Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Havana Brown Ushers in New Year at Sydney’s Harbour Party

I don’t mean to alarm you, but the festive season is just a couple of months away. If you haven’t even thought of Christmas gifts, let alone your New Year’s Eve plans, you’re in luck. The folks from Nova 969 in conjunction with LPS have organised Harbour Party 2013 to get you dancing until the wee small hours.

Luna Park will host an all-star line-up including our own Havana Brown, American house maestro Ian Carey, TV Rock’s Grant Smillie, jazz musician turned global dance superstar Timmy Trumpet, and X Factor queen Samantha Jade. These acts and more will play against the beautiful backdrop of the spectacular Sydney Harbour. As well as all the great music you can enjoy the venue’s rides for the price of your ticket.

Luna Park will be fully licensed on the night so this is a strictly over 18s event. Tickets are available from the Harbour Party website, Ticketek, or Moshtix.

Image source: Adam Bielawski @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Siren Tower Tour “King River” Single

Rootsy Perth rockers The Siren Tower are hitting the road this week to support the recent release of their epic new single “King River.”

Isn’t it refreshing to hear an Australian song sung with a truly Australian voice? That accent and those rough edges give it a real honesty that’s so compelling. The Siren Tower’s frontman Grant McCulloch says the song “is about returning to familiar places to seek refuge. It’s about discovering that these places, these ports, they weary with time just as we do. They offer respite, but often their power lies in association with a memory, and sooner or later the world comes knocking.”

“King River” comes from the band’s 2012 album A History of Houses, but it still sounds fresh as a daisy. It comes with a gorgeous film clip directed by Tim Brade and pieced together by the band’s multitalented lead singer.

The Siren Tower will promote the single release, and remind us why we fell in love with them in the first place, at the following shows.

24 October 2013 – The Republic Bar, Hobart
25 October 2013 – The Espy Front Bar, Melbourne (FREE)
31 October 2013 – The Great Northern, Newcastle
1 November 2013 – The Beresford, Sydney (FREE)
2 November 2013 – Tempo, Brisbane (FREE)
9 November 2013 – Amplifier Bar, Perth

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

James Reyne Plays Greatest Hits in Sydney

James Reyne will celebrate his career over two big nights at Sydney’s The Basement this November. The Aussie music icon will play his A Crawl to Now shows on November 1 and 2.

James will play some of his greatest hits from more than 20 albums with an acoustic trio. In the first half he’ll offer up solo hits, some new material, and perhaps even a few numbers from his supergroup Company of Strangers. In the second half, James will trot out smash singles from the Australian Crawl days.

“This will be the first comprehensive look at the past unto the present that we’ve ever undertaken,” James said. “Up until now I’ve not contemplated sifting through all of the Australian Crawl material with the intention of performing it ‘songbook’ style. I’m very excited about these shows.”

These gigs are fast approaching, but general admission tickets are still available for both shows through The Basement.

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Beautiful Fools Tour Beautiful Single

Matt Harris, Shawn Whittaker, and Leigh Wilson might call themselves the Beautiful Fools, but there’s nothing silly about the music they make.

The strength of their early demos enticed American producer Matt Malpass, who previously worked with Train, to help them record and produce their debut self-titled EP. This recording features the lush single “Small Town,” which speaks so eloquently of wanting to escape from a frustrating situation.

“It could be a job, a relationship or for me it was the small town I lived in with no way of fulfilling what I wanted to do,” explained songwriter and frontman Matt Harris. “You know it can be done and you will get there and if you stay where you are your dreams will fade and you will end up someone you didn’t want to be.”

Beautiful Fools will launch “Small Town” this week at the following shows.

23 October 2013 – World’s End Hotel, Adelaide
24 October 2013 – Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills
25 October 2013 – Music Makers Club @ Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney

Image used with permission from The A&R Department

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Forever the Optimist Tour “Revolutions”

Brisbane rock act Forever the Optimist will take their new single “Revolutions” to the masses next month, following plenty of local and American radio love.

It’s easy to see why radio stations at home and in the States are digging this track. I appreciate that the band built it beautifully rather than going for the jugular from the outset. It’s dark and moody and oh-so satisfying.

Forever the Optimist will be joined on their local dates by a who’s who of local alt-rock and prog acts including Sydonia, Engine, Shinobi, Self is a Seed, and a very special guest for their Brisbane show which the band is keeping under its collective hat. Here are all the places you can see this emerging rock force this November.

