After last week’s lacklustre evening, I was psyched to see what the X Factor would serve up tonight. I was really impressed by the theme, which asked the contestants to uplift us and break our hearts. Andrew Wishart is the perfect artist for a theme that plays on emotion. However if you don’t get the…
Category: Video
David Campbell Goes Retro
I’m pretty excited at the coming together of one of my favourite Australian singers and my favourite musical decade. After tackling the standards more than once, show tunes, and the sounds of the swinging sixties, David Campbell is setting his sights on the 80s. Next week David will release Let’s Go, an album featuring covers…
The X Factor Pays Tribute to Legends
After enduring more dance songs than I cared to last week, I was happy to watch The X Factor contestants singing songs from music legends tonight. Johnny Ruffo kicked things off with Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke.” I’ve been pretty hard on Johnny in recent weeks, but I’ve never heard him sounding better. Finally the vocals…
The X Factor Contestants Dance it Out
I must admit, I approached this week’s X Factor with some serious trepidation. Dance music really isn’t my thing. I don’t mind some old school disco, but I can take or leave the Rihannas, Beyonces, and Lady Gagas of this world. And considering the trend in recent weeks, I wasn’t feeling optimistic that the judges…
The X Factor Celebrates Aussie Anthems
This week The X Factor contestants were celebrating homegrown tunes with their Aussie Anthems special. Mitchell Callaway kicked things off with “Throw Your Arms Around Me.” Again it was strange to see Nat picking a non-country song for her act, but I thought this suited him down to the ground. It’s the best I’ve heard…
Steve Lane and the Autocrats’ Impress with “Ghost Trains”
It’s a pretty special thing to find new music that takes you back, but I’ve found it in Steve Lane and the Autocrats’ new single “Ghost Trains.” It’s got that lovely Paul Kelly storytelling quality about it, with a splash of Weddings Parties Anything thrown in. It’s good honest Aussie pop rock, melodic but heartfelt….
The Trouble with Templeton Gets Spooky
Brisbane singer-songwriter The Trouble with Templeton should appeal to all the Twilight fans out there with his eerie new video for “Bleeders.” It’s pretty clever to appeal to the current taste for the macabre, but there’s more here than simply smart marketing. The song’s stunning, a real slow burner than builds beautifully. “Bleeders” is the…
The X Factor Tackles Number Ones
The X Factor served up number ones for this week’s performance show. With every tune reaching the top, song choice shouldn’t have been an issue tonight. But … Christina Parie reminded me that just because a song hits the top it doesn’t make it worth doing. “Teenage Dirtbag” isn’t a bad song, but it was…
Short Stack at the Movies
The boys from Budgewoi hope to make a real splash with their brand new movie The Story of Short Stack. Before it hits your favourite DVD store, the flick will screen at movie theatres around the country on October 27. While the film will hit various cinemas around the country, fans at Sydney’s George Street…
The X Factor Does the 90s
I’ve been complaining about all those modern but fairly inconsequential song choices on The X Factor, so I was thrilled to see the show going back into the vault for 90s night. The decade might not be music’s strongest, but there were certainly some gems that I hoped to hear trotted out. When I spotted…