Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Duncan Toombs Pays Tribute to His Father With “Steel on Steel”

Duncan Toombs has just dropped what might be the most personal song of his career. “Steel on Steel” is a beautiful tribute to his late father Bob, who passed away in August 2021. I suggest having some tissues on standby before you press play.

“I started writing this song while I was making trip’s back home to Toowoomba [Gooneburra Country] visiting my father in hospital. He was suffering from multiple mini stokes due to the lung cancer which was found while running tests on him. I finished the song the day the nurses called me while at home to let me know he had passed,” Duncan recalled. “It was soon realised that I would not be able to be at my father’s funeral as the QLD border was locked again. With the help of my producer Rod McCormack, we recorded and mixed the song within a matter of days. My family then helped me create a short video for it which features a trip I took to Europe with dad and my two boys in 2018 and It was played at my father’s service. I watched my father’s service via live stream from my lounge room with my family and the saving grace from not being able to be there was that at least my energy was there in the room with him. My dad was a train driver and worked for QLD Rail for over 30 years. He was a true people’s champion. I miss him a lot.”

“Steel on Steel” is the title track from Duncan’s debut album, which went to number one on the ARIA country charts. Most at home on stage, he’ll be keeping his father’s memory alive when he plays this song at the following shows:

20-22 October 2023 – Groundwater Country Music Festival, Yugambeh Country/Broadbeach
24 November 2023 – The Beer Shed Brewing Co, Tharawal Country/Leumeah
25 November 2023 – Tassie Music Muster @ National Park Hotel, Palawa Country/National Park
1-8 December 2023 – Cruisin’ Country @ Brilliance of the Seas
25 January 2024 – Tamworth Family Reunion @ Wests, Kamilaroi Country/West Tamworth

Image used with permission from Tombstone Records

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Speak Percussion: Assemblage Hits McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery

If you’re around Naarm/Melbourne and looking for something different to do this weekend, check out Speak Percussion: Assemblage. This is the latest show hosted by McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery as part of their Music at McClelland concert series, which brings music to the gallery on the third Sunday of the month. This concert features an exclusive showcase from Kaylie Melville. She’s appeared at festivals here in Australia, Indonesia, and the United States and is considered at the forefront of post-instrumental practice, so you certainly won’t forget her performance. See the show in the gallery’s Sarah and Baillieu Myer Education Pavilion in Bunurong Country/Langwarrin on Sunday October 22 from 2 pm.

In addition to the music, you can enjoy lunch or afternoon tea from the onsite eatery, Harry’s Café. While you’re there, make sure to stop and admire the sculpture park and the gallery’s latest exhibition celebrating the works of First Nations artists, including Gail Mabo, Lisa Waup, and Dominic White. Tickets for Speak Percussion: Assemblage are available now for $40. Gallery members can get theirs for just $32.

If you can’t make Speak Percussion: Assemblage, there’s one more Music at McClelland show for the year on November 19 before the series takes a short summer break. Keep an eye on the McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery website to learn more about it and other upcoming events.

Photo credit: Bryony Jackson

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Venice Qin’s “ALIEN” is Out of This World

Aotearoa/New Zealand-expat Venice Qin has settled in Eora/Sydney and is ready to take the local music scene by storm with her latest single “ALIEN”. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Venice knows all too well how it feels to be the odd person out. However, this cool song makes such a strong statement that it almost claims that otherness as a superpower.

“I’ve always found myself in spaces where I don’t feel like I belong. Whether that’s as an Asian in Western spaces, a Westernised Asian in Asian spaces, or just having a different mindset to people around me, and not relating to their experiences,” Venice explained. “My song ‘ALIEN’ comes from a very personal, vulnerable place for me. I used to find myself constantly changing my persona when I went out, so that I could fit in and would always come home feeling even more alienated, doubting that my younger self would like the person I’ve become in those moments. Sometimes I still do that, and I’m not proud of it.

