The Underground Stage
“Private Wives have more than enough strength in their swing to put it into the cheap seats, and they frequently do – but the real power they have is knowing when and how to control it. Either flat out at unsafe speeds or chugging with intentional menace, you’re moving along at their pace, like you’re […]
“Second Idol have claimed their recent European dates were just soooo exhausting, but based on tonight’s set they’ve come back not only at fighting weight but fit to knock all comers to the mat. They’ve always been a ferocious noise, but tonight is a step both up and forward, the same burning rage but with […]
“If you haven’t had your socks rocked off by MEOW MEOW AND THE SMACKOUTS yet then it’s long past time. Roughneck punk rock disguises the razor-edged songwriting, but there’s no hiding the blaze of fun that burst off it all.” Gallery Listen
“Club Halifax tell a story of being told by some drunken clown to “pick a lane” between happy and sad songs. The thing is, every one of these songs lands squarely in the realm of melancholy but are delivered with such wild enthusiasm – and a sheer joy of sharing whatever emotion lurks behind them […]
“Hydrangea’s deliberate, hard stomp of clangingly loud noise-rock is impossible to ignore, but interspersing the slow-mo headbanging with not only faster bits but creatively impressive moments – not least the spookiest Blondie cover you’ll ever have nightmares to – lifts it well above standard sludge fare. It’s insistent, it’s hefty, and it leaves your whole […]
This week’s data-driven roundup of artists killing it around the world and in Australia this week Get this in your inbox every Sunday by signing up to the Substack Start next week right by getting across the biggest and the hottest new music around – as usual, I’ve taken a look at which artists are […]
“Great Job! continue to impress, delight, and encourage, a blistering set of songs that come near to bursting with wit in the face of sadness, and joy in the face of frustration. They pluck the treasure out of trouble, fashioning it into gems of noisy fun you’ll be humming until you end.” Gallery Listen
“Everything Bukowski does is large, and it expands in all directions. Hefty songs built from plus-sized melodies, giant guitars and enough bounce to affect an orbit.” Gallery Listen
“It’s the sheer swagger in the step that does it. Oscar the Wild are, at any given moment, funny, sharp, emotional, committed, or noisy, but at all times it struts through the room, straight of spine and staring you square in the eyes. A band with unusual presence, and a bag chock full of razor-edged […]