Thu 29 Jan – Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

Last time Ryan Adams came to town with his incredible band, The Cardinals, he really had his cranky hat on. Appearing on a sumptuously designed stage set, under subdued purple lighting, he refused to engage in any kind of discourse with the audience. Eventually the repeated yells of “Turn the light on!” were too much, and he stormed off stage: “Maybe while we’re gone you can have a think about how to be a proper audience”. Hmmm, not exactly a warm and fuzzy experience. Then again, the musical performance was exceptional.…

Wed 28 Jan – Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová

The great appeal of John Carney’s 2006 low-budget film, Once, was the power and beauty of the music created from such humble and unassuming beginnings. I wonder if Glen Hansard or Marketa Irglova would ever have expected that little film’s subsequent success, and the boost to their musical careers it provided. Joined by Hansard’s regular band, The Frames, they managed to fill the Sydney Opera House concert hall for three straight nights as part of the Festival of Sydney.

Hansard and Irglova are obviously having the time of their lives. It’s…

Sun 18 Jan – Big Day Out

It’s been a while since I’ve taken the plunge into the mass of desperate youth indulgence that is the Big Day Out. As this most iconic of Aussie music festivals has evolved, I’ve increasingly found myself alienated by its tendency to present a bill so broadly appealing as to almost defeat its own intent to service a niche music market. This is certainly a charge that could be levelled at the 2009 incarnation, but for me there were just enough interesting bands dotted thoughout the lineup to induce me to jump back in.…

Sat 13 Dec – NeverEverLand 2008

How exactly does one review the nine hours of sonic bliss that was Nevereverland 2008? The experience was almost stream-of-consciousness, a strange mutation between rock festival and rave, with such a diverse yet universally excellent assortment of artists that brief evaluation seems a difficult task. In the spirit of the day, then, I think I’ll opt for a simple blow by blow of how it all went down - or at least my experience of it.

Two pm standing outside the front gates with all the other eager beavers in the sudden swelter that…

Fri 5 Dec – The Temper Trap, Papa vs Pretty

It’s been a while since Melbourne prodigies The Temper Trap have made their way north to Sydney, and quite a buzz has been developing about them in the meantime. Not surprisingly then, even in these difficult economic times that everyone’s always talking about, the Oxford Art Factory was nicely packed on Saturday night for the band’s return to their home away from home.

Papa vs Pretty hit the stage around 10.30 with a ton of enthusiasm. These guys really looked like they were up past their bed time, but I…

Sat 29 Nov – Pivot, Qua, My Disco

It’s probably fitting for a band as unique as Pivot to headline a show which ultimately left me with such mixed emotions. I didn’t expect anything too straightforward - and this gig was anything but that.

We showed up in time to see only a couple of songs from Qua, which was a bit of a shame because what I did see, I really liked. A somewhat similar beast to Pivot themselves, if perhaps a little more conventional in the structures they build their music around, Qua nevertheless created some really interesting…

Thu 30 Oct – Augie March, Dan Kelly with The Ukeladies

OK, at the risk of sounding like some pop psychologist or worse, I just have to say it: I don’t think success and recognition sit all that well with Glenn Richards. The steady downwards progression in quality from album to album corresponds to Augie March’s rise as a force in the Australian music industry. Sunset Studies appeared out of nowhere and blew us away. Strange Bird failed to meet our (probably unfairly inflated) expectations, but it was still pretty damn good. Moo You Bloody Choir nudged the band pretty…

Sat 18 Oct – Sounds In The Grounds

That’s right. Festival season is upon us once again. And in these days when no self-respecting festival will deign to charge you much less than $150 for vast lineups containing two or three acts you know well alongside two dozen you’ve never heard of, what an opportunity the crowd at Sydney University’s Manning Bar have presented us with in Sounds in the Grounds. Four of Australia’s hottest acts for forty bucks? Could we possibly go wrong? The short answer is “No”.

The action was split into two stages: upstairs and downstairs in…

Tue 30 Sep – Ladytron, Familjen

Queens and kings of electropop, Ladytron, have never toured Australia until now. Perhaps thankfully, they have never become popular enough to fill bigger rooms like the Hordern Pavilion, or even the Enmore Theatre, which means an appreciative if somewhat subdued crowd (thanks to the Tuesday night schedule) were able to get up close and personal with the band at the Metro.

Swedish duo Familjen warmed the crowd up with some decent electronica. However, it has to be said, these guys looked a bit like a couple of blokes from the crowd who were allowed…

Fri 29 Aug – Mercy Arms

As the curtain swept back from the stage, we were greeted by a carefully crafted view of white on white. The band had obviously been busy pegging sheets to the scaffolds as the punters continued to stream into the OAF’s Live Art Space (Mercy Arms obviously attract a dedicated crowd; I’ve never seen the main bar so deserted while a decent crowd fills the other room). It takes guts to get up on stage in white tights, but this band showed they’re just serious enough about their aesthetic to do it. Good on them,…