Category: Video

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Veronicas and The Avalanches Dominate Aussie Charts

When the Veronicas topped the singles charts last week with “In My Blood,” I was too swamped with paying gigs to cover it. Now they’ve repeated the feat, I thought I’d better make time to note their achievements. Will the sisters equal their longest reign at number one, achieved with “You Ruin Me” in September 2014, and stay at the top spot for another week?

Last week’s number one album, Wings of the Wild by Delta Goodrem has slipped to number two to make way for another homegrown Aussie act, The Avalanches. Sixteen years after the release of their celebrated debut album Since I Left You, the Melbourne electronic act has snared their first number one with the follow-up, Wildflower.

Another former one, Ripcord by Keith Urban, has shown it has real staying power. It has remained at number seven this week, 10 weeks after its debut. The always popular Hillsong United has risen to number eight with their latest release, Of Dirt And Grace – Live From The Land.

Here’s a closer look at this week’s top ten singles and albums.

Top 10 Albums
1. Wildflower – The Avalanches
2. Wings of the Wild – Delta Goodrem
3. California – Blink-182
4. 25 – Adele
5. Lemonade – Beyonce
6. The Getaway – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
7. Ripcord – Keith Urban
8. Of Dirt And Grace – Live From The Land – Hillsong United
9. Blank Face LP – ScHoolboy Q
10. Views – Drake

Top 10 Singles
1. “In My Blood” – The Veronicas
2. “One Dance” – Drake feat. Wizkid & Kyla
3. “This is What You Came For” – Calvin Harris feat. Rihanna
4. “Treat You Better” – Shawn Mendes
5. “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” – Justin Timberlake
6. “Too Good” – Drake featuring Rihanna
7. “Don’t Let Me Down” – The Chainsmokers feat. Daya
8. “Me Too” – Meghan Trainor
9. “Don’t Be So Shy” – Imany
10. “We Don’t Talk Anymore” – Charlie Puth feat. Selena Gomez

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Bon Scotts Shine a Light on Society with “Main Street”

After taking much of 2015 off and almost disbanding, The Bon Scotts are back with a cracking new single “Main Street.”

It’s a politically charged look at the racism that so often masquerades as patriotism these days, and the way society needs conversations, understanding, and empathy rather than anger and ignorance. It asks the poignant question “Can either side be part of the solution when they often seem to be the root cause of the problem?” The video was shot by the band in their hometown of Coburg at a race rally this May.

This is the first song to come from the band’s upcoming new album When I’m Lonely I Still Think Of You, which should drop next March.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Lucy Roleff’s “This Paradise” Drops Today

With her debut album This Paradise in stores today, it seemed the perfect time to share Lucy Roleff’s new single “Aspen” with you.

This is such a beautiful song, delicate and haunting. I’ve heard it classified as chamber folk, which is a pretty apt descriptor if you ask me. There’s something almost spiritual about it.

If you love this song, and you want to hear more, make sure you get This Paradise, which is available on CD, vinyl, and for digital download from today. Lucy will launch the album at The Gasometer in Collingwood on July 28.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Runaway Weekend Poised for Greatness

With a loyal fan base and plenty of buzz, Runaway Weekend could well be the next big thing. When they released the video for “Déjà Vu,” the title track from their debut EP, recently it garnered 20,000 views in just a couple of days.

I love the way this band plays with light and shade. The song is so epic and dramatic in places, but delicately restrained in others. I’m doubly impressed that Runaway Weekend have written, produced, and recorded this song and the others on their EP themselves. It’s got such a professional sound that we don’t normally see from acts just starting to play with production.

“We really hope that people can find something of themselves in our music and if they do, hopefully they can also lock themselves away in it to escape from reality for a bit, like we do with our favourite bands,” the guys from Runaway Weekend explained.

“At the end of the day we’re just some teenagers from Adelaide who want to affect people, we want to make people feel something, be that utter happiness or realisation. Through our music we want to touch people, like we’ve been touched by artists and if we can do half as good a job as the artists we admire, we’d be totally complete.”

Runaway Weekend are currently touring their EP. You can catch them at Wrangler in Melbourne on the 16th of July and Producer’s Bar in Adelaide on July 18.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Leopold’s Treat Doing Good

I always love hearing music from exciting up-and-coming acts, but when they’re made up of people doing good in the community it’s doubly exciting. Gold Coast act Leopold’s Treat ticks both those boxes for me.

They formed in 2011, but are starting to gain some serious traction in their local area, culminating in taking home the Emerging Artist of the Year award at the recent Gold Coast Music Awards. One of their songs, “Houndogs and Bullfrogs,” was also a finalist in the Song of the Year category.

Watching this live video of the song with footage recorded at Leopold’s Treat’s album launch last October, it’s easy to see what a great energy the band has. They’re clearly loved by their community; the place is packed to the rafters.

While talent’s clearly a part of that love, I think there’s more going on. Kate Leopold (lead vocals) and Keiran Richardt (lap slide, harmonies, didge, other strings) work together as environmental educators at a local social enterprise that serves more than 32,000 kids every year.

“It is not uncommon for us to be playing at a market where a group of children are dancing to one of our songs and the band members are recognised as the educators that teach worm farming, water quality or how to identify and grow native plants,” Kate Leopold told me in an email.

If you want to dance with Leopold’s Treat, make sure you catch them at the following shows.