1 November 2013 – Ed Castle, Adelaide
9 November 2013 – River Rock Festival, Toogoolawah
16 November 2013 – John Curtin Hotel, Melbourne
17 November 2013 – Espy Showdown @ Gershwin Room, Melbourne
21 November 2013 – Small Ballroom, Newcastle
23 November 2013 – Spectrum, Sydney
29 November 2013 – Southern Cross Tavern, Coolangatta
30 November 2013 – The Zoo, Brisbane

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The Bamboos Announce “Fever in the Road” Shows

With their sixth album Fever in the Road scheduled to hit stores on November 8, The Bamboos just couldn’t wait to start planning the launch tour. Australia’s premier funk outfit will start playing shows to promote it just a couple of weeks after the release.

Fever in the Road saw The Bamboos’ reuniting with ARIA-nominated producer John Castle (Washington, Josh Pyke, Kate Miller-Heidke) and exploring lush new sounds. The Bamboos have such a stellar live reputation that the tracks are sure to sound even better on the stage.

The Bamboos promise to treat fans to new tunes as well as choice cuts from their entire back catalogue at the following shows.


29 November 2013 – The HiFi, Brisbane
30 November 2013 – The Factory, Sydney
5 December 2013 – Capitol, Perth
6 December 2013 – The Gov, Adelaide
7 December 2013 – The Forum, Melbourne

Image used with permission from Niche Productions

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Jake Nauta Plays All Ages Shows for “Reserved”

Jake Nauta will take his stellar summer single “Reserved” to music lovers of all ages along the East Coast next month.

It’s refreshing to see an artist playing an entirely all ages tour, especially one that takes in some regional centres as well as the capitals. Tickets are on sale now from the following venues.

8 November 2013 – The Underground, Newcastle
9 November 2013 – Paddington Uniting, Sydney
16 November 2013 – The Loft, Canberra
23 November 2013 – Trinity Hall, Brisbane
28 November 2013 – The Clarendon, Katoomba
30 November 2013 – SUB, Melbourne

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Dan Webb Wows with October Track

After the stress of moving house it’s so nice to sit down at my computer and chill out to some tunes. Of course the moving stress has now been replaced with where’s my spatula/nailpolish remover/bath towels kind of stress, but music has a way of dissolving that too.

My latest tune of choice is the latest offering from Dan Webb’s 12 Songs, 12 Months initiative. “Coming Up Roses” has a Beatlesque vibe that’s dreamy enough to calm my current mood. The project might be coming to a close in a couple of months, but don’t think we’ve heard the last of Dan. He raised enough money through his recent Pozible campaign to release his debut album next year. He should release it through his own record label Misdemeanor Records around May 2014.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Have Fun with “Playtime”

What a week it’s been. This weekend I’m moving into my first proper adult home. I know it’ll be so rewarding to trade rent for a mortgage and to live in a place with a bit more space and a dishwasher (what a luxury!) But the lead-up’s not a lot of fun. All the packing and cleaning and errands that come with the process don’t leave a lot of time for blogging I’m afraid, so I apologise for my sporadic posting and assure you things will improve!

In times of stress though, I can always count on music to ground me. Today I’ve found some respite in “Playtime”, the latest single from Sydney act Kristen Fletcher Trio. It’s wonderfully poppy and cheerful and just the kind of thing to remind me not to take it all too seriously. I hope it weaves its magic on you dear readers.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Luke Kennedy Set to Tour Debut Album

He’s currently keeping Ricky Martin company on his national tour, but it won’t be too long before Luke Kennedy leaves his Voice mentor behind to headline his own tour. Luke will play shows along the East Coast to support the recent release of his debut album A Time for Us.

Luke will play the following shows with a live band, but he’s not giving too much away. Apparently we can look forward to a few surprises along with the album songs, including the covers Luke performed on the reality giant and Luke’s self-penned number “Love is Gone.”

Tickets are available now from the venues for the following shows.

2 November 2013 – Moncrieff Entertainment Centre, Bundaberg

3 November 2013 – Entertainment Centre, Gladstone
6 November 2013 – The Events Centre, Caloundra
7 November 2013 – Pilbeam Theatre, Rockhampton
8 November 2013 – Tivoli, Brisbane
15 November 2013 – South Juniors, Sydney
16 November 2013 – The Cube, Campbelltown
21 November 2013 – Kingston Arts Centre, Moorabbin
23 November 2013 – Forge Theatre, Bairnsdale
24 November 2013 – Empire Theatre, Toowoomba

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute