Category: News

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.
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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!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Rocks

This week The X Factor contestants came ready to rock. But did they succeed?

Sally Chatfield started the show with a bang with Paramore’s “Decode.” I agree with Ronan that it was a bit safe, but when she delivers it’s hard to be too critical. I thought she definitely brought her own flavour to it and sounded brilliant.

I was so inspired and hopeful while watching Mitchell Smith’s package, listening to him speak about how he’d gone walkabout and was coming back to the music he loved. But his performance of “Jessie’s Girl” let me down all over again. I am the biggest 80s loving Rick Springfield fan, but this just wasn’t the song for him. I can enjoy anyone doing this song, but it also felt cheesy and a bit artificial. It was just okay for me, and any points I gave it are mostly because I love the song.

Hayley Teal brought things back with Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” She’s such a sexy girl, but I felt like this is the first time we’ve had a performance to match that sex appeal. It was smouldering and natural and just sublime. She might have always envisioned herself as the soul girl, but I think there’s a rock chick begging to be explored.
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Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Free Ryan Meeking

We all love something for nothing, right? And that’s especially true when it’s good music!

Ryan Meeking’s delivering with a free download of his new song “This Time” for everyone who signs up to his mailing list. Now I suppose you could argue that if you’ve gone to the effort of joining his list, it’s the least he could do. But with Ryan promising to keep us updated with his tour schedule, new releases, and other goings on I think it’s a pretty good deal.

And besides, the tune is just the kind of organic acoustic goodness that we all need on a Saturday!

Image source: Premier Artists

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Flicks Not Broken Up, But On a Break

Brisbane punk-popsters Flicks have decided to take a breather, although fans will get a chance to say goodbye before their extended hiatus.

“Earlier this week for the first time in a month Flicks sat down as a full band and discussed our future together,” the band said in a statement. “The final decision we have come to is a hard one but we feel it is also the right one. We have come to the decision that we will be going on an extended break from playing shows. We are all going to go our separate ways for a little while to try and write some truly exciting new music for you all. It is important to understand that we are all good friends still and that Flicks is not dead. We have been playing the same songs and basically the same set for so long we need to breathe new life into the band and reinvent ourselves to some extent with new music.”

Flicks will still appear at Brisbane’s On the Pulse festival on October 23 as scheduled before playing a charity show in Sydney later this month. It was important for the band to get one last chance to connect with their very loyal fan base.

“You guys have always been so supportive of us,” they said. “We have some of the most enthusiastic, supportive and amazing fans ever and we truly appreciate everything you do for us to help spread word about the band. We will be back we just don’t know when … but it will be with new music and better than ever. This is not goodbye … we’ll see you again.”

Let’s hope so!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Amanda Grafanakis Gets X Factor Axe

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 30: Cast member of 'The X Factor' Ronan Keating poses during a media call on July 30, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mike Flokis/Getty Images)

Tonight’s X Factor saw India-Rose Madderom and Amanda Grafanakis face off in the bottom two. And Mitchell Smith again miraculously escape the public vote, but the less said about that the better.

I felt that India’s performance on the Sunday show was much stronger, but her lackluster rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” left much to be desired. Amanda may never compare to the great Bette Midler, but she did a really credible job of her iconic ballad “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

It seems her efforts weren’t enough though, and Amanda got the boot. Poor Ronan’s hanging on to this competition by a thread. Surely pinning all of your hopes on Altiyan is a scary proposition!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The X Factor Top 9 Do Party Anthems

I’m back home and back to The X Factor blogging with the Top 9 taking on party anthems.

India Rose Madderom kicked off the night with “Jai Ho.” It was a left of centre song choice, but I think the risk paid off. This is a tough song to sing, but she nailed it. The choreography was also great; it created a real sense of occasion without compromising her vocals. And she looked stunning. What a great start to the night!

My love of The Eagles might be swaying my opinion of Andrew Lawson’s performance of “Heartache Tonight,” but I didn’t like this. It felt a bit cheesy and contrived, like a Broadway number from a musical flop. He did look a lot more comfortable on stage than he has in the past, but I also felt that he didn’t really connect with the lyrics or song. It’s about more than performance after all. Maybe he can put it all together next week?

Amanda Grafanakis took on The Black Eyed Peas “I’ve Got a Feeling,” and delivered a fairly lackluster performance. I just didn’t feel it. She sang it well, except for a few shaky high notes, but there wasn’t enough conviction behind it. I also found all of the background movement a bit distracting, especially those flipping shirtless men!

Luke and Joel got the party started with Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” For me this was the best performance to that point, simply because it was so much fun. Yes it had vocal flaws, but it was so enjoyable that it just didn’t matter. There was not a person in their seats while they were on stage, and that’s a party.
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