22 July 2016 – Soundlounge, Currumbin
September 2016 – NightQuarter, Helensvale (date TBA)
15 & 16 October 2016 – Buskers by the Creek Festival, Currumbin
16 December 2016 – Miami Marketta, Miami

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Feuds Rocks Out with “River of Wine”

Brisbane band Feuds shows it knows how to craft a big rock song with their new single “River of Wine.” This track builds beautifully, with a composed verse giving way to a great big stadium rocking chorus. It sounds uplifting, but there’s a dark undercurrent to its lyrics.

“The bulk of the track comes from the struggles I was having with drinking a couple years back, suffering these awful bouts of depression for days afterwards, in this never ending cycle,” explained Feuds frontman Jeremy Hunter.

The clip’s also one of the cleverest uses of public domain footage I’ve seen in some time. It might have been put together on the budget, but it’s mesmerising.

“River of Wine” comes from Feuds’ debut EP Stay Lost, which is scheduled to drop in August. We should also see them gigging around the country to coincide with the EP’s release.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Billy Fox Goes Back to Roots with “Avalanche”

Sydney’s Billy Fox infuses soul and electronica beautifully in his latest single “Avalanche.” I just love its easy groove and gentle old-school hip hop vibe.

Billy noted that the song is a bit of a departure from his early singles.

“My first releases largely focused on electronic production, whereas with ‘Avalanche’ I’m revisiting my live roots to meld both forms of production together, which also relates directly to my live show and the way I perform my songs,” he explained. “I wanted people to really feel that, which is exciting moving forward into the next stages of refining my next body of work.”

While he hasn’t announced a tour as yet, I hear it won’t be too long before Billy’s playing shows along the East Coast.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Megan Hilty @ Theatre Royal, Sydney – 10 June 2016

I can scarcely believe a couple of weeks have gone by since I caught Megan Hilty’s performance at the Theatre Royal, but it was a performance so strong that my memory has barely faded.

The press releases surrounding her maiden Australian tour promised a journey through the Great American Songbook, but her set featured much more than standards. She opened with “Keep Moving the Line,” from the TV series Smash, the first thing that brought her to my attention. As an ardent fan of the series, I was thrilled to hear more of its songs peppering the set, such as “Mr. And Mrs. Smith,” “Let Me Be Your Star,” and the breathtaking “Second Hand White Baby Grand.”

Most of Megan’s career has seen her on the stage rather than the small screen, so it was only fitting that her Broadway turns were acknowledged too with “Popular” from Wicked, “Backwoods Barbie” from 9 to 5, and “Suddenly, Seymour” from the role that got away in Little Shop of Horrors. Stories like the incidences surrounding the part endeared Megan to the already enamored crowd. She spoke in glowing terms of meeting Dolly Parton when cast in her musical and working alongside Idina Menzel and Katherine McPhee and regaled us of personal stories of life with her daughter and husband, the very dishy Brian Gallagher who plays guitar in her exceptional band.

There were the promised standards like “Almost Like Being in Love,” “That’s Life,” and “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” a lovely nod to her time channelling Marilyn as Ivy Lynn in Smash. Don Henley’s “Heart of the Matter” didn’t quite seem to gel with the jazz and show tunes, but it’s such a great song I didn’t really mind. Closing with “Rainbow Connection,” a song she plays nightly for her daughter, left us all feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

No matter what Megan treated us to, it was exquisite. She has such a stunning voice, and her Broadway training sees her connecting to the songs in a way few artists do when singing covers.

This was a fleeting visit for Megan, who had to catch a plane the next day to attend the Tony Awards. She assured us she loved our city and wants to come back for a longer stay. I hope she’s a woman of her word, because I think I speak on behalf of everyone at the Theatre Royal when I say we’d welcome her back with open arms.

The venue didn’t allow photography, so here’s a video so you can all see how amazing she is!

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Tim Wheatley Home to Release “78 Benz”

Cast of Yesterday was one of my favourite albums of 2015. I’d forgotten just how much I love it until I revisited one of the tracks today, the current single “78 Benz.” If you still haven’t listened to this album from Aussie expat Tim Wheatley, this song should give you every indication of why you should.

Tim wrote the track about his own vintage Mercedes and about the way you’ve got to follow your passions in life, no matter how difficult that might be.

“I had been in LA nearly a year, playing shows, writing, and turning my hand to other things like modelling and acting,” he explained in the press release. “I was juggling three passions, in which rejection is an integral part, and really struggling with it … ironically, as much as it was taking its toll on me, ‘78 Benz,’ my favourite song on the record, would never have come about with the absence of struggle.”

Tim will play one more local show, at Collingwood’s Grace Darling Hotel on June 10, before heading back to the U.S. If you get the chance, you don’t want to miss it.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Hard Aches Rock Out with “Glad That You’re Gone”

Adelaide rockers The Hard Aches have served up a superb slice of angst with their latest single “Glad That You’re Gone.” I can’t help thinking of You Am I when I listen to this track. There’s a similar crunchy, organic truth to what they’re doing which is really exciting.

“Glad That You’re Gone” is getting some airplay on Triple J and The Hard Aches are making the most of it. They’ve just wrapped up a tour supporting Tired Lion, and in a couple of months’ time they’ll be out again supporting Luca Brasi and playing Poison City Weekender. No doubt it’s only a matter of time before we see these guys headlining.

17 August 2017 – The Basement, Canberra
18 August 2017 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle
19 August 2017 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
20 August 2017 – The Zoo, Brisbane
25 August 2017 – Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth
26 August 2017 – Fat Controller, Adelaide
27 August 2017 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne
28 August 2017 – Brisbane Hotel, Hobart
9-11 September 2017 – Poison City Weekender @ Max Watts, Melbourne