It’s been a long time since I’ve heard new material from The Evening Cast, but it’s been well and truly worth the wait. Their new single “Gang of Fools,” reminded me just how much I love this five-piece from Geelong.
It’s got a great groove and some beautiful harmonies. I love the way the Evening Cast never overdoes things. The song is delicate and restrained, and the sort of thing that makes me hungry for more.
That’s coming soon. “Gang of Fools” is the first track lifted from The Evening Cast’s sophomore LP Belong, which will be released on May 11. A national tour will follow in June.
After a hiatus of nearly 40 years, TASTE are back. However unlike so many bands, they haven’t reformed to cash in on the nostalgia of the past or fund their retirements. Instead they’re doing it because they never got the chance to fulfil their potential.
Rewind to the ‘70s and TASTE were poised to be the next big thing. They were the first band to appear on Countdown, their song “Boys Will Be Boys” was going gangbusters, and they were set to tour the United States with Queen. Then their parents charged into their management office demanding they disband. Sadly, they listened to their mums and dads.
However, they’re looking to put all that behind them. The band’s back together, with the addition of new drummer Michael Corniola, and they’ve got a brand new single “I Am God.” It’s just as grandiose and it rocks just as hard as a proper glam rock track should. The clip is also brilliant.
The track comes from TASTE’s latest album Life on Earth, which drops on May 27. They’ll celebrate its release with shows in capital cities around the country.
1 July 2016 – Crowbar, Brisbane
9 July 2016 – Fowlers Live, Adelaide
14 July 2016 – Frankie’s Pizzeria (FREE)
16 July 2016 – The Corner, Melbourne
Melbourne rock act The Harlots have delivered a dirty, sexy new single “High Roller.”
I love the grungy funkiness of this track. It also has a really old school feel, perhaps because it was recorded through old-school pre-amps onto reel to reel tape.
“High Roller” comes from The Harlots’ debut album, which will be released in the coming months. You can hear some of the songs to come at the following upcoming shows.
12 May 2016 – Frankies Pizza, Sydney
14 May 2016 – Dicey Riley’s, Wollongong
20 May 2016 – Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
21 May 2016 – The Loft, Warnambool
On weeks like this, when you’re starting to get used to four days at work before the weekend, a Tuesday morning can feel a lot like a Wednesday morning. If you’re struggling to get moving, let Buchanan give you a little kick start. I can’t promise “Stop” will have you dancing as well as the talented girls in the clip, but it should energize you enough to get through the day.
“Stop” comes from Buchanan’s sophomore album Pressure in an Empty Space.
Peter King has been playing with Melbourne’s best rock and blues acts for years, but now under his new project Mousecapades he’s embracing a brand new sound. It’s showcased beautifully with his brand new single “Fled,” the third taken from the Little White Lies EP.
The song hooked me in from that gentle glockenspiel opening and didn’t let go until that lush reverby ending faded away.
“Heartache Blues” is one of my favourite songs from Reece Mastin’sChange Colours album. So I’m thrilled to see it’s not just the new single, but that’s got an amazing new video to match.
“Heartache Blues is a song about being away from the people, places, and spaces you miss so much when you couldn’t be further away from them,” Reece explained. “It’s a gut-wrenching feeling at the start, but on your way home there’s nothing better than the feeling of getting closer to being back there.”
This song has a great 80s pop-rock vibe, so it’s only fitting that the clip takes us back to the decade with some of the maddest hula hooping action I can recall seeing in some time. What do you think of it?
Local alt-folk act The Paper Kites have just released the final video in their “midnight” trilogy for the new single “Renegade.”
Again, the clip depicts the happenings of people between 12 and 4 am, a reference to the band’s stellar 2015 album TwelveFour. This time around it follows a group of kids who break into an aquatic cinema in the wee small hours of the morning.
To celebrate the conclusion of the midnight trilogy, The Paper Kites will play some intimate shows in capital cities across Australia. They’re in fine form after playing shows across Europe in January and February. After that it’s off to Canada and the United States for more shows. Whether you’re here or stateside, make sure you don’t miss one of these gigs.
