Category: News

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

R.I.P. James Freud

Like so many of you out there, I was shocked and saddened to hear of the death of The Models front man James Freud.

It appears that he committed suicide after a long battle with alcohol. His struggles were well documented in his memoirs, but it’s still shocking to hear that he’s gone.

“It is with much sorrow that we share the news of the passing of James Freud,” a statement from Mushroom Music read. “James Freud passed away this morning. James’ battle with alcoholism has been well chronicled. His two books on his recovery and five years sobriety were bestsellers and gave a lot of people who were suffering the same affliction comfort and hope. Unfortunately, James has succumbed to his disease and taken his own life this morning.”

I remember feeling his absence while watching The Models being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame last weekend. What a shame he wasn’t there to take that final bow.

The Models back catalogue was exhaustive, but “Out of Mind, Out of Sight” was always my favourite track. It’s a predictable choice I suppose, but there’s a reason why radio flogs these songs. Sometimes they’re just that good.

So I wanted to post it and remember James in better times. If you’ve got any fond memories of The Models or James, please share them.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Hayley Teal Gets X Factor Boot

I was shocked to see tonight’s X Factor elimination show come down to Hayley Teal and Luke and Joel. Hayley wasn’t a great surprise after turning in a lacklustre performance of a middle-of-the-road song, but I thought Luke and Joel were last night’s stand out.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 22: Sally Ann Chatfield,India Rose Madderson and Hayley Teal from the X factor arrive at the 'Snaparazzi Soiree' at Riva St Kilda on October 22, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Lucas Dawson/Getty Images)


I really didn’t want to see either of them go; Luke and Joel have been growing on me, and Hayley has always been one of my favourites. But ultimately someone had to leave us, and that someone was Hayley.

I truly feel Hayley was a victim of Natalie’s mentorship, which is sad. Her most disappointing performances came when she was forced into unnatural choreography with mainstream pop songs containing artificial lyrics. When she had something great, she shone. I hope we see her finding some of those great songs now that she’s out of the reality TV show machine.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Gets Set for Summer

This week The X Factor finalists gave us a bit of summer loving with feel-good summer hits.

Altiyan Childs kicked things off with a little Bryan Adams and “Summer of ’69.” What a way to start a show. He is a real rock star, and he’s just looking better and better each week. This was a bit more restrained than we’ve seen him, and it only showed that he doesn’t need the gimmicks to impress.

From the high of Altiyan to the low of Hayley Teal’s take on “California Gurls.” I feel like Natalie keeps pushing her into this generic pop mode, with choreography and middle of the road songs that just doesn’t work for her. She seemed so much more comfortable when she was taking on Led Zeppelin a couple of weeks back. There was no connection at all, which really isn’t her fault. I really hope that Natalie starts to give her some meatier material to sink her chops into; this just isn’t the Hayley I fell in love with.

Andrew Lawson gave us a cruisy take on Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning.” I really liked the arrangement, and couldn’t fault the vocals. However I still feel there’s a veneer about him. It’s all a bit saccharine, as if he’s delivering what he thinks us girls want rather than what he actually is. It just doesn’t quite ring true for me.

Continue reading “The X Factor Gets Set for Summer” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tune in to Glenn Richards Radio

How are we all surviving hump day? I don’t know about you, but as the afternoon winds down I start looking for things to distract me. That’s where Glenn Richards Radio comes in, a new web page which gives us a sneak peek at the Augie March frontman’s new album Glimjack.

BYRON BAY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 25: Glenn Richards of Augie March performs on stage during the Splendour in the Grass festival at Belongil Fields on July 25, 2009 in Byron Bay, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)


Just hover around the webpage and you’ll hear snippets of each album track and read the lyrics. The music’s great – that goes without saying – but the format is strangely addictive. As I say, maybe I’m just looking for distraction but I’ve wasted a bit of time playing with this today!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

India-Rose Cut From “The X Factor”

After the excitement of last night’s movie theme, The X Factor contestants were promptly brought back to reality with the cold hard knowledge that someone had to go.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 08: X Factor host Natalie Imbruglia (C) and contestants Hayley Teal, India-Rose Madderom and Sally Chatfield arrive for the Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2010 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on October 8, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)


India-Rose Madderom and Mahogany found themselves in the firing line this time around. I couldn’t imagine India-Rose being forgiven after two weeks in the bottom two. While she always gives a good vocal, clearly there’s something about her that’s not resonating with the public.

The judges agreed, and after three weeks in the bottom two the axe finally fell on India-Rose. Did the judges get it right?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Goes To the Movies

Tonight The X Factor contestants were taking on one of my favourite themes: songs from the movies. I found myself wishing for some of the classic 80s films tunes I grew up with, but did the singers deliver? Let’s find out!

