Wild Beasts interview
It’s Laneway nest week. That’s exciting. They’ve got several artists I’d like to have a peek at – including Bridezilla, Florence And The Machine, The XX, Daniel Johnston and Wild Beasts. Rockin’! To celebrate, here’s an interview I conducted with Tom Fleming of Wild Beasts. Raw and unedited as it is, it’s also an EXCLUSIVE […]
Spotlight – 38: Black Candy
Bangs alive, but I love Facebook sometimes. Throws up unexpected, glorious music from around the world. Speaking of which… you have checked out this blog already, right? This brings us to Black Candy – an Italian friend sent me the link a while ago, and I just checked it out. In their own words, they […]
Spotlight – 37: The Unthanks
I’m usually extremely cynical about this sort of music, these arrangements, these voices. I mean, for starters, this is way too Jools Holland territory for me. There again, the amount of music that boogie-woogie man features on his BBC show – designer coffee-table or not – he has to get it right occasionally. Law of […]
Spotlight – 36: Haze XXL
Now, I know that those No Anchor dudes are going to appreciate this, even if no one else does. This is some fucking freaking sweet guitar and drowned noise and heavy instrumental sound and calamitous metal from the head dude at Amphetamine Reptile Records, Tom Hazelmyer, ex-Halo of Flies. (He makes dementoid toys and designs […]
Spotlight – 35: Complaints Choir of Tokyo
Susie O’Neill recommended this on Twitter with the words, “This lovely vid of Tokyo Complaints Choir throws off the stereotype of the Japanese as meak and mild”. The harmonies, words and choreography just kill me. So beautiful, so funny. UPDATE I’ve written an article for The Guardian about the whole phenomenon. You can find it […]
One-minute reviews – 13: Hum, Christy & Emily, Death To Trad Rock, Knight School
It’s nearly Christmas. Of course that has no relevance to anything I’m about to write whatsoever. Just thought I’d lay a little context on you. I have four minutes to spare, so I thought I’d write you four reviews. Hum – Are You Dead? Hum clatter like Swell Maps, and tell tall tales like Joe-Bob […]
Kitty Daisy & Lewis live @ The Zoo, 13.12.09
Say what you like about rockabilly. It’s always been fucking great live music. Family outfit Kitty Daisy & Lewis absolutely rocked the joint the other night. I’ve been a fan since their debut single, 2005’s Moon Mullican cover, ‘Honolulu Rock And Roll’ – and they sure didn’t disappoint. My feet are still sore and cracked […]
Patrick Wolf live @ The Zoo, 10.12.09
Animal Collective played Brisbane recently. I’d already spilled a mug of beer of my Pet Sounds CD, so I didn’t feel the need to duplicate the effect twice. I skipped across the Valley to where Patrick Wolf was putting on a stadium rock show – three costume changes! – in front of 100 people. He […]
Buzzcocks live @ The Zoo, 19.11.09
Buzzcocks were the first band I ever saw – Chelmsford Odeon, 1978. I was so naive, I thought that the support band Subway Sect were the main band and couldn’t figure out a) why I didn’t recognise any of their songs (I explained that away to myself by surmising that bands live must sound very […]
