Reece Mastin sent a clear message that his days of throwaway pop are far behind him with the release of Change Colours earlier this year. So it’s only fitting that he’s doing what all serious musicians do and playing acoustic on his next tour. The Down to Earth tour will take in coastal New South Wales towns over the festive season.
Reece will be joined by Nashville-based, Sunshine Coast-born singer-songwriter Alys Ffion. The pair met earlier this year for a songwriting session, which actually produced the ballad “Down to Earth” featured on Change Colours. They’ve performed the song together at instores around the country, so hopefully we’ll see them playing it together again the following intimate and acoustic shows. All gigs are all ages, although people under 18 must be with a parent at all times.
27 December 2015 – Ballina RSL Club, Ballina
28 December 2015 – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour (FREE)
29 December 2015 – Club Forster, Forster
30 December 2015 – Laurieton United Services Club, Laurieton
3 January 2016 – Batemans Bay Soldier’s Club, Batemans Bay
8 January 2016 – Oaks Hotel, Albion Park Rail
9 January 2016 – Toukley RSL Club, Toukley
10 January 2016 – Ettalong Digger’s Club, Ettalong Beach
It hasn’t been too long since Los Angeles-based Aussie Tim Wheatley was on home soil, but he’s back again for a New South Wales tour to support his bluesy new single “The Heathen,” the latest release from one of my favourite albums of the year, Cast of Yesterday.
The track draws on Tim’s early days in LA and the seedy characters he met during this time. The video has garnered some massive attention, scoring more than 26,000 views via Facebook in just a week.
If you’re in New South Wales, here are all the places you can catch Tim in the coming weeks.
28 November 2015 – Laycock Street Theatre, Gosford
2 December 2015 – Panthers, Penrith
3 December 2015 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle
4 December 2015 – Dee Why RSL, Dee Why
5 December 2015 – The Basement, Sydney
Cat Empire frontman Felix Reibl has offered us the first taste of his brand new solo EP Lonely Truth with the release of the single of the same name.
The song is dramatically different from the music I remember from the Cat Empire days, but that’s not such a bad thing. While it’s not going to get your party started, it’s perfect for chilling with your close mates once the acquaintances have left as the night wears down. It wears its heart on its sleeve, and I really respond to that.
The Lonely Truth EP will drop on December 4. Felix will give us a little time to sit with it before launch shows at The Basement in Sydney on January 24 and Northcote Social Club in Melbourne on January 29.
Perhaps we’re a bit isolated on the mainland, but we don’t seem to hear about much of the great music I’m sure they’re making in Tasmania. One act creating some buzz here are indie rocker Lyke Giants, and they’re reminding us why with their latest single “Jacob.”
This song is a real grower. It starts off delicate but builds beautifully with heavy bass grooves and raw, honest vocals. The track references the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with God to receive a new name. However, you don’t need to be religious to appreciate this gutsy rock song.
Hopefully there’s a lot more to come from this talented Tassie band.
Years before I saw my first rock concert, I got my first taste of live music at the theatre with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical Cats. Decades later I was thrilled to experience it all again.
Although I must admit I had my reservations. Or my reservation: Delta Goodrem. I’m such a fan of the Australian singer, and I think she’s a wonderful singer. But on paper she seemed woefully miscast as the aging, once beautiful cat Grizabella.
I forgot about those misgivings as the orchestra and colorful lights filled the theatre. As the cats leapt about the stage in the opening number, I was taken back to my youth. However, sadly my wonder with the musical didn’t last too long.
We all have a favourite cat, and for me it’s Rum Tum Tugger. However, where in the 80s he was a super cool rockstar of a cat, in the new production he’s a braided rapping thug wearing gold chains and bad pants. Rather than oozing the charisma I associated with the character, he seemed like he was trying hard to impress. I guess the creators of the new production tried to update things for a modern audience, but they missed the mark completely for me and my family.
While I’m griping, I didn’t feel there was the same attention to detail as there was in the earlier production. Back then, I felt the characters really were catlike in their movements and expressions. However, in the new production it was all too easy to remember these actors were simply posing as cats. I’d assume my advanced years were to blame for this perception – everything is more wondrous through the eyes of a child after all – but my mum felt the same way.
Despite my misgivings, Delta was one of the real highlights of our afternoon at Cats. I expected her to sing well, but I didn’t expect her performance to resonate with me on such an emotional level. I was choked up by her performance of “Memory,” and a few members of my family actually shed a few tears. For a person making their theatrical debut to move an audience so well is to be commended.
Gus the Theatre Cat also moved me, and Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat was so much fun. Mr Mistoffelees, another childhood favourite, had even more magic than he did back in the 80s. The special effects really took this part of the show to the next level, and his dancing rose to match it. But again, I really could have done without Rum Tum Tugger rapping over the song towards the end.
