With their debut EP Hidden Desire recently released and a headlining tour kicking off in a couple of weeks, there’s no better time to get to know Melbourne punk rockers Bad Juju.
You might have caught the fantastic single “Moving On” on Triple J. But there’s more where that came from though; another five heavy-hitting tracks make up this stellar EP.
“Hidden Desire explores how people deal with loss, anxiety, and depression, but moves into pushing these issues aside and trying to change our lives for the better, thinking positively going forward,” Bad Juju explained. “The record is themed around the idea that you can never truly know what is happening inside another person’s head. They can seem fine on the outside and hide their true self.”
Fresh from their EP launch party with Trophy Eyes, Bad Juju will play Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney in the coming weeks.
17 August 2018 – Foxxy Dolphin, Melbourne
18 August 2018 – West Thebby, Adelaide
30 August 2018 – Marly Bar, Sydney
Image used with permission from Habit Music Company
Aussie chillster Bobby Alu is giving me serious weekend vibes with his new single “Move.” The cruisy drum rhythms, tropical ukulele, and Bobby’s soulful voice give the song such a relaxed, summery feel.
It’s beautifully paired with a colourful clip created by Johnny Moubarak of Moubment. Bobby said “This was a fun clip to make! I feel like there are many parts that make up my personality, so I tried to go there in this clip. Putting on whatever hat is necessary is a big part of how I make music; I can be a drummer, bass player, guitarist, uke guy, singer or roadie – whatever the team needs. Sometimes I pick the wrong guy … but they all have their place.”
Bobby has spent the better part of the year behind Xavier Rudd’s drum kit, but he’s stepping back into the spotlight and chasing that endless summer on his current European tour. Here are all the remaining dates.
3 August 2018 – Degginger, Regensburg (supporting The Beautiful Girls)
4 August 2018 – Sound of the Forest Festival, Beerfelden
8 August 2018 – O2 Islington Academy, London (supporting The Beautiful Girls)
10 August 2018 – Boardmasters, Cornwall
11 August 2018 – Zandstock Festival, t’Zand
12 August 2018 – Rock Les Bains Plombieres, Les Bains
14 August 2018 – Chill Hill, Graz (supporting The Beautiful Girls)
15 August 2018 – Privatclub. Berlin (supporting The Beautiful Girls)
16 August 2018 – Prinzenbar, Hamburg
17 August 2018 – Enter the Wave Festival, Le Pin Sec Noord
Hunter Valley singer-songwriter Dave Wells has taken his time releasing new music after his acclaimed debut EP Carrington Street dropped in 2014. Now four years later, he’s treating our ears to his gorgeous new single “Run Free.”
I really love everything about this song. I love his organic, acoustic feel. His soaring vocals are right on point. Lyrically, it’s powerful stuff. And make sure you take a moment to appreciate the film clip, which captures the beauty of the bushland at Barrington Tops.
Dave says “’Run Free’ is a call-to-arms for anyone boarded between four walls, allowing time to slip through their fingers. Whether it be physically, spiritually or creatively, the message of ‘Run Free’ is crystal clear – take a chance.”
“Run Free” comes from Dave Wells’ first album. The self-titled LP is scheduled for release later this month.
Tash Sultana has floored me with her latest single, “Harvest Love.” This is a beautiful track about losing a loved one which packs a serious emotional punch.
“I wrote this song a little while back. People kind of assume that I only write songs with live looping but I actually write in all different ways. This is a piece I’m super proud of,” Tash explained. “I unlocked a little part of me to completely simplify the story I was trying to tell. I think you kind of get that way when you have a moment in your life when the entire world is just too hard to comprehend. So this is what came from that.”
“Harvest Love” is the latest cut from Tash Sultana’s debut album Flow State, which will drop on August 31. She’s currently touring the world, but she’ll play Lost Picnic Festival here in October and headline a gig on the Sunshine Coast in January. This is her first local headlining show in more than a year, so expect tickets to get snapped up. Here are all the places you can see her play around the world in the coming months.
3 August 2018 – Hinterland Music Festival, St Charles
4 August 2018 – Lollapalooza, Chicago
5 August 2018 – Osheaga, Montreal (SOLD OUT)
7 August 2018 – RBC Echo Beach, Toronto
9 August 2018 – Edmonton Folk Fest, Edmonton
11 August 2018 – Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco
6-8 September 2018 – Palladium Koln, Cologne (SOLD OUT)
10 & 11 September 2018 – Columbiahalle, Berlin (SOLD OUT)
15 & 16 September 2018 – Afas Live, Amsterdam-Zuidoost (SOLD OUT)
20-22 September 2018 – O2 Academy Brixton, London (20th & 21st SOLD OUT; Limited tickets for 22nd)
25 September 2018 – l’Olympia, Paris
28 September 2018 – Samsung Hall, Zurich (SOLD OUT)
29 September 2018 – Fabrique, Milan, Italy
7 October 2018 – Lost Picnic Festival, Melbourne
13 October 2018 – Lost Picnic Festival, Sydney
1 November 2018 – UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver
4 November 2018 – Grey Eagle Event Centre, Calgary
6 November 2018 – Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg
7 November 2018 – Palace Theatre, St.Paul
10 November 2018 – The Filmore Detroit, Detroit
16 November 2018 – House of Blues, Boston
17 November 2018 – Terminal 5, New York
20 November 2018 – Stage AE, Pittsburgh
21 November 2018 – The Anthem, Washington D.C.
23 November 2018 – War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville
24 November 2018 – The Tabernacle, Atlanta
26 November 2018 – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland, Kansas City
27 November 2018 – The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver
1 December 2018 – Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
2 January 2019 – Bay Dreams Festival, ASB Baypark, The Mount
4 January 2019 – Bay Dreams Festival, Trafalgar Park, Nelson
12 January 2019 – Big Pineapple Fields, Woombye
Thelma Plum is giving me nostalgic ‘80s vibes with her poppy new single “Clumsy Love.” It’s the sort of song that will have you reaching for your hairbrush and bopping around your bedroom, but its lyrics should resonate with anyone who’s ever felt their current love pining for someone from their past.
“The year just gone has been a really rough one for me and ‘Clumsy Love’ is my reflections on that – and I have to say I am far happier with the song than with the memories,” she confirmed.
Thelma will tour around the country in August and September to celebrate the release of “Clumsy Love.” Catch her at all the following venues.
31 August 2018 – The Foundry, Brisbane
1 September 2018 – Solbar, Maroochydore
6 September 2018 – Mojo’s, Fremantle
7 September 2018 – The River, Margaret River
8 September 2018 – Amplifier, Perth
14 September 2018 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
15 September 2018 – Howler, Melbourne
Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia
Bloods’ new single “Feelings” is a grungy punk-pop charmer. With all the appeal of a track from ‘90s icons like Juliana Hatfield and Veruca Salt, “Feelings” is sure to please the Sydney band’s growing fanbase.
“Feelings” is the title track from Bloods’ forthcoming sophomore album, which gets a worldwide release on August 17.
“It’s felt like such a huge feat to get this album done,” MC explained. “We faced so many challenges along the way, including writer’s block and running out of money. I went through a pretty debilitating break-up and Sweetie moved to Melbourne. Sometimes it felt like this album would never be finished! I think so many of these things ended up influencing what shaped Feelings. There are some deeply personal songs on this record, something that is very new to Bloods. When we listened to the finished album, I said to Dirk ‘there are so many feelings on this record, we should call it Feelings’. So we did.”
Keep your ear to the ground, because Bloods promise to tour the album in September.
Image used with permission from Little Giant Agency
Since I’ve gotten home from holidays, I feel like I’m playing catch-up. I’ve been catching up on work, catching up on washing, and perhaps most importantly catching up on TV. While I didn’t see it when it aired, I was thrilled to catch our very own Morgan Evans making his American TV debut on The Bachelorette. While it’s not the coolest program, his appearance singing “Kiss Somebody” left no doubt that he’s going to go gangbusters in America. He just oozes charisma, he’s easy on the eye, and he’s bloody talented to boot.
