As you hit the top of a steep rise on a Lower Belford road in in the NSW Hunter Valley, you’re suddenly greeted by large letters spelling out ‘Dashville’, the home of Gum Ball, Thrashville and for the next three days, Dashville Skyline. After the last two years of festival cancellations and postponements, the stars … Continue reading
Tiny Ruins, Steve Gunn, Andrew Tuttle Red Rattler, Marrickville NSW November 24th, 2019 In the open warehouse space with its concrete floors, acoustic guitar strings ring out in fingerpicked melodies, notes woven together in a mantra-like fashion and underpinned by an ambient and vaguely disorientating bed of digital sound and field recordings. Andrew Tuttle sits … Continue reading
The Felice Brothers, Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys The Lansdowne 14 October For over a decade, The Felice Brothers have been one of the most consistently fascinating acts on the Americana music scene. Each album they release seems to inhabit it’s own small world, built on the kaleidoscopic beat poetry of Ian Felice and … Continue reading
Dashville Skyline Dashville, Lower Bedford, NSW 4-6 October Arriving at the Dashville property instantly feels like the perfect respite from the city and a healthy disconnect from the digital world. After campsites are established it quickly becomes apparent how easy it is to move around and access all the onsite amenities. From the bar to … Continue reading
Justin Townes Earle + The Morrisons @ The Lansdowne Hotel, Sydney 04/09/19 He’s been a regular visitor to these shores since 2008 and even though each tour has shown a new stage in the evolution of Justin Townes Earle as a songwriter, it was that first show at the Annandale Hotel that, for me, remains the most vital … Continue reading
Jeff Tweedy with Jen Cloher Metro Theatre, Sydney May 20th, 2019 By Chris Familton In 20 years of attending gigs at the Metro, this was the first time I’d seen seats in the venue. There were mixed comments from the audience but it worked well, creating a more intimate atmosphere in the room, which in … Continue reading
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real + William Crighton Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW April 18th, 2019 Bluesfest is nearly upon us for another year and so are the associated sideshows that roll through Sydney. If you’re a fan of Americana and country rock then Lukas Nelson and band Promise Of The Real should have … Continue reading
Alejandro Escovedo Camelot Lounge, Marrickville NSW March 4th 2019 When a songwriter performs, you hear their stories through song and all its associated elements of poetry, melody, cadence, tone and tempo. Often the essence of the song is shrouded in imagery and lyrical abstraction and some digging is required on behalf of the listener. Alejandro … Continue reading
Margo Price, Courtney Marie Andrews Factory Theatre, Marrickville NSW 16th October 2018 Thanks to the good taste of tour promoters Love Police, October is the time of year when Sydney gets a handful of sideshows in the wake of the Out On The Weekend festival in Melbourne. This year the pick of the crop was … Continue reading
It was huge weekend in NSW with the launch of the Take Me To Town: An Australian Alternative Country Compilation launched in Newcastle, Sydney and Cronulla over three consecutive nights. It was a real thrill to see plenty of people turn out across the weekend to support and celebrate the release of what we feel … Continue reading
Dashville Skyline, held on the same picturesque family property as The Gum Ball, Pigsty In July and Thrashville, returned for its 4th year with its largest festival line-up to date, comprised of 100% Australian acts, spread over three days. The weather gods had threatened through the week but blue skies prevailed for yet another superb … Continue reading
Halfway, The Aerial Maps, Hoolahan @ Sly Fox, Sydney 17th August 2018 Halfway are hometown heroes in Brisbane but that success hasn’t always translated to other cities such as Sydney when it has come to live shows. Thankfully the occasion of the launch of their new album Rain Lover and the chance to see them at … Continue reading
Bob Dylan @ ICC Theatre, Sydney 18th August 2018 There’s a dire warning before Bob Dylan takes the stage at the ICC Theatre – “filming and photography will not be tolerated, please turn off your electronic devices”. It’s a sign that Dylan is either still extremely protective of his image and his art or those newfangled contraptions (phones) … Continue reading
Marlon Williams, The Weather Station @ Metro Theatre, May 17th 2018 Five years of hard work, countless hours in airport lounges, nights on friends’ couches and in bars and clubs is paying off big time with Marlon Williams’ current Australian tour sold out in the largest venues he’s headlined to date. This time around he he’s brought … Continue reading
Deer Tick, The Smoking Flowers, Justin & The Cosmics @ The Lansdowne, March 27th 2018 The swagger and rock hit early with Nashville’s Justin & The Cosmics laying down some primal leather and denim-clad rock ’n’ roll. The brothers Collins led the charge on guitar and vocals, the latter showing a fine line in deadpan banter, middle … Continue reading
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