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.
I’ve been bouncing off the walls this week with the news that Rob Thomas is finally touring this country again. It’s been too many years since he was here with Matchbox Twenty, and even longer since we were treated to solo shows. But finally, fans like me have some dates to start looking forward to.
Rob’s heading our way to promote The Great Unknown, a fantastic album that really should have lingered longer in the charts. Hopefully his recent promo tour can put it back in the top 50, because it really deserves to be heard. I’ve been playing it most days since its release and while my husband’s probably over it, I’m still not sick of it.
Rob seems to love a winery as much as I do, so there are a few winery shows as with his tours in the past. He’s playing traditional entertainment centres as well, but the real pick of them is bound to be his show on the steps of the Opera House. During his promo tour this week I’ve heard him talking about the fond memories he has of that Crowded House farewell show on the steps, and how consequently that gig has some real significance for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear a Crowded House cover on the night.
As a member of the fan club, I’ve already got my tickets, but there’s a Live Nation presale on November 23 ahead of the general sale on November 25. To get you in the mood, here’s the charming video for his new clip “Hold On Forever.”
20 February 2016 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
22 February 2016 – Royal Theatre, Canberra
24 February 2016 – ‘On The Steps’ Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney
27 February 2016 – Hope Estate Winery, Hunter Valley
28 February 2016 – Sirromet Wines, Mt Cotton
2 March 2016 – Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth
5 March 2016 – Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley
6 March 2016 – Clipsal 500, Adelaide
Sometimes you listen to new music and you know before it even really starts that it’s going to be your thing. It was like that when I started to play “You Don’t Know Me,” the latest single by Melbourne singer-songwriter Vinten. It had me at the strings and folky sounds, but the track backed it up with much more than these winning elements.
Apparently Vinten has been in something of a writing frenzy of late, and his inspiration is creating greatness. The song is so lush and organic, with such a strong emotional core. The lyrics which reference a childhood love and that longing we always have, despite knowing we can’t go back, are so relatable. This is quality stuff.
The time leading up to Christmas is always busy, but Vinten’s encouraging us all to put his EP launch date in our calendars. He’ll launch his debut EP What Has Been, featuring “You Don’t Know Me,” on December 19 at The Public Bar in North Melbourne. It sounds like an excellent way to take a break from all of the pre-Christmas frenzy to me!
26 November 2015 – Max Watts, Sydney
The always reliable