If Monday’s got you into a funk, press play on Silky Roads’ new single “Out of Mind.” With its feelgood groove and silky vocals, I know it’ll put a smile on your face. It’s got more of a disco vibe than other Silky Road singles, but I personally love the change of direction. It’s so much fun.
You can bet a Silky Roads show is going to be a good time. If you need more of that in your life (and who doesn’t), head to The Shark Bar in Guringai Country/Manly on October 28. Silky Roads will play the Yours & Owls Manly Halloween Party alongside Marvell, Apricot Ink, and Scatter Light.
“Slice of Heaven” is one of the great all-time bangers. I remember falling in love with this song as a kid, and it’s lost none of its appeal for me. So I’m thrilled to hear that New Zealand born, Aussie based band COTERIE have brought the song back. They’ve stuck true to the original, even enlisting the help of original singer Sir Dave Dobbyn. However, the instrumentation is a bit fresher for the current generation. Way to bring the nostalgia guys!
COTERIE have just wrapped up a string of dates with the Cat Empire, but they’re not quite ready to slow down. They’ve got a few festival appearances this year before Bluesfest in 2024.
2 December 2023 – Dave Ferrit Festival @ Crooked River Wines, Tharawal Country/Gerringong
10 December 2023 – Let the Good Times Roll @ Memorial Park, Darkinjung Country/The Entrance
28 March-1 April 2024 – Bluesfest @ Byron Events Farm, Cavanbah/Byron Bay
The Teskey Brothers pipped them for the title at the recent 2023 National Live Music Awards, but Sweet Talk might just be the best blues and roots act that you haven’t heard of. Their latest single “Warm Love” shows why they weren’t just making up the numbers in that coveted category. It’s got so much swag. This is the kind of music people just aren’t making enough of any more.
“It’s got a little more rock n roll steez about it,” admitted Sweet Talk’s frontman Tane Walker, of the band’s adventurous new sound. “We took what we normally do, then dirtied up the tones and tuned our instruments down half a step,” added bass player James Harding.
“Warm Love is a belter to play live!” added guitarist Soren Walker. “That’s the litmus test we need to vet songs for the studio, if the punters come alive, then it deserves a shot on record and this immediately ticked that box.”
You can see how good this song is live at one of Sweet Talk’s upcoming shows:
27 October 2023 – Bridge Hotel, Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine
28 October 2023 – The Eastern Hotel, Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Ballarat
29 October 2023 – The Barwon Club, Djilang/South Geelong
3 November 2023 – Music on the Hill, Bunurong Country/Main Ridge
4 November 2023 – Archies Creek Hotel, Gunai Country/Archies Creek
10–12 November 2023 – Blues at Bridgetown, Nyungar Country/Bridgetown
Boorloo/Perth-based indie-rock act Sophian have impressed me again with their uplifting new single “Beautiful Day.” Coming hot on the heels of other stellar 2023 releases “Moments” and “Georgia,” these guys are having such a great year.
“My wife and I were having a conversation one day around feeling the pressures of society to have life all figured out by a certain age. I saw what it meant it to her and I just wanted to let her know that it’s okay to not have it all figured out yet, life is still beautiful and its okay for us to just enjoy that moment. This song is about feeling free and enjoying life around you for just the way it is,” recalled the band’s frontman Sophian Manik.
Sophian will launch “Beautiful Day” for hometown fans at The Indian Ocean Hotel on October 20. After they sold out hometown shows at Old Habits Bar and The Bird earlier this year, I suggest getting tickets now to avoid missing out!
The future looks bright with talented up-and-coming artists like ALEKS MATIC and AMOS KIM making music together. Both students at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, they’ve just collaborated on a fantastic new EDM track called “NEON CLOUDS.” This is an absolute bop. I know I’m going to have it in my head for the next few weeks, and that’s just fine by me. If you’re not singing along by the end, I’m a poor judge.
“NEON CLOUDS” is the first single lifted from a concept EDM EP that ALEKS MATIC and AMOS KIM are working on together. If the rest of the material is this good, I can’t wait to hear it.
Tig has made a really positive first impression on me with her debut single “Too Late Heartbreak.” It’s so beautiful and understated. By keeping the music simple, we can really hone in on those poignant lyrics and Tig’s sweet voice.
“This song is about catastrophising. Building walls. Trying not to get hurt. Confusing isolation with independence. Lying to yourself. And realising some feelings just have to be felt,” Tig explained. Oh yeah, that all hits.
The song comes with a gorgeous music video created by Tig’s high school pal Jasper Dorman.
“The idea started with these tiny felt hearts that my mum makes, you keep them in your pocket when you need a bit of love,” Tig added. “As the crux of the song is about keeping your heart intact, I asked myself ‘how would I protect one of these pocket hearts if it was prone to breaking?’ And so the lego house was born, followed by the Heartbreak Prevention Plan.”
