Brisbane band Dead Letter Circus have unleashed the video for their single “Big,” the first from their debut album This Is the Warning. I am love with this clip; it’s taking the music video back to its artistic roots. It’s a bit of a trip, and I love being taken on that ride. What a welcome change from all those uninspired film clips with tedious live footage!
Scissor Sisters Announce Splendour Sideshows
If you can’t get yourself to Splendour in the Grass, or you’re just keen for another serve, you’ll be happy to know Scissor Sisters have announced a couple of sideshows.
The eclectic UK outfit will make their way to Sydney and Melbourne for gigs in late July to promote their soon-to-be released album Night Works.
Tickets for the shows go on sale on May 28.
26 July 2010 – Festival Hall, Melbourne
27 July 2010 – Big Top @ Luna Park, Sydney
Chemical Transport Get Down, Down With a Panda
Chemical Transport has unleashed the film clip for their debut single “Down, Down.” This song was one of my favourites from their We’re Not Alone EP, and with the addition of that panda it’s even cooler. Check it out, and if you like what you hear make sure you catch the band playing the following shows next month.
3 June 2010 – Hot Damn! @ Spectrum, Sydney
22 June 2010 – The Excelsior, Surry Hills
Ryan Meeking and The Few Album on Its Way
Ryan Meeking and The Few’s all too brief sets were one of the highlights of Rob Thomas’ recent tour. So I’m thrilled to hear the band are currently in Atlanta putting the finishing touches on their album.
It should be something special, with Nick Dadia (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen) in charge of production. While Stateside the band will also perform a showcase concert at New York’s Norwood Club on June 3.
The band will be back home before we know it though; they’re booked in to play Melbourne’s Northcote Social Club on July 2.
Image source: Premier Artists
Q & A with Midnight Youth’s Jeremy Redmore
After conquering their native New Zealand, Kiwi act Midnight Youth have their sights set on Oz. The band are currently in Australia preparing to support Birds of Tokyo and release their album The Brave Don’t Run, which debuted at number one in NZ. Today I caught up with the band’s lead singer Jeremy Redmore to talk about the album, life on the road, and why he loves to tour Australia.
You’re here to tour with Birds of Tokyo. Are you looking forward to that?
Yeah, it’s huge for us really. We didn’t really expect this, and it’s come at a really good time with the album coming out this week as well. To get on a tour like this, out of nowhere, was a big score for us so we’re really excited.
You’re regular visitors to our shores, having played last year’s Come Together festival and four Aussie tours. What keeps you coming back?
It just feels like a real place to tour. You tour New Zealand and it’s all over in a week. You feel like a real band touring for a month or six weeks. And you can drive for eight hours to a gig. It just feels like you’re really working and you feel like a real band and you can have those stupid bonding moments where you’re fighting or totally going crazy over something, so it’s cool.
What’s life like on the Midnight Youth tour bus?
It’s pretty sweet actually. We actually prefer driving to flying. We get to play our own playlists; we kind of pass the iPod round. I think it goes in waves of taking the piss out of each other to being fast asleep. We tend to have a lot of little stops here and there for pies. We like the odd mince pie.
After you supported INXS in New Zealand, they called you one of the best band they’ve played with in Australasia. What’s it like to hear compliments like that from such music legends?
That was crazy actually because we’d only been together, in the line-up that we played with, for about three or four months. So that was pretty crazy. It was the first time we’d played in front of a decent crowd, a couple of thousand people, and you’re totally in a way out of your depth because you don’t know what you’re doing really. But to come out of it with people saying that you did a good job is pretty cool.
Continue reading “Q & A with Midnight Youth’s Jeremy Redmore”
Adelaide Rockers Galleon One to Watch
Adelaide quartet Galleon is the latest local outfit to find themselves on my radar. I’ve only heard this track “Kamikaze,” but already I’m hooked on their crunchy guitars and the lush vocals of lead singer Nick Deegan.
“Kamikaze to me is about transition of youth to adulthood and everything in between,” explained Nick. “Kamikaze was the word that best described the amount of new, cool and fucked up shit you go through in such a small period of your life, in that sometimes life is seamless and sometimes you crash and burn. Overall we live and learn…”
That we do! An album an Aussie tour to support its release aren’t too far off, so keep your ears out for these lads.
Image used with permission from Heapsaflash
Spiderbait, Gyroscope, and More for Hunter Valley’s Funk n Grooves Festival
The line-up for this year’s Funk n Grooves festival, which will hit the new site at 1882 Broke Road, Pokolbin on September 11, has been announced.
