The festival season is a few months away, and already the rumour bill is buzzing about who will headline some of the biggest events. If the word on the street is anything to go by, we could see some of the coolest female artists in the world gracing our shores early next year.
Björk has played some big festivals lately, and rumour has it she’ll be the headline act at Australia’s biggest, The Big Day Out. Could it be true? Fans must hope so, as the quirky Icelandic star hasn’t visited Australia in more than a decade.
Apparently Sinead O’Connor has had her heart set on playing the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival for ages, and 2008 may just be her year. Word is she’ll be one of the Byron Bay festival’s major draw cards next year. The coolest festival around is still eight months away, but early-bird tickets are already on sale.
The album, which spans the label’s history, will feature tracks by some of the biggest artists including The Vines, Youth Group, Red Riders, Josh Pyke, 78 Saab, The City Lights, and The Mess Hall.
It will also include a brand new song, “Out of My Hands,” performed by the all-star Ivy Regiment Band. This Ivy League supergroup features Josh Pyke, Youth Group’s Tony Martin and Patrick Matthews, 78 Saab’s Ben Nash, The Vines’ Hamish Rosser, Red Riders’ Adrian Deutsch, and Neon’s Josh Bitmead. That’s some line-up!
Ten Years in the Trenches hits stores on October 20. Rumour has it an Ivy League concert will celebrate the release, so stay tuned for more details on that!
In 2001 indie goddess Tori Amos put a feminist twist on some iconic male tracks with her album Strange Little Girls. Now some Aussie lads have turned the concept on its head with their new album, No Man’s Woman.
This tribute to some of the world’s most influential female artists features tracks by Joni Mitchell, Blondie, Sinead O’Connor, and Björk. I personally can’t wait to hear Josh Pyke belt out “Wuthering Heights,” and Powderfinger’s take on “Glory Box.”
If you’re as intrigued as I am, you can grab the album when it’s released on October 20. Sydney music fans can also catch Bob Evans, End of Fashion, Lior, Expatriate, and Dan Kelly play their No Man’s Woman tracks at Legs 11. See our Legs 11 story above for more details!
Australian Idol graduates proved they’re tops with teens, taking out several major awards at last night’s Dolly Teen Choice Awards in Sydney.
Dean Geyer was named hottest music act, a title that may have as much to do with his looks as his talent. Last year’s third-place getter was thrilled to attend the awards show with his lady love, Lisa Origliasso of The Veronicas.
“This is the first awards night we’ve been to as a couple – it’s awesome,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
Guy Sebastian’s Close to The Sun was named most popular album, and Anthony Callea’s “Addicted To You” was the most downloaded ringtone. No, I can’t believe there’s an award for that either.
Australian Idol host James Mathison showed up his sidekick Andrew G by taking home the coolest VJ title.
Dan O’Connor showed his move to acting was a wise one by winning the King of Teen crown. Dan was the second top 12 competitor ousted from Australian Idol 2, but he’s stuck around a lot longer on teen soap Neighbours.
But the comment of the night has to go to Aussie Idol judge Dicko’s daughter, Edie. It seems the 14-year-old felt her daggy Dad was far too old for the Dolly awards.
“I brought him with me, he’s got too much grey hair to be here,” she said. Nice one Edie!
American fans of Chevelle should make sure they get to next month’s gigs early. Australia’s own The Butterfly Effect will ably support the Chicago hard rockers throughout October.
The Butterfly Effect is one of Australia’s best-kept secrets. While the rest of the world remains oblivious, they’ve been selling out Aussie venues and appearing at some of the nation’s biggest music festivals.
They’re in America to promote the US releases of their albums IMAGO and Begins Here, which are both in American stores now. So make sure you see what all the fuss is about at these very special shows!
Before heading overseas The Butterfly Effect will join Grinspoon, Little Birdy, and Youth Group at Australia’s massive Break Out concerts. Make sure you check The Butterfly Effect’s website for the Aussie dates!
Melbourne outfit Architecture in Helsinki might not be making waves in their homeland, but after some high profile support slots it’s a different story overseas. The six-piece has won over critics and the punters with gigs at South by South West and support slots for Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah and Death Cab for Cutie.
Their avant-garde brand of pop is brought to the live arena with an eclectic mix of instruments including a glockenspiel, some trumpets, and clapping hands. It’s these unusual combinations that have helped Architecture in Helsinki become cult favourites.
If all that makes you curious, why not catch them live? Architecture in Helsinki is currently touring Europe to support their new album, Places Like This. Then it’s off to the United States and Canada in October before heading back to Australia in November. Talk about busy!
Image source: Philo Nordlund @ Flickr.com
Australia, meet your Australian Idol finalists. Last night we welcomed the final four members of the group to the fray, and prepared for the business end of the competition.
Daniel Mifsud and Mark Da Costa were the audience favourites, scoring the highest number of viewers votes after their performances on Sunday night. I was disappointed, but not surprised. I was sweating on Husny scoring one of the spots, knowing Mark could never convince the other judges to back him, but it was not to be. There’s been so much hype around the other boys though, the result was a little predictable.
Not so the judges’ choices, which came after a sublime performance from last year’s oddbod, Bobby Flynn.
Carl Riseley was the first judges’ pick, something I really didn’t expect. I know he did quite well on Sunday night, but surely one good performance isn’t enough. The judges’ second choice was a lot more obvious. Natalie Gauci has been such a consistent performer throughout this competition, and she certainly deserves her place.
So what did you think? I’d love to know your views on the wildcards, and the top 12 generally? Who shouldn’t have missed out, and who doesn’t deserve a top spot?
After the wildcard round last night, Australian Idol is one step closer to the finals. Tonight we’ll discover the four singers who’ll round out the top 12, and the games will really start. All the singers last night knew they needed to really impress to earn their place amongst the chosen ones. Some people brought their “A Game,” yet others failed to live up to expectations.