“As much as we’re told that we should embrace our quirks and differences, it is hard when you feel incredibly misunderstood and that you’re not the only one that feels or thinks the way that you do. Even throughout the creation of this song, I was full of insecurity and anxiety that people wouldn’t listen to it, because they wouldn’t relate to what I was feeling (lol…). Because the song is sonically less in your face, as an Asian woman, I was fearful that people wouldn’t take the time to hear my voice and what I was going through. But thankfully I have really great people in my life who listened to this song, and heard and believed in me, so the song has gotten to where it is today so that more people can hear it. I really want it to reach and unite us aliens of the world, and to let us know we are not alone.”

“ALIEN” is the title track from Venice’s debut EP, which drops on November 17.

Image used with permission from Sony Music Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Play On presents: Three Conversations Does Classical Differently in Naarm/Melbourne Next Week

If you’re around Naarm/Melbourne and looking for a concert with a difference, I suggest checking out Three Conversations next week. Presented by local classical music up-start Play On, who has taken their shows worldwide, this event sees violinist Kyla Matsuura-Miller delivering new commissions by modern Australian composers Sia Ahmad, Aaron Wyatt, and Kitty Xiao. Kyla handpicked these composers of colour to write music for her after she won the Freedman Fellowship, because when she was growing up she rarely came across music by composers who looked like her.

As with all Play On events, Three Conversations looks to reimagine and reinvigorate the classical music experience. All pieces performed integrate classical and electronic elements. The music will also be paired with long-form filmed interviews featuring the artist and composers showcased which explore the themes and memories associated with the music performed.

“Each story is deeply unique – from Sia’s reflection of growing up in a South Asian household and discovering her trans identity to Kitty’s relationship to the languages she spoke and experienced through her family and the wider community,” Kyla explained.

Play On presents: Three Conversations will hit Abbotsford Convent on October 27. Tickets start from $10 plus booking fee from Humanitix.

Image used with permission from Hunger Digital; credit: Suzie Blake

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cigány Weaver Impress With “Horatio Hornblower”

I don’t cover a lot of instrumental music on my blog. I don’t have anything against it, but as a writer I often find music without words a little hard to latch on to. But every now and then, there’s an instrumental piece that manages to cut through for me. One of those special singles is “Horatio Hornblower,” the latest release from Meeanjin/Brisbane band Cigány Weaver.

I love the way this piece effortlessly combines so many genres. There are classical elements, the energy of folk, the spontaneity of jazz. It seems timeless, yet it’s also really fresh. This is the first track the band’s released since a personnel shakeup, so it’s an exciting sign of what’s to come with this new lineup.

“Horatio Hornblower” is the first of several singles Cigány Weaver will drop before releasing their sophomore album early next year. They’ll play the following local shows before embarking on a national tour in 2024.

27 October 2023 – Brisbane International Jazz Festival @ Thomas Dixon Centre, Meeanjin/Brisbane
10 November 2023 – Maleny Music Festival @ Maleny Showgrounds, Nalbo and Dallambara Country/Maleny

Image credit: Jazmyn Produces

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Somber Hills & Between You & Me Team Up on “Sometimes (My Brain Doesn’t Work)”

Between You & Me are dropping some of the best collaborations around right now. Fresh from teaming up with BESTIES on “two wrongs,” they’ve just dropped a new track with Somber Hills called “Sometimes (My Brain Doesn’t Work).” It’s got a great vibe, but make sure you tap in to the lyrics which explore the challenges Somber Hills faces living with ADHD.

“I’m a dopamine missing thrill seeking degen that has learned to live with a brain that’s always searching for stimulus. This song is accepting who you are and all you’ve done with a note to self, ‘I will continue to grow,’” Somber Hills explained. “It hurts to accept the truth about yourself, it hurts to accept that things could’ve been different but you can’t start your next step until you accept those things. That’s what happened while this track was in the making.”

This is just the first of a bunch of new singles Somber Hills plans to release in the coming months as part of a potential larger body of work. I hear he’s also planning plenty of shows to support all this new music, so make sure you’re following him on the socials for all the news of those gigs as soon as they’re announced.

Image used with permission from Capital Artist Group

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Silky Roads Delivers Funky New Single, “Out of Mind”

If Monday’s got you into a funk, press play on Silky Roads’ new single “Out of Mind.” With its feelgood groove and silky vocals, I know it’ll put a smile on your face. It’s got more of a disco vibe than other Silky Road singles, but I personally love the change of direction. It’s so much fun.

