Sydney’s Vivid festival isn’t just about pretty lights. It’s also got an incredible arts program which includes VISIONS, a local music festival playing out across multiple venues on June 4.
The event’s curated by Deep Sea Arcade, with the assistance of Chugg Music and Rare Finds. Together they’ve put together a line-up which pushes the boundaries of genres including garage rock, psychedelia, and electronic music, just to name a few. Deep Sea Arcade will of course be on the bill, as well as other local talents like Kirin J Callinan, Montaigne, Gideon Bensen, Hedge Fund, and Flyying Colours.
VISIONS will be held between Fredas and the Lord Gladstone in Chippendale. Entry is free but tickets are limited to availability on the day. You can find out more at the VISIONS website.
Image used with permission from Rare Finds
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
Magical things happen when siblings create music together. Think of Angus and Malcolm Young, Ann and Nancy Wilson, the Wilson brothers from The Beach Boys, the Gibb brothers, Dave and Ray Davies, and stacks more. Well now we can add Marissa and Christopher Pinto to the list. Sure the brother and sister behind Sydney’s Winters End might not have gained the critical acclaim of the international artists I’ve mentioned yet, but there’s no questioning their talent.
Their new single “Thoughts” showcases that talent beautifully. It has all the hallmarks of a classic piece of piano pop, with stirring lyrics and a stunning vocal performance from Marissa. After launching the single to fans in their hometown last month, Winters End will bring their music to punters along the East Coast. Here are all the places you can catch them play.
13 May 2016 – Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel, Beechworth
14 May 2016 – Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
4 June 2016 – Janes, Wollongong
18 June 2016 – Ric’s Bar, Brisbane
25 June 2016 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
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.
Way back in 1996, Kiwi rockers Shihad made a splash with their self-titled debut, an album that became affectionately known as the Fish Album. Now 20 years later the band is marking the milestone.
This month a remastered version of the Fish Album was reissued on vinyl and digital. And in June, Shihad will tour Australia. The shows will no doubt include plenty of cuts from the debut album as well as more recent tracks that remind us Shihad are much more than a nostalgia band. Special guests The Grenadiers will join the band on the road.
23 June 2016 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River
24 & 25 June 2016 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth
26 June 2016 – Newport Hotel, Fremantle
1 July 2016 – The Triffid, Brisbane
2 July 2016 – Pigsty in July, Hunter Valley
15 July 2016 – The Factory, Sydney
16 July 2016 – The Croxton, Melbourne
Image used with permission from Secret Service Public Relations
“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?
Proving that they’re one of the most consistent acts on the local landscape these days, Halcyon Drive have released another killer track, their latest single “Books for the Holidays.” It’s the latest track lifted from the band’s forthcoming EP Untethered, which is released on May 13.
“The song is about being frustrated with the state of loneliness. Part longing over unrequited feelings, part despair, part wonderment at the beauty that surrounds us everyday- this is definitely the most heartfelt tune on the EP,” Halcyon Drive’s frontman Michael Oechsle says.
I can certainly feel that frustration coming through in the heartfelt vocals and lush instrumentation, which moves from delicate and sparse to anthemic with ease.
Halcyon Drive have been touring the country virtually non-stop for the last 12 months, but they’re not done yet. Rather than resting, the band’s about to embark on its most extensive run of gigs to date. Here are all the places you can catch Halcyon Drive on their EP tour.
9 June 2016 – Rad Bar, Wollongong
10 June 2016 – The Stag & Hunter, Newcastle (FREE)
11 June 2016 – Transit Bar, Canberra
12 June 2016 – Botany View Hotel, Sydney (FREE)
16 June 2016 – Workers Club, Geelong
17 June 2016 – Saloon Bar, Traralgon
18 June 2016 – Shadow Electric, Melbourne
1 July 2016 – Cats, Adelaide
8 July 2016 – Solbar, Sunshine Coast
9 July 2016 – Trainspotters, Brisbane
10 July 2016 – Sounds of Sunday, Gold Coast (FREE)
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
I’ve been sitting on Anna Smyrk’sSong of the Silver-Tongued Magpie EP for some time. By the time listening to it reached the top of my to-do list Prince passed away, and I just wasn’t ready to hear to anything but his back catalogue. However on seeing that it’s released today, I thought I owed it to Anna to give it a spin. I’m not sure I could have found a more different recording to listen to. Its raw, folky blues numbers are a world away from the deeply-layered funk and soul songs I’ve been spinning. That’s a good thing though.
The first two tracks, “Barefoot Shuffle” and “House of Straw,” reminded me of the raw, organic power of music delivered simply, without a big studio budget. These songs were apparently recorded in the old Victorian farmhouse where Anna grew up. There’s a similar haunting quality about the tracks. Bare-bones music like this leaves nowhere to hide, and that exposure makes the songs so striking. The lilting piano melody of “Oh, the Wind” is like a big warm hug. Even though there’s a destructive force in the wind, its story is told with such irresistible tenderness. “The Murder of Alan Beyne” stopped me in my tracks. What quiet power a song gets when it’s anchored by a haunting voice and a compelling story. The harmonic layered vocals of the closing track, “Backyard Dawn” are so angelic. I love the sounds of magpies at the end of the track, a familiar sound heard in so many Aussie backyards. It ties back to the EP’s title in the most beautiful way.
While Anna’s musicianship is at the heart of Song of the Silver-Tongued Magpie, I’d be remiss not to mention Dan Musil on dobro guitar and Jimmy Power on banjo. These guys have played with Anna for years and it shows. You can hear how comfortable all the players feel together as they create these gorgeous songs.
Anna actually recorded Song of the Silver-Tongued Magpie a year ago but she postponed plans to release it when she was offered work with a Cambodian non-profit using music to help the country’s disadvantaged people. She’s back home for just two months before she commences more charity work in the Solomon Islands. During that time she’ll play just one show, at The Toff in Town on May 19 in Melbourne to support the EP’s release.
I’ve been sitting on