Floodlights | Balnarring Social Club | 15th February
An immensely likeable and charming band, whose music feels uniquely 2020s. They’re vague and thematic in their allusions to summer and country driving, and allow the listener to project into their music whatever they want it to symbolise.
Life’s A Beach | Riviera Beach Club Melbourne | February 14th
It was unreal from start to finish, and they’re a band I’ll never get sick of seeing live. But the cherry on top was the fireworks. Straight up fireworks. As Polaris’ set came to a close, the whole sky lit up in colour and the place just erupted, applause everywhere, people yelling, cheering, and soaking in the cool sandy breeze.
Angel Du$t “Cold 2 The Touch” Album Review
Cold 2 The Touch sees Angel Du$t dominate a whole range of genres, with punk, hardcore, indie, and psychedelic all getting a moment to shine on the album. The album is relentless in its intensity, but it never feels overwhelming. If you’re a fan of the lighter side of punk or the heavier hardcore side, you will find something you love in this album.
Karnivool “In Verses” Album Review
IN VERSES’ diverse mix of sounds and pacing is endlessly exciting, and its broad thematic sweep, deep emotion, and lyrical non-specificity deliver meaningful commentary without ever feeling self-aggrandising.
New Found Glory “Listen Up!” Album Review
As a whole, ‘Listen Up!’ highlights ‘New Found Glory’s’ enduring sound and lasting influence on pop punk. It honours the genre they helped shape while speaking honestly about growth, adversity, and connection.
Lou Reed | 170 Russell
It was frankly euphoric to see so many of Lou’s songs that mean so much to me played by musicians whom I so admire, and to see that such a buzz still surrounds Lou and his work. This concert was everything I could have ever wanted, and if a benevolent God exists he very well may have orchestrated this entire night just for me.
The Plot In You | PICA
Accompanied only by a lamp, dimly swaying above his head and an acoustic guitar, the somber lyrics “I used to seek violence, but now I use silence,” sent a shiver down my spine. As the second chorus hit, the rest of the instrumentals swung back in, a cinematic moment being encapsulated in a set like this makes for something you will never forget.
The Growlers | Northcote Theatre | January 22nd
The Growlers are a band you have to see live. They tease out the slow and brooding undertones of their ‘beach goth’ throughout the set, subtly changing the tempo of their songs and accentuating different notes of the melody to lull the crowd into a haze of the Western American frontier.
Viagra Boys | Festival Hall Melbourne | January 20th
Beyond what the audience is hearing, the band is also incredibly engaging visually, with Murphy’s signature heavily tattooed beer gut on full display, or Oskar Carls’ big, shiny tenor sax on stage left glistening under the downlights. Plus, with six band members on stage, there is always someone or something to watch.
Till Lindemann | Melbourne | January 18th @ PICA
Yungblud | Sidney Myer Music Bowl | Melbourne 13th January
Thornhill Christmas Festival Extravaganza | Melbourne Pavillion
The night was full of unforgettable moments, from Santa throwing presents in the crowd and giving them to crowd surfers, to Mikaila joining the group on stage for a spine chilling rendition of “Lily & the Moon”. In the wake of their phenomenal last minute clutch at Good Things, and the resound success of “Bodies”, the band seems to have launched themselves to new heights, and seeing them perform tonight proved this new found glory further.
Molchat Doma | The Forum
Molchat Doma have a very distinct sound and emanate an energy you can’t get from any band in the West. Their album covers feature famous brutalist buildings like the Hotel Panorama in Slovakia and the Pyongyang Hotel, and there is no better parallel to their sound.
High Vis | Bendigo Hotel
They’re an interesting blend of hardcore punk and indie rock, transitioning between moods with tact while maintaining momentum throughout a boisterous set. Heavy punk songs are balanced with stripped-back indie choruses, and whenever things get too dark, they lighten them again. An Aristotelian set by a disciplined, intentional band.
Architects | Festival Hall
Between a strong support lineup and a band clearly grateful to be back on local stages, the night set a solid tone for the rest of the tour. If this first show is anything to go by, Architects’ relationship with Australian crowds remains as strong as ever, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the run unfolds.
Nessa Barrett | Margaret Court Arena
Nessa Barrett knows what she's doing. She's a stellar vocalist, she's supported by a very talented backing band who serve her songs perfectly, and it's clear we're only just seeing the beginning of what will likely be a very strong and eventful career for her.
Good Things | Flemington Racecourse
Nostalgia, new blood, broken schedules and sweaty crowd, it all melted together into something unpredictable, alive and unmistakably memorable.
Fever 333 | Stay Gold
The energy both artists brought to the stage was nothing short of biblical, and on a small stage like that they still managed to use every inch of it to their advantage. Nights like this remind you why live music matters.
GWAR | Max Watts
Bodies surfed overhead, the pit kept mutating into new shapes and the front row screamed every line like it was gospel as fake blood dripped off their skin alongside the sweat. GWAR fed off of it, doubling down with their thrashing riffs and gore soaked vocals, it all merged into one visceral spectacle.
Scene Queen | Sooki Lounge
I adore her brutality, her femininity, and her unapologetic misandry. She is everything the metal scene is missing right now, and through her lyricism and performances she threatens the fragile masculinity embedded in the genre.