With Morgan threatening to take America by storm, we can expect the Nashville-based singer’s visits home to become less frequent. When he does come back, he’s going to play stadiums before too long. So if you’re a fan, you’ll want to snap up tickets for his gigs this September. Catch him singing “Kiss Somebody,” the new single “Day Drunk,” and all your favourites at the following shows.
5 September 2018 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
6 September 2018 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
9 September 2018 – The Tivoli, Brisbane
Image used with permission from Chugg Entertainment
Listening to “Passing Through,” the first single from James Van Cooper’s debut album Coming Home, you’d probably imagine this guy spent his formative years listening to Ryan Adams and Damian Rice. However, this Sydney-born muso actually spent his teen years playing metal and worshipping the likes of LA Guns and Motley Crue. There’s not a hint of those hairbands in the music he’s creating now though!
James recorded “Passing Through” and other tracks from Coming Home in the United States with acclaimed producer Scott Campbell (Alanis Morissette, Katy Perry). It’s got a great authentic, raw sound which really excites me.
“This record is fuelled by a need to break free of certain constraints and confines, whether they be imagined or real. I had to play with a fresh deck, so to speak, hence the American studio sessions,” James explained. “Being an Australian and packing up to head to Hollywood to record, while exciting was still an unknown. What fears I did have were totally unwarranted as I was introduced to a wonderful producer in Scott Campbell who understood and encouraged what I envisaged in the creative process. Scott and I collaborated with a band that got on with making a genuine country rock record, an album that stands up for the new ways while respecting and acknowledging the vintage sound of country music. I wanted to make a record with a music narrative that pulled the listener along and I think I’ve done that on Coming Home.”
Coming Home drops on August 3. If the single is any indication, you should listen out for this one.
We’re so connected to our phones and the internet these days that it’s a strange thing to go off the grid as I do on a cruise ship. We get a little news of the outside world in a one-page paper, but essentially we’re in a bubble. One thing we miss is the concert announcements. Good for my budget, bad for my blog. So just in case you missed it too, I wanted to put Scene & Heard on your radar.
This is a brand new music festival making me all nostalgic. For starters, it’s got a dream line-up of local late nineties and early naughties favourites including The Living End, Spiderbait, Killing Heidi, Something for Kate, and Sneaky Sound System. Then there’s the venue, Wickham Park, an old stomping ground for this blogger. I might live on the Central Coast now, but as anyone who grew up in Newie knows, once you’re a Novocastrian you’re always a Novocastrian.
A classic car display and vintage vinyl fair will ramp up the nostalgia on the day. Enjoy these and the music while you’re knocking back craft beers, bespoke cocktails, and delicious food truck fare.
Scene & Heard hits Newcastle’s Wickham Park on November 4. Tickets are on sale now. Get yours soon, because with a line-up this good it’s bound to sell out.
Western Sydney’s Hurst might not have the big budgets of acts signed to major labels, but they’re not letting that hold them back. They recorded and produced their grunge-punk anthem “Purple & Green” and even put together a music video, all on a shoestring.
“We spent zero dollars putting together our music video for ‘Purple & Green,’ but you can probably tell,” explained vocalist and rhythm guitarist Ana Veira. “So we capitalised on the lo-fi factor, channelling an old school DIY video feel and visual effects you used to find on Windows Movie Maker.
“The song was written about my balancing act between how I think and how I feel. We did multiple takes showing apathy, happiness, anger and erratic behaviour to show you the polarising experience inside my head. It chops and changes, is sometimes uncontrollable, confusing and can be very isolating. I can’t explain it, but I have an assurance in some kind of silver lining that it’ll make sense soon.”
“Purple & Green” comes from Hurst’s recently released sophomore EP sadface. Hear the track in person at the band’s upcoming shows.
28 July 2018 – Lust 4 Live, Dubbo
4 September 2018 – Lennox Groove, Evans Head
17 November 2018 – The Vic Hotel, Orange
Image used with permission from Jared King PR