Jack Byrnes kicked off the show with his take on The Doobie Brothers’ classic “Long Train Runnin’.” I love Jack’s energy, and he has a really distinctive voice. Yet I find his performance a bit affected. It seems like he’s more interested in the big notes and how the song goes together rather than what’s behind it. He just feels false to me.
No one could say the same thing for our next performer Husny Thalib. It was a very different Husny this week. The flashy campiness of his Lenny Kravitz cover was a world away from his take on “I Believe.” It certainly wasn’t perfect. This bare bones track exposed every one of Husny’s vocal weaknesses. But, for some reason, it didn’t matter. He was just so believable, so passionate, and I found that so much more compelling. You can teach someone how to sing with the right training, but you can’t teach someone how to really interpret the way Husny does. I loved it.
Carl Riseley really surprised me with his swing interpretation of The Everly Brothers’ smash, “Bye Bye Love.” I didn’t particularly like the arrangement, but his vocals were much stronger than I’ve heard before. This kid’s really improving. He’s got to learn some stage presence and how to move, but just look how far he’s come. Last night I finally saw him though Marcia’s eyes.
Sarah Lloyde did her best to show her diversity with the sassy Christina Aguilera hit, “Candyman.” She’s vocally very strong, but the arrangement really let her down. I know it must be hard to compress a song into one and a half minutes, but there was too much dead time here. Even when she was singing, most of it was just ad-libbing and wailing. She’s a real talent, but this just didn’t show us that. I absolutely loved her outfit though.
Another talent who suffered from another underwhelming performance was Dave Andrews. He tackled “The Dolphin’s Cry,” a risky move that didn’t pay off. He certainly had the right intensity in the first verse, but somewhere in there it became karaoke to me.
Early favourite Daniel Mifsud delivered the sort of performance I’d hoped he would. I must admit, I was nervous when I heard he’d chosen “Lay Your Love On Me.” It was more of the same middle of the road soft rock that saw him miss out last time. Yet the arrangement was genius, and that saved this from being more forgettable blandness. Yes, yes, yes.
Natalie Gauci was another early favourite who used the wildcard to show why she deserved to be in the top 12 all along. Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” was the perfect song choice for her – strong, different, and feminine. I loved the way she used the stage, and she sang flawlessly. Natalie’s never really put a foot wrong in the competition, and I’m almost positive she’ll be in the top 12 after this.
Mark Da Costa closed the show with more straight-up rock, this time a cover of “Evie Part 1.” Mark’s another performer with great energy, but I still can’t see what the judges are raving about. His voice has a wonderful rock and roll rasp, but it seems like he falls off just about every note. He’s good, but I don’t think he’s that good.
So who’ll go through? My money’s on Daniel Mifsud, Mark Da Costa, and Natalie Gauci. The judges rave about these three so much that I’m sure they’ll choose whoever the viewers don’t. The fourth spot is really anyone’s guess. I’d love to think it’ll be Husny, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the safer performers like Sarah or Jack get a run.
In the year 2000, you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing one of Vanessa Amorosi’s massive pop hits “Absolutely Everybody” and “Shine.” Now some seven years later she’s back with a new album, Somewhere in the Real World, and a new rock sound.
For Vanessa’s fans, this won’t come as any great surprise. Before fading into obscurity, the teen sensation seemed more at home covering Janis Joplin than singing her own smash singles.
Hopefully the new album will be a better fit for this talented Melbourne artist. She’s certainly worked with some big names to make it happen. Greg Wells (Mika, Timbaland, Pink, The Veronicas), Cliff Magness (Pink, Avril Lavigne) and Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Pink, Avril Lavigne) all had a hand in writing and recording Somewhere in the Real World.
Vanessa’s latest album is released October 13, but fans can get a taste of it when the first single, “Kiss Your Mama,” hits stores on September 8. Vanessa fans can catch her live when she tours the country in October. Check her website for all the dates and venues.
Last Friday night seasoned concert goer Lisa Mayer, saw Silverchair and Powderfinger at Brisbane Entertainment Centre. I caught up with her for a chat about Powderfinger’s hometown gig.
Lisa’s a big fan of both bands, but she expected Silverchair’s performance would have the edge. The Newcastle lads opened the show with a rocking set, which included big hits “Without You,” “Greatest View,” and their latest smash “Straight Lines.”
While the band did their best to entertain, the local crowd seemed largely unmoved.
“Silverchair did rock, but the audience kind of didn’t. I wanted to stand up and dance but it wasn’t that kind of audience,” Lisa told me. “Other than that, I was really happy with Silverchair and I didn’t think that I could enjoy Powderfinger as much as I enjoyed them.”
When Powderfinger took to the stage, the audience became “the kind of hometown crowd that a band would be proud of.”
And the band delivered a set worthy of their adoring fans. A stripped-back acoustic version of “Sunsets” was “absolutely spine-tingling,” and “On My Mind” was a surprise with “Midnight Rambler” in the middle. But the real crowd-pleaser was “My Happiness” which encouraged a spontaneous sing-a-long.
Lisa said the song “saw the entire entertainment centre singing along while the band stood in amazement that everyone was singing their own song back to them, full volume. That had to be a spine-tingling moment for them. They all looked so happy to be there, so happy that they were with fellow Brisbanites and playing at the Entertainment Centre for the first time.”
So how much did Lisa love the show? Well, she’s going back to see the bands at the Gold Coast and Toowoomba later this week. Now that’s dedication.
In 2001 indie goddess Tori Amos put a feminist twist on some iconic male tracks with her album Strange Little Girls. Now some Aussie lads have turned the concept on its head with their new album, 
