effort, especially considering he felt uncomfortable with the genre. His vocals really soared in places, and it was great to hear. However, I’m not sure about the song choice at all. This is a fairly obscure song, and I’m not sure he completely sold it.
Daniel Mifsud stepped up next with Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.” It was a great song choice, combining rock with his soul background, and he gave an energetic and fun performance. I just wish he was less imitative. As a fan of the original, I was disappointed that Daniel delivered the song as Jimi did including all the same “ad libs.” He needs to learn who he is, rather than just rehashing someone else’s work.
Natalie Gauci then brought her own unique version of “Sweet Child of Mine.” I loved the way she built this, although I wasn’t as convinced by the performance once it amped up. Natalie really knows who she is though, and that’s great to watch.
Mark Da Costa closed the show with AC/DC’s “High Voltage.” The rocker was always going to be in his comfort zone on rock week, and it showed. I honestly think this was the best performance I’ve seen him do. For the first time I saw the rock god everyone always claimed he was. The vocal was particularly strong, matching his showmanship.
Tonight we’ll say goodbye to one of these contestants. My hunch is that it will be Brianna. After two pitchy performances, I’m not sure even her fans can stand up for her. Quirky performers always have to fight a bit harder for their place, and I’m not sure they can get away with the mistakes she’s been making. I guess we’ll see tonight!
This update has been a little slow coming, but I have a good reason I swear. You see, I’ve spent the weekend in the Hunter Valley catching Steely Dan at Bimbadgen Estate. The show was one of the fabulous A Day on the Green events, which is one of my favourite ways to see concerts. Where else can you enjoy a concert under the stars with delicious wine and a spread of gourmet cheeses and smoked salmon?
The afternoon kicked off with a performance by Australian rock pioneers Gangajang. I must admit, I didn’t have very high expectations, believing I knew nothing more than “Sounds of Then.” As it turned out, I knew a great deal more of their songs than I realised, but there was more than sing-a-long classics to their repertoire. They reminded me a lot of an older Cat Empire, with their eclectic tunes and good vibes.
I had similarly low expectations of the next act, Great Britain’s World Party. Again I felt I only knew one song, “Ship of Fools,” and on watching them I realised why. They weren’t bad, but there wasn’t anything remarkable about them at all. The songs melded together in a wave of bland until that signature tune, which failed to live up to the hype. Lead singer Karl Wallinger struggled to reach that high note, his age clearly showing.
The highlight of their set was the arrival of Australian Idol judge, Ian “Dicko” Dickson who actually took a seat virtually in front of me. Perving on Idol’s hot judge definitely made World Party’s boring music a bit easier to swallow.
Of course, the opening acts would never compare to the band we all came to see, Steely Dan. I must admit, the first few songs left me feeling frustrated. I’m not sure whether they were tracks from the most recent albums, but they certainly weren’t familiar to most of us. They were good, but after so much anticipation we were all dying to sing along.
They gave us that chance with the next song, “Hey Nineteen.” This is actually my favourite Steely Dan track, and I lapped it up. After that the hits seemed to come thick and fast: “Peg,” “Josie,” “Dirty Work,” “Black Friday,” and “Do It Again” were all highlights.
The band was one of the tightest I’ve ever seen. Every performer was individually brilliant, but together they were phenomenal. Drummer Keith Carlock deserves a special mention for the most amazing hand speed and energy I think I’ve ever seen. Of course original members Walter Becker and Donald Fagan were also sensational, still on top of their game despite doing this together for four decades.
However, towards the end the concert sadly lost its gloss for me, and many other fans. They did a big finish, then came back for the obligatory encore which ended with “Kid Charlemagne.” It’s a great song, but we were sure that wasn’t it. After all, they still hadn’t played “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” or “Reelin’ in the Years.” We were all sure there’d be another encore, that there’s no way they’d leave us without playing at least one of those big hits, but soon the crew started to clear the stage.
I understand that performers can’t play everything, but these songs are the signature tunes. They were even featured on the ads for the tour. To use them to lure fans to the shows, but neglect to play them, almost feels like false advertising. Everything Steely Dan did on stage was wonderful, but sadly most of us will remember what they didn’t do.
Image source: Frontier Touring