“Too Late Heartbreak” is the first song lifted from Tig’s debut EP Inside Voices, to be released on 1 February, 2024. Tig has a couple of shows coming up at The Gasometer Hotel, a venue she sold out just a few months ago before releasing any material. If you want to be there, I recommend securing your tickets really soon.
18 October 2023 – The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Naarm/Collingwood (supporting Izzy Summers)
26 October 2023 – The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Naarm/Collingwood (supporting Nanas Pie)
The weekend is so close you can taste it so you’re moving with a little more groove in your step. Enter “Night Rhythms,” the funky new track from local neo-funk act Vinyl 45. As their name suggests, their music is a bit of a throwback, in the best possible way. This new song is the perfect track to score your Friday.
Vinyl 45 frontman Aaron Gunawickrema, who was born and raised in Sri Lanka, said the song was inspired by his move to Eora/Sydney. “It came about as I had just arrived in Australia in 2020 to attend uni and was working in a fish shop, which I absolutely hated and I missed Sri Lanka where I was working as a musician full-time. I missed being on stage and not having any worries while I was performing, and I was contemplating my move to Sydney which was obviously making me emotional.”
When an artist loves being on stage, you know they’re always amazing live. See just how good Aaron and his mates from Vinyl 45 are at one of the following shows around Eora/Sydney:
13 October 2023 – Oxford Art Factory, Eora/Darlinghurst
28 October 2023 – Bucketty’s Brewing Co, Eora/Brookvale
9 December 2023 – The Factory Theatre, Eora/Marrickville
Dharug/Western Sydney indie-rock act Jack Anthony has blown me away with his latest single “Call My Name.” This track goes hard, with an energy reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys or the Libertines. Just see if you’re not punching your fist in the air or at least grooving in your seat by the end of this one.
“‘Call My Name’ is about reflecting on an old relationship where you had known the person for years prior, before having a crack at a romantic relationship,” Jack explained. “We both knew we weren’t meant for each other and were filled with conflicting feelings of wanting to stay and leave. This song has a feeling of being happy/sad and bittersweet, whilst also being anthemic. A song that you can scream in the car and cry alone to, but also dance and the song would still be fun depending on what mood you’re in.”
Jack will join Kingswood at their October 29 show at the Lady Hampshire in Eora/Sydney, so if you’re going make sure you arrive early enough for his set.
Hannah Stow has thoroughly charmed me with “Sunflowers,” a love song with a difference. This sweet track explores a budding relationship with a healthy mix of heart and cynicism.
“My girlfriend said she loved me after three weeks of dating and I was trying to prove to her that what she felt was lust and not love. I said, ‘You know nothing about me,’ and she said, ‘I know your favourite colour is red, you didn’t walk until you were two because everyone kept picking you up, and I don’t know if they’re your favourite – but I know for sure you like Sunflowers’. The moment she said that I knew it would make a catchy song,” Hannah said. “So, ‘Sunflowers’ discusses the point in a relationship right after someone says ‘I love you’ where you’re feeling like they don’t know you well enough to express those emotions. It unpacks the moment you’re being proven wrong as they highlight facts about you which you thought they never listened to.”
I love the intimacy of this track. It’s so lyrically good, and the minimalist instrumentation makes sure you don’t miss a word. I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more from Hannah.
Image used with permission from Kick Push PR; credit: Ian Young
Listening to “Harder to Fake It,” the first new music from Hollow Coves since 2021, has made me realise just how much I missed them. This is music that simply makes you feel good with its beautiful harmonies, acoustic feel, and uplifting lyrics. Rest assured, this one ticks all the boxes. As it should, as Hollow Coves wrote and recorded the track with Matt Corby and Alex Henrikkson at Alex’s Rainbow Valley Studio.
“Last year, we played at an event that Matt Corby had put on to raise money for victims of the floods in the Northern Suburbs of New South Wales in Australia. After the show, we got chatting with Matt Corby and we connected really well. We were both keen to see what we could make together, so we ended up going to his studio, which happened to be not too far from where we lived, and did a few writing sessions. We ended up writing five songs together,” the band explained. “We were all in a room together trying to come up with an initial idea. I had a guitar part and rough melody that I had been wanting to work on for a while so I thought I would test it by starting to play it and see if anyone would comment on it. Straight away, Matt Corby expressed that he liked what he heard so we took the idea and ran with it. From there, a lot of the song came quite quickly. We recorded the main guitar part quickly and then Matt Corby jumped on the drum kit and started recording some really cool drum parts to make a quick demo. A lot of the parts from the demo ended up being used in the final recording.”
The song comes with a beautiful music video filmed in the scenic coastal town of Tofino on Canada’s Vancouver Island. It features school children bored with the mundanity of the classroom who taste real joy when that bell rings and they can go out and experience the world.
Hollow Coves are back on the road playing shows around the country. Here are their upcoming dates:
