The Underground Stage
“Katie Dey wants to be playing with a band but instead brought a laptop and a Rock Band 3 controller with its headstock ripped off. This is – precisely – as magnificent as it sounds. Effortlessly whipping between danceable bloops and equally danceable six-string rackets, it’s a riot of art and imagination and whimsy and […]
“Soyboy rage and celebrate, explode and enjoy, often in the space of the same song. Roaring flames and an icy cool smash into each other across the set, and it’s hardcore and Bloc Party and spikes and dancing until the dawn. What a wonderful, joyous racket this is.” Gallery Listen
Every week I pick out a bunch of interesting shows featuring emerging, DIY, and independent Australian artists. The full list of shows this week are below – those are the ones to get out to in the next few days. Don’t forget, there’s also a futuristic-y dashboard here that lets you look ahead if you […]
“All emerging artists play, but few actually *perform*. KIRKLANDD absolutely lands the latter, although with hefty, walloping chops in the former for good measure. Full-bore mic skills in the bars, raw heft in the songs, and pure heart beating throughout – it’s telling that there’s a cover of Bloc Party’s ‘Helicopter’ in the set, and […]
“Major Arcana’s heavy set occasionally breaks out into slightly – ever so – less earsplitting territory, small glimmers of sun from behind the thunderheads. It’s those tiny breaks of light that make the set whole, moments where there’s brightness amid the dark, just letting it go for a snatch of time, before it all comes […]
“Blake Williams sharp emo and pop-punk gets a drummer for this set, adding some glorious space and a raw edge that amplifies the sizzle in the songs. Sad-face songs played with joy and abandon, noisy melody and happy racket.” Gallery Listen
“Day We Ran absolutely pack out Waywards tonight and give nothing short of the impression that they could have parked up here all week long and sold out every single night. It is *rammed* in here, and the front row is entirely made up of dedicated, young, female fans. I am the *only* bloke in […]
“Vertebrae hammer and sand, heavy and abrasive, but without ever losing groove or tune. Bags of big guitars, dollops of extra rhythm, it’s a fiesta of head-nodding, shoulder-shaking good fun, grungy and sharp – and the new one at the end is enough to take your head clean off.” Gallery Listen
“Lush, clever, and rich, The Enthusiast’s set is a picturesque field of rolling hills, although the noisier bits – which include a trumpet – warn you to watch where you tread. It’s a truly lovely set filled with bitey moments, a chocolate-box painting of waist-high grass but containing the occasional monster.” Gallery Listen