You can bet a Silky Roads show is going to be a good time. If you need more of that in your life (and who doesn’t), head to The Shark Bar in Guringai Country/Manly on October 28. Silky Roads will play the Yours & Owls Manly Halloween Party alongside Marvell, Apricot Ink, and Scatter Light.

Image used with permission from Silky Roads

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

“Horror Movie” – Gia Darcy

Hailing from Darkinjung Country/Central Coast and now based in Eora/Sydney, Gia Darcy is a breath of fresh air on the indie pop landscape. With the release of her EP Horror Movie, she delivers five tracks that showcase her excellent songwriting and angelic voice.

The quality of Gia’s songwriting was what really drew me in. The title track is such a witty commentary on her horror relationships that unfold so predictably that outsiders can clearly see the dangers she’s oblivious to. “Do I Know” is a sweet country pop song in the vein of early Taylor Swift and local artists like Chelsea Berman and Amber Lawrence. Gia shows her sensitive side with “Say It.” This poignant track is really the heart of the EP, a song that shows a vulnerability that’s so compelling. She might have been entangled in relationships with a few horror movie villains, but by the end of the EP it’s clear that Gia is no victim. “Save Your Breath” and “Toxic” are modern girl power anthems. They leave us with such a strong impression of this artist and her power.

With the release of Horror Movie, Gia Darcy shows she’s a pop chameleon with a real knack for storytelling. Her lyrics are clever yet honest, always from the heart even when her tongue is planted firmly in her cheek. Take a listen and if you’re in Eora/Sydney, make sure you get out and support her when she launches the Horror Movie EP at Oxford Art Factory on November 3.

Images used with permission from Gia Darcy

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

COTERIE Covers “Slice of Heaven” with Sir Dave Dobbyn

“Slice of Heaven” is one of the great all-time bangers. I remember falling in love with this song as a kid, and it’s lost none of its appeal for me. So I’m thrilled to hear that New Zealand born, Aussie based band COTERIE have brought the song back. They’ve stuck true to the original, even enlisting the help of original singer Sir Dave Dobbyn. However, the instrumentation is a bit fresher for the current generation. Way to bring the nostalgia guys!

COTERIE have just wrapped up a string of dates with the Cat Empire, but they’re not quite ready to slow down. They’ve got a few festival appearances this year before Bluesfest in 2024.

2 December 2023 – Dave Ferrit Festival @ Crooked River Wines, Tharawal Country/Gerringong
10 December 2023 – Let the Good Times Roll @ Memorial Park, Darkinjung Country/The Entrance
28 March-1 April 2024 – Bluesfest @ Byron Events Farm, Cavanbah/Byron Bay

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Sweet Talk Drop Vintage Banger, “Warm Love”

The Teskey Brothers pipped them for the title at the recent 2023 National Live Music Awards, but Sweet Talk might just be the best blues and roots act that you haven’t heard of. Their latest single “Warm Love” shows why they weren’t just making up the numbers in that coveted category. It’s got so much swag. This is the kind of music people just aren’t making enough of any more.

“It’s got a little more rock n roll steez about it,” admitted Sweet Talk’s frontman Tane Walker, of the band’s adventurous new sound. “We took what we normally do, then dirtied up the tones and tuned our instruments down half a step,” added bass player James Harding.

“Warm Love is a belter to play live!” added guitarist Soren Walker. “That’s the litmus test we need to vet songs for the studio, if the punters come alive, then it deserves a shot on record and this immediately ticked that box.”

You can see how good this song is live at one of Sweet Talk’s upcoming shows:

27 October 2023 – Bridge Hotel, Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Castlemaine
28 October 2023 – The Eastern Hotel, Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Country/Ballarat
29 October 2023 – The Barwon Club, Djilang/South Geelong
3 November 2023 – Music on the Hill, Bunurong Country/Main Ridge
4 November 2023 – Archies Creek Hotel, Gunai Country/Archies Creek
10–12 November 2023 – Blues at Bridgetown, Nyungar Country/Bridgetown