23 June 2016 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (ALL AGES)
24 June 2016 – Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne (ALL AGES)
25 June 2016 – The Tivoli, Brisbane (Under 18s permitted with parent/guardian)
1 July 2016 – Astor Theatre, Perth (Under 18s permitted with parent/guardian)
2 July 2016 – Norwood Town Hall, Adelaide (ALL AGES)
9 & 10 July 2016 – Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg
11 July 2016 – Triple Rock, Minneapolis
12 July 2016 – Shank Hall, Milwaukee
13 July 2016 – The Shelter, Detroit
14 July 2016 – Rum Runners, London
16 July 2016 – Ottawa Blues, Ottawa
17 July 2016 – Parc de la Francophonie @ Festival D’ete, Quebec City
19 July 2016 – Showcase Room @ Higher Ground, Burlington
20 July 2016 – The Studio at Waiting Room, Buffalo
21 July 2016 – Club Café, Pittsburgh
22 July 2016 – Bogart’s, Cincinnati
23 July 2016 – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland
24 July 2016 – Wayhome Music Festival, Oro-Medonte
27 July 2016 – StageOne, Fairfield
28 July 2016 – Cape Cinema, Dennis
29 July 2016 – Port City Musical Hall, Portland
31 July 2016 – Osheaga, Montreal
After cutting his eye teeth in Sydney jazz and blues clubs for the last three years, Jesse Redwing is preparing to unleash his music on the rest of Australia. The new single “Crawlin’ Up the Walls” gives you a taster of what you can expect on the EP he’s currently working on. This is old school blues, dirty and honest, with a modern swagger.
If you like what you hear, catch Jesse Redwing playing Yah Yah’s in Melbourne on 22 April or in Sydney at the Brighton Up Bar on 24 April.
Lazy Sundays are ideal for listening to the laidback groove of a tune like “Karma My Life,” the new single from Melbourne band The Hiding.
I just love this song’s carefree, roadtrippy vibe. It makes sense that it reminds me of travel, because the folky percussive guitar sound was influenced by the acoustic performances the lads saw in Central Park whilst living in New York.
The lyrics are also full of positivity and wisdom.
“Life can throw so many speed bumps and The Hiding has experienced its fair share of these,” explained lyricist and guitarist Anthony Salce in the press release. “It can be deflating and soul damaging, however, these are life lessons we all experience and Karma my life is about accepting these journeys, appreciating the turning point and celebrating the ‘positive experience’ that changed your life.”
And can I just take a moment to talk about the mesmerising music video? It features the work of renowned sand artist Fatmir Mura. “As Karma My Life is an honest and emotive piece, we wanted the video to represent the changing nature of the band and the need to adapt to your surroundings, which Fatmir delivers very well in his sand art,” Anthony explained. I couldn’t take my eyes off this video. It’s truly stunning.
If you’re digging what The Hiding do too, and you live in their home state, you can catch them at the following upcoming shows. Hopefully they won’t leave the rest of Australia waiting too long to see them!
29 April 2016 – Rifle Brigade Hotel, Bendigo
6 May 2016 – Mynt Lounge, Werribee
21 May 2016 – Revolver, Melbourne
This might be the rantings of a child of the ‘80s looking back at the decade she was born with rose-coloured glasses, but I’m convinced the women of the music world we looked up to were so much cooler than young ladies that serve as musical role models today. We had Pat Benatar, the Wilson sisters of Heart, the Bangles … I was almost feeling like they’d broken the mould until I heard “Miles Away,” the title track of Tully on Tully’s EP.
It seems I’m not the only one digging this 80s-inspired power pop anthem. Rage recently chose the video as its indie clip of the week.
Tully on Tully are currently on tour to support the Miles Away EP’s recent release. You can still catch them at the following venues.
15 April 2016 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat
16 April 2016 – Workers Club, Melbourne
22 April 2016 – Mynt Lounge, Werribee
26 May 2016 – Bar On The Hill @ University of Newcastle, Newcastle (lunchtime gig)
26 May 2016 – Gallery Bar @ Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
28 May 2016 – Transit Bar, Canberra