Perhaps it’s unfair to compare a modern production with one I saw back in the 80s, when everything about the theatre was so new and wondrous to me. However, those comparisons are unavoidable. I didn’t love this new version of Cats as I did the one I saw all the years ago, but I was moved by it and I left the theatre with a big smile on my face. That got even wider when I heard my seven-year-old niece talk so excitedly about it, her first theatre production. Really, you can’t ask for more than that.
Ordinarily when someone announces a greatest hits tour, I’m well across their music. However, I must admit the music of Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi has passed me by even though the Zimbabwean singer has been in the business since 1975.
Since that time he’s cut an impressive 61 albums that speak out against violence and hatred and celebrate self-discipline and peace. He’s all about changing hearts and minds, which sounds like just what we all need after the recent events in Paris.
This week he’ll kick off his Australian tour with six-piece band The Black Spirits. If you like what you hear in this NPR Radio video, tickets are still available for the following shows.
26 November 2015 – Max Watts, Sydney
27 November 2015 – Max Watts, Melbourne
28 November 2015 – Charles Hotel, Perth
Swim Season bowled me over in February with their single “Hide and Seek.” Now they’ve done it again with their latest cut, “Soldiers.”
This track is so accessible that I can easily see it earning a place on commercial radio, and that’s no criticism. It’s wonderful to hear a song that you can immediately connect with. It has such a great feel to it, it reminds me of summer barbeques and beers.
“Soldiers” is the latest track lifted from Swim Season’s debut EP Cascades. They’re currently celebrating its release with some launch parties. Catch them at The Roxbury in Sydney on November 28 or the Workers Club in Geelong on December 11.
Unless you were one of the lucky fans at Josh’s Fans First shows, this will be your first chance to hear the new material up close and personal. A couple of zoo shows and beautiful theatre dates will ensure these will be some very special concerts.
“I’m extremely excited to share this tour news with you!,” Josh said in a press release. “It’s been ages since I’ve done a full band tour, but it’s all happening next year, and I’ve tried to make as many shows ‘All Ages’ as possible.”
Tickets are on sale now for the following shows.
29 January 2016 – Twilight at Taronga, Sydney (ALL AGES)
30 January 2016 – Canberra Theatre Playhouse, Canberra (ALL AGES)
4 February 2016 – Studio 56 @ Miami Marketta, Gold Coast
5 February 2016 – The Triffid, Brisbane
6 February 2016 – Star Court Theatre, Lismore (ALL AGES)
12 February 2016 – Melbourne Zoo Twilights, Melbourne (ALL AGES)
13 February 2016 – The Wool Exchange, Geelong
19 February 2016 – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide (ALL AGES)
20 February 2016 – Astor Theatre, Perth (Under 18s permitted with parent or guardian)
After playing 40 dates in the United States, Melbourne songstress Shelley Segal is back home playing concerts and showing off her softer side with her new single “Background Noises.”
I don’t think I’ve ever been let down by a Shelley Segal song, and she keeps her record intact with this one. It’s an insightful track reflecting on the breakdown of her friends’ marriage and how she might fare in the same circumstances.
“The chorus seems to mean something different to me each time I sing it. Sometimes a shock, a deep loss, a painful reminder, an acceptance, a coming to terms with, a finality, a longing, an assertiveness, a future, a determinedness. As such a change would at different times of reflection,” she explained in the press release. “It’s not just a love or relationship lost but a physical place – a space and time that was all encompassing and is now gone.”
After all those US dates, she’s bound to be in fine form. Here are all the remaining shows of her Aussie tour.
21 November 2015 – Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide (18+ FREE)
22 November 2015 – Hickenbotham of Dromana, Dromana (ALL AGES FREE)
26 November 2015 – Bennetts Lane, Melbourne (18+)
27 November 2015 – Collins Square, Docklands (ALL AGES FREE)
28 November 2015 – Paynesville Wine Bar, Paynesville (18+)
29 November 2015 – The Milk Factory, South Brisbane (Under 18s permitted after contacting venue)
9 December 2015 – Albion Hotel, Albury (18+ FREE)
13 December 2015 – Wheatsheaf Hotel, Adelaide (18+ FREE)
18 December 2015 – Collins Square, Docklands (ALL AGES FREE)
As I stated in my last post, I’ve been bouncing off the walls this week. There’s not a lot of music that can match the sort of energy I’m feeling, but Melbourne’s Vallee are in synch with how I’m feeling with their new single “Jungle.”
It’s such a fun, upbeat track with frantic guitar loops and pounding jungle drums. Amanda Norman from SANS adds depth to Vallee’s signature harmonies. And I love the lyrics, which reference those instant connections you make that really leave their mark.
26 November 2015 – Max Watts, Sydney
The always reliable