Sat 22 Feb – Soundwave Festival 2014

Full review and photos at TheVine.com.au

Thu 20 Feb – Rapture 2014

EMINEM
Kendrick Lamar
J. Cole
Action Bronson
360

Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Thursday 20 February 2014

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Suncorp Stadium only hosts a handful of shows each year — monster acts like Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, Coldplay, U2 et al — so the concept of beats and vocals bouncing around in here didn’t inspire a lot of confidence in me from the outset. It’s pleasing, then, that Melbourne's 360 turns in a strong performance right from the start.

“I better stop rapping about booze and drugs now that I’m four months sober,” he jokes after ‘Hammer…

Fri 31 Jan – St. Jerome's Laneway Festival

A comprehensive report of the day + photos over at TheVine.com.au

Sun 19 Jan – Big Day Out 2014

Big Day Out 2014
Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Sunday 19 January 2014

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I love music.

That’s about the most banal opening sentence to a live music review that you’ve ever read, but it’s worth dwelling upon a little here at the outset.

Music has been a huge part of my life and identity for as long as I can remember. I am obsessed. If I’m not listening to music on speakers or headphones I’m thinking about it, humming or singing a melody, or learning how to play songs…

Tue 31 Dec – The Falls Music & Arts Festival

A long review and a photo gallery can be viewed at TheVine.com.au

Fri 20 Dec – Grinspoon

Grinspoon
Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane
Friday, 20 December 2013

After the show, at the petrol station across the road from the venue, I buy two chocolate bars then step aside to place the change in my wallet. The guy in line behind me drops an armful of goods onto the counter. He’s on the phone, narrating his purchase. “I’ve got four Four & Twenty pies and a roll of duct tape,” he says with some urgency. “I’ll be two secs.” These two sentences tug at something buried deep inside my psyche. I fight the sudden…

Thu 1 Aug – Paul Kelly, Urthboy

Paul Kelly
Urthboy
Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane
Thursday, 1 August 2013

On paper, this tour pairing might have raised a few eyebrows. One of Australia's best-known hip-hop artists playing support to nothing less than an Australian folk hero. But in the flesh, it made perfect sense. One skilful songwriter simply passed the baton to the next. No mess, no fuss.

This was no clearer than near the end of the night, when the headliner allowed the support act to reinterpret a few verses from one of his most loved songs, ‘From Little…

Thu 27 Jun – You Am I

You Am I
The Tivoli, Brisbane
Thursday, 27 June 2013

‘Jewels and Bullets’. That was my first thought when this tour was announced. It’s my favourite You Am I song but I’ve never heard it played live. Boy, did they fucking nail it tonight. Track five on Hi Fi Way, but the first time during the album's performance tonight that Davey Lane stepped out from behind his keyboard to shoulder a guitar and let rip during the song’s latter half. Tim Rogers welcomed his offsider with a handshake as his own instrument leaked…

Tue 14 May – Deftones, Hyro Da Hero

Deftones
The Tivoli, Brisbane
Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Fascinations formed as a youth are powerful, and can be tough to shake. Upstairs, waiting for the lights to dim, I meet a chatty bloke, aged 30 or so. We talk about – what else? – music. He loved Deftones as a teenager, and listens to “heaps heavier shit now” – Meshuggah, Whitechapel – but couldn’t miss seeing this band for the first time. Between sinking beers and dropping the empty cups at his feet, he tells me about how Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter…

Wed 8 May – Tame Impala, Midnight Juggernauts

Tame Impala
Brisbane Convention Centre
Wednesday, 8 May 2013

There’s a strong argument to be made that Tame Impala is one of the best rock bands in the world. This barely even seems like a controversial statement or sentiment. Innerspeaker could’ve been a once-off, a fluke: an impossibly strong debut album. But after following that up last year with Lonerism, another stunning collection of songs conducted by singer/guitarist/everything-ist Kevin Parker, it seems daft to doubt this group’s abilities. Yeah, Parker’s influences are worn on his sleeve – I still think of Cream…