Hordern Pavilion
August 2nd, 2008

I don’t believe in God, but after seeing Sigur Ros at the Hordern Pavilion I’m left with a burning conundrum: who am I supposed to thank for the fact that they exist? It seems a wonderful and unlikely miracle that music so uniquely and sublimely beautiful can be created so consistently. Listening to their recordings is a joy – seeing them perform live is close to divine. Read the rest of this entry »

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova with The Frames
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
January 28, 2009

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.

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Pivot / My Disco / Qua
The Gaelic
Saturday, November 29

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.

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The Gaelic, Surry Hills
Thursday June 19th, 2008

At last, our esteemed friends made it over the ditch from NZ to Sydney to regale us with a selection of songs out of their now-extensive back catalogue. My tickets had been booked for weeks and I was keenly anticipating a great show spanning the musical range starting at country before going through pop to electronica and back again. Read the rest of this entry »

The Metro Theatre, Sydney
Tuesday, September 30, 2008

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. Read the rest of this entry »

Big Day Out 2009
Gold Coast Parklands
Sunday, January 18

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.

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The Hopetoun Hotel
Friday May 9th, 2008

On cramming myself into the snug confines of the Hopetoun, I was faced by the sight of three musicians in debonair turn-of-the-century-esque costume belting out … what exactly? I don’t know, I guess you’d call it arthouse rock. This was The Dawn Collective, and I think it bodes well for the live scene in Sydney if this is the standard of band that plays third fiddle at a Friday night pub gig. Read the rest of this entry »