India-Rose Madderom started the night off as I’d hoped with “Fame,” sort of. She sang it really well, but it missed the bounce and lightness of the original. It just felt a bit laboured for me. The dancers were giving it their everything, but she just didn’t match their enthusiasm. I was surprised when I heard she was singing this, and after hearing her version I wish it was given to someone else.

I really hoped Andrew Lawson would get “Danke Schoen” from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, so I was disappointed from the get go. When I heard that he was doing “Love Is All Around,” I expected it to be insincere and twee. It was. I’m sure his female fans at home probably got something out of it, but to me it felt staged and artificial. The judges seemed to love it though; am I missing something?

Sally Chatfield brought things back on track with her rendition of “All By Myself.” It’s such a big song, and I feel she’s perhaps the only one in the competition up to the challenge. Vocally I couldn’t fault her. If I had to be picky, I’d wish for just a little more connection to the lyrics, but really, this was a hard performance to find fault with.
Continue reading “The X Factor Goes To the Movies” →

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jakki Pollock Wins Orange Heat of Telstra Road to Tamworth

Jakki Pollock of Abbotsford is the latest singer ready to ship off to Boot Camp as part of the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition.

Jakki took out yesterday’s heat in Orange to qualify for the mentoring program in Sydney. As part of the camp, Jakki will perform with her fellow finalists alongside The McClymonts at the V8 Supercars this December.

Jakki fell for country music more when she visited the Tamworth Country Music festival more than a decade ago. Since that time she’s been working towards becoming a professional musician.

This win couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jakki is currently recording her debut album with Nash Chambers.

“Approaching Nash Chambers to produce my first album and walking through the process of recording it took every bit of courage I could find and even then I nearly fainted,” she said.

That courage no doubt served her well during the Telstra Road to Tamworth final, where she performed Miranda Lambert’s “More Like Her” and an original song, “Accelerate.”

If she does well at boot camp Jakki will receive $1000 cash and head to the competition finals at the Tamworth Country Music Festival next January. It sounds fitting for Jakki to return to the place that inspired her. I wish her the best of luck!

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Chrissy Amphlett Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

I was saddened to hear the news this morning that Chrissy Amphlett has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s currently undergoing treatment in her New York City home, where she lives with her husband.

In typical Chrissy fashion, she’s pledged to fight the cancer, just as she has Multiple Sclerosis. That disease means she can’t have radiation treatment, so she’s in for one hell of a battle.

But if anyone’s up to it, it’s Chrissy. They don’t make them much tougher than her after all. My thoughts are with her and her family at this difficult time.

Moments like this make me want to revisit some of the music and remember performers at their height of their power. For me, it doesn’t get much better than Chrissy belting out “Boys in Town.” What’s your favourite Divinyls track?

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Gena Rose Bruce Wins Geelong Telstra Road to Tamworth Heat

Victorian teen Gena Rose Bruce is the latest winner of a Telstra Road to Tamworth heat.

17-year-old Gena Rose impressed the judges with two original songs, “I Need a Boyfriend” and “Jackson.” She played the tunes on her acoustic guitar, which she’d only purchased a week earlier from the earnings of her part-time job.

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to sound and I was pretty nervous being last on stage in the competition, but I’m so excited to have won and be a step closer to my dream of Tamworth and potentially, Nashville!” Gena Rose said.

The girl from Mitcham won an Epiphone acoustic guitar and two-day mentoring experience in Sydney for taking out the Geelong heat. She’ll also perform with the other finalists at the Telstra 500 V8 Supercar event in Sydney this December.

I wish her the best of luck at boot camp; hopefully we’ll see her in the finals at Tamworth next year!

Image used with permission from Javelin Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Mitchell Smith Exits The X Factor

Tonight I finally got my wish as Mitchell Smith departed The X Factor. That sounds kind of mean, but honestly I felt that under the guidance of Kyle Sandilands, Mitchell was as good as he was going to get. Kyle still didn’t seem to appreciate the kind of artist Mitchell really was, so we were never going to see him improve.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Kyle Sandilands appears on the 2Day FM Kyle and Jackie O Breakfast show at World Square on September 24, 2008 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)


Having said that, I think Natalie needs to work fast to help India-Rose Madderom cut through. She seems like a lovely girl with a lovely voice, but there’s just something about her that isn’t really resonating. It’s all just a bit bland.

Next week the finalists will be tackling the brilliant theme of “Songs from the Movies.” Let’s just hope they can live up to it!