The bill features an eclectic mix of acts including Spiderbait, Gyroscope, British India, Bertie Blackman, Urthboy, Washington, Resin Dogs, The Bamboos, and Skipping Girl Vinegar. This festival is really finding its own identity as a kind of little sister to Jazz in the Vines. The blend of pop, rock, blues, and soul on the menu this year is really intriguing and should see a solid turnout for the event.
Tickets are available now for $80 plus booking fee from the Funk n Grooves website.
Cypress Hill to Headline Coaster Festival
The folks at Coaster have pulled off a massive get this year, securing Cypress Hill to headline the 2010 festival. As a Central Coast girl myself, it’s pretty amazing to think that the old school American hip hoppers will be at Gosford Showgrounds on September 25.
But who will join them? All will be revealed on June 4 when the Coaster team makes the first of their major line-up announcements. Check back here for all the details as they come to hand!
“Simple Shades of Grey” – Skarlet Blue
The release of Skarlet Blue’s Simple Shades of Grey sees the band’s transformation from Aussie pub act to sophisticated pop rockers complete. After years spent refining their sound, in just five tracks this Melbourne four-piece tells us what they’re all about.
This is a diverse collection of tracks; the first half is light, made up of tunes I can imagine sitting neatly on any Top 40 radio station in the country. The final songs are darker, the songs that give Skarlet Blue the chance to really rock out.
The opening track, “What Went Wrong” is a real stand-out. I love the way it builds from a mellow affair to a heartfelt song of love lost with soaring vocals. “Finally Found You” and “Hiding Pictures” follow, two good fun melodic rock songs with wonderful sing-along choruses. While I enjoyed these tunes, they also made me wonder whether Skarlet Blue where just another middle-of-the-road pop-rock act.
It was a fleeting thought though, one that was banished when the final tunes kicked in. “Standing Alone” and the title track see the band treading much moodier territory. While these songs see the band moving in a less commercial direction, they never forget melody as so many hard rock acts do. That grounding makes these songs instantly accessible, even if they do veer left of centre.
In Simple Shades of Grey, Skarlet Blue have proved that all those years developing their sound have been well spent. They show great promise here, and while the five tracks make a real impact I have a feeling they only start telling this band’s story. I’m looking forward to seeing what Skarlet Blue can do in a long-play format.
Image source: Skarlet Blue MySpace page
Washington Tours Debut Album with Beautiful Girls
Washington, the thinly veiled alter ego of Vanda and Young songwriting competition victor Megan Washington, will play dates to support the release of her debut album, cheekily titled I Believe You, Liar.
The shows are a mix of full band shows and solo dates, including a swag of concerts supporting Beautiful Girls.
If you like what you hear make sure you pick up I Believe You, Liar when it hits stores on July 30.
29 May 2010 – Ripe Festival, Noosa (Full band)
2 June 2010 – Armidale Uni, (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
3 June 2010 – Great Northern, Byron Bay (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
4 June 2010 – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane (Full band – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
5 June 2010 – The Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane (Full band – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
6 June 2010 – Great Northern, Byron Bay (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
10 June 2010 – Diggers, Tamworth (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
11 June 2010 – Panthers, Newcastle (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
12 June 2010 – Waves, Wollongong (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
13 June 2010 – Leagues Club, The Entrance (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
16 June 16th – Baroque Nightclub, Blue Mountains (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
17 June 2010 – Panthers, Bathurst (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
18 June 2010 – Capital, Wagga Wagga (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
19 June 2010 – Civic Centre, Wodonga (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
24 June 2010 – Inferno, Traralgon (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
25 June 2010 – Palace Theatre, Melbourne (Full band – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
30 June 30th – Prince Of Wales, Bunbury (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
1 July 2010 – Metropolis, Freemantle (Full band – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
2 July 2010 – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
3 July 2010 – Divers Tavern, Broome (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
8 July 2010 – Saloon Bar, Launceston (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
9 July 2010 – Wrest Point, Hobart (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
10 July 2010 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide (Full band – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
14 July 2010 – Station Resort, Jindabyne (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
16 July 2010 – Hellenic Camp, Canberra (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
17 July 2010 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney (Full band – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
22 July 2010 – Pacific Palms Rec Club, Forster (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
23 July 2010 –Panthers, Port Macquarie (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
24 July 2010 –RSL, Sawtell (Solo – Supporting Beautiful Girls)
30 July 2010 – Splendour in the Grass, Woodford (Full band)