Winter has well and truly set in, but you can shake off the gloom with “Mornington,” the shiny new single from The Lovely Days.
The band, who come to us from Melbourne by way of Mullumbimby, has such a great psychedelic pop sound. Think ELO mixed with a smattering of Tame Impala and Alabama Shakes.
The Lovely Days hadn’t crossed my radar before, but apparently the band’s self-titled EP garnered praised in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as here at home. “Mornington” comes from The Lovely Days’ new EP Arms Wide Open, which they’re currently touring around the country. Check the band out at the following venues!
17 June 2017 – The Exeter Hotel, Adelaide
22 June 2017 – Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Sydney
23 June 2017 – Vic on the Park, Sydney
I reviewed it last month, but The Lyrical drops his fantastic new EP King of Me tomorrow. The EP features incredible songs brimming with wisdom, including the awesome new single “Teach Me.”
“Some of us, as artists and musicians, don’t have all the answers or knowledge about things happening around us, but we need to be open to learn,” he explained of the song’s message. “There is a world full of important issues, and powerful stories to tell. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the entertainment side of things, that we forget about the message … Which, in my humble opinion, is just as important.”
The Lyrical will bring music from his EP to the masses later this month with shows on the East Coast and South Australia.
22 June 2017 – The Jack, Cairns
23 & 24 June 2017 – Magnums, Airlie Beach
30 June 2017 – Alex SLSC, Alex Head
1 July 2017 – Mt Gravatt Marketta, Brisbane
2 July 2017 – Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
8 July 2017 – The Penny Black, Melbourne
12 July 2017 – The Bridge Hotel, Langhorne Creek
13 July 2017 – Beach Hotel, Seaford
14 July 2017 – The Elephant British Pub, Adelaide
15 July 2017 – Slug n’ Lettuce, Parafield Gardens
21 July 2017 – Moonshine Bar, Manly Sydney
22 July 2017 – Tapp Bar Panthers, Port Macquarie
28 July 2017 – Pacific Hotel, Yamba
She’s Canadian-born, now based in Auckland, and she’s bringing her live show to Australia. Meet Tami Neilson, the powerful voice behind the new single “Holy Moses.”
“Holy Moses” is just one of the retro-inspired tracks from Tami’s killer new album Don’t Be Afraid. It effortlessly crosses genre, with soul, blues, and jazz influences combined in the best possible way. After acclaimed performances at Woman NZ, Auckland City Limits, and Nashville Americana Fest recently, Tami is in fine form.
She’ll play just three shows along the East Coast in August. Discover her before the rest of the world knows what a talent Tami is!
18 August 2017 – The Flamin’ Galah, Brisbane
19 August 2017 – Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne
20 August 2017 – The Basement, Sydney
Georgia Fields and Phia are two of Melbourne’s brightest female musicians. So you just know that when they combine their musical talents for their Sky & Sea tour, magic is going to happen.
The ladies will share the stage and each other’s songs, accompanying one another one everything from the kalimba to electric guitar. Expect beautiful harmonies, exquisite songs, and a show that will keep you guessing.
“When Georgia and I were talking about how challenging it is to tour solo, I thought: why don’t we give it a go together? As a fan, I love it when my favourite musicians collaborate – you get to see their work in a totally different light,” Phia said in the press release. “I lived in Berlin for five years and was incredibly inspired by the DIY arts scene over there; it’s very much about building a community and making genuine connections with people.”
Watch these women making magic together at the following shows.
6 July 2017 – Suttons House of Music, Ballarat
8 July 2017 – Major Toms, Kyneton
13 July 2017 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
14 July 2017 – Candello Café, Candelo
15 July 2017 – Tomerong Hall, Tomerong
21 July 2017 – The Milk Factory, Brisbane
22 July 2017 – Night Quarter, Gold Coast
23 July 2017 – Brunswick Picture House, Brunswick Heads (matinee)
27 July 2017 – Oxford Arts Factory (Gallery), Sydney
28 July 2017 – The Unorthodox Church of Groove, Newcastle
3 August 2017 – The Toff In Town, Melbourne
5 August 2017 – Baby Black, Bacchus Marsh
6 August 2017 – Old Castlemaine Gaol, Castlemaine (matinee)
11 August 2017 – The Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide
12 August 2017 – Glen Helen Homestead Lodge, Alice Springs
Melbourne alt-country duo Miles and Simone have thoroughly charmed me with their new single “She and I.” With sublime harmonies, a sweet love story, and slide guitars, it has all the elements that make me swoon. There’s a lovely old-world charm to the song that’s also woven a spell over me.
Miles O’Neil came up with the track after spying an old beaten up nylon-stringed classic guitar amongst boxes of old records behind the red velvet stage curtain of Melbourne’s Basement Discs record store.
“While we were waiting to go onstage, I spotted a small guitar behind the boxes of records. I saw it was covered in the signatures of the many musicians who had performed on the Basement Discs stage. I tuned it up, started strumming and a song just came out, as if it was waiting behind the strings,” he explained. “I started singing “she and I would run like rolling rivers” and knew it was a keeper.”
Miles and Simone will give music lovers a sneak peek at their forthcoming EP with shows all around the country soon, including festival performances and gigs at intimate venues.
2 July 2017 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport
7 July 2017 – Festival of Voices, Hobart
8 & 9 July 2017 – Bello Winter Music, Bellingen
13 July 2017 – The Grace Darling, Melbourne
14 July 2017 – Stratherton Hall, Moira
15 July 2017 – Yarck Town Hall, Yarck
16 July 2017 – The Theatre Royal, Castlemaine
27 July 2017 – The Golden Age Cinema, Sydney
29 July 2017 – TBA, Balmoral
3 August 2017 – TBA, Nathalia
4 August 2017 – Major Tom’s, Kyneton
5 August 2017 – King Valley, King Valley
I’ve thought a lot more about female voices and the importance of them coming together and speaking up since Donald Trump was elected U.S. president. It seems like we’re at a time in history when things we once took for granted aren’t guaranteed, and we need to fight that little bit harder to be heard. In the spirit of that, it’s exciting to see Australian women coming together for Electric Lady, shows featuring musicians like Ali Barter, Alex Lahey, Jack River, Gretta Ray, Bec Sandridge, Rackett, and Bodytype.
More than live shows, Electric Lady is a platform to amplify the strength of women in such varied fields as music, politics, sport, science, and much more. It will feature interviews with powerful women in a range of sectors including Stephanie Gilmore, Isabel Lucas, Tyler Wright, Katie Mack, and heaps more.
In the lead-up to the shows, Electric Lady will release a series of Live Sessions featuring artists on the bill covering one another’s songs. Click the link to see Gretta Ray’s sublime take on Jack River’s “Talk Like That.” It will seriously stop you in your tracks.
Electric Lady will play Sydney’s Metro Theatre on June 30 before hitting Melbourne’s Corner Hotel on July 1.
What a wild ride it’s been and now after 10 years in the biz, the lads from The Snowdroppers are preparing to say goodbye. But not being they do one last lap of the country to thank all their loyal supporters for their love over the years.
The Snowdroppers’ farewell shows will see the band playing Too Late to Pray in full and a selection of their other favourites. Tickets are just $25, or $55 bundled with a limited edition vinyl version of Too Late to Pray, from the Snowdroppers’ website. 21 October 2017 – Transit Bar, Canberra
28 October 2017 – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne
4 November 2017 – Jive, Adelaide
11 November 2017 – Brightside, Brisbane
18 November 2017 – The Wicko, Newcastle
25 November 2017 – The Factory Theatre, Sydney
Adelaide three-piece Donnarumma has really impressed me with its debut single “Love Your Man.” It’s a jazzy, bluesy little ditty with some of the tightest horns you’re likely to hear.
“Love Your Man is about the jealousy that warped my perception of a relationship I was once in,” the band’s frontman Louis Donnarumma explained. “ The song travels back to a time where I felt betrayed by my partner – what an innocent boy I was! The video shows this toxic relationship where the girl goes insane, kidnaps her partner and tries to kill him – then it is revealed that he’s been cheating on her the whole time and he ends up getting what he deserves. Sounds ridiculous I know, but we tried to be as over the top as we could be. It’s like those moments when you’re so angry you picture the most outrageous stories in your head. We find it amusing and love the irony; there’s this man singing how he doesn’t feel loved, but does nothing but betray her!”
“Love Your Man” comes from Donnarumma’s new EP Billy Billy, which drops on June 30. The band will mark its release with a national tour, making the following pit stops around the country.
1 July 2017 – Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide
7 July 2017 – Whole Lotta Love, Melbourne
13 July 2017 – Rad Bar, Wollongong
14 July 2017 – The Townie, Sydney
Everything old is new again for The Getaway Plan, who will tour the country this September playing the breakthrough 2008 album Other Voices, Other Rooms in its entirety. The album peaked at number three on the ARIA albums charts and hit the top spot on the AIR albums charts.
These shows will see the band playing two sets. The first will be all about the nostalgia of that beloved album. Then the second set will be jam-packed full of fan favourites from The Getaway Plan’s other releases.
Tickets are on sale now via The Getaway Plan’s website. 1 September 2017 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
9 September 2017 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne (SOLD OUT)
10 September 2017 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
14 September 2017 – The Triffid, Brisbane
15 September 2017 – Metro Theatre, Sydney
22 September 2017 – The Gov, Adelaide
I have a real passion for old school soul music. I spent my formative years listening to a lot of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, bemoaning the fact that no one makes music quite like that any more. Anyway, it seems I was wrong, because Melbourne’s The Teskey Brothers sound like they’ve come straight from Stax.
It’s unsurprising really, because Sam and Josh Teskey were listening to a lot of the same music I was as teens. They wear the influences of their parents’ record collection on their sleeve, and they’ve shared that soul sensibility with their brothers from another mother, Liam Gough on drums and Brendon Love on bass guitar. Their current single “Pain and Misery” from the album Half Mile Harvest gives you just a taste of what these guys are all about.
The Teskey Brothers will support Busby Marou on their Aussie tour before embarking on a run of headlining gigs in July.
24 May 2017 – Heritage Hotel, Bulli (with Busby Marou)
25 May 2017 – 48 Watt Street, Newcastle (with Busby Marou)
26 & 27 May 2017 – Leadbelly, Sydney (with Busby Marou)
1 June 2017 – Southern Cross Club, Woden (with Busby Marou)
3 June 2017 – Wrest Point Casino, Hobart (with Busby Marou)
8 June 2017 – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast (with Busby Marou)
9 June 2017 – Triffid, Brisbane (with Busby Marou)
11 June 2017 – Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay (with Busby Marou)
15 June 2017 – Fat Controller, Adelaide (with Busby Marou)
16 June 2017 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne (with Busby Marou)
17 June 2017 – Workers Club, Geelong (with Busby Marou)
18 June 2017 – Sooki Lounge, Belgrave (with Busby Marou)
30 June 2017 – Caravan Club, Oakleigh (with The Meltdown)
1 July 2017 – Triffid, Brisbane (with Busby Marou)
6-9 July 2017 – Bello Winter Music Festival, Bellingen
13 July 2017 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney
14 July 2017 – Junk Bar, Brisbane
22 July 2017 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
27-30 July 2017 – Echuca Winter Blues Festival, Echuca
4 August 2017 – Music on the Hill, Red Hill
5 August 2017 – Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan
12 August 2017 – Ed Castle, Adelaide
21 October 2017 – Transit Bar, Canberra