Arun Kendall, Author at Backseat Mafia

News: Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory announce Australian tour to support self-titled debut album.

Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory attracted our attention earlier this year with the release of their self-titled debut album (see our review here). It represented a whole new…

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Live Review + Gallery: Dark Mofo Festival – Crime & the City Solution make an exclusive and evocative mid winter trip to the Odeon Theatre, Hobart, 13 June 2025

Crime & the City Solution‘s recent live performances have been a testament to their enduring relevance and artistic evolution. Fronted by Simon Bonney, the band has seamlessly blended their post-punk…

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Live Review + Gallery: The Horrors put on an incandescent performance at the Odeon Theatre, Hobart, 12 June 2025

In the heart of Hobart, at an exclusive gig in Hobart at the very edge of the world in the middle of winter and under the enigmatic glow of Dark…

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News: Rowena Wise and Didirri announce Australia tour following the release of their elegantly beautiful single ‘No Cure For Love’

We here at the Antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia have admired Didirri ever since 2018 when we covered his single ‘Formaldehyde’, and we confess we are a little late to…

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Track: Naarm/Melbourne’s HighSchool make a welcome return with the louche ‘149’ and news of debut album on the way.

Following up their magnificent EP ‘Accelerator’ last year (see my 9/10 review here), the mighty HighSchool return for 2025 with the vibrant single ‘149’ through [PIAS] Australia. With their trademark insouciance and laid…

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Track: Boorloo/Perth’s EDIE releases the buoyant indie pop track ‘Girl’s Girl’.

Boorloo/Perth artist EDIE today unveils the catchy slice of indie pop that is ‘Girl’s Girl’; a blinding ray of Western Australian sunshine that has an underlying feisty message about the…

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Track: Indie Naarm/Melbourne superlative group Bleak Squad (Adalita, Mick Harvey, Mick Turner and Marty Brown) announce debut album ‘Strange Love’ and unveil the frosty single ‘Lost My Head’.

You can’t get much more super than news of the new group, Naarm/Melbourne’s Bleak Squad, consisting of living legends Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave &…

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Track: ‘I Was on That Roof Once’ – New Zealand’s epic Ringlets bounce back with third single ahead of album release

New Zealand’s Ringlets recently announced the release of their second album, with the cute title ‘The Lord Is My German Shepherd (Time For Walkies)’ for 27 June 2025, and have unveiled…

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News: The legendary David Byrne announces new album ‘Who Is The Sky?’ with the irrepressible and buoyant single ‘Everybody Laughs’ as a taster and massive world tour.

David Byrne has always been an influential and innovative musician from his time in the iconic Talking Heads to his solo and collaboration work that have magnified his talent exponentially.…

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Album Review: Pulp gives us ‘More’ – returning with an aged beauty and graceful pose but the same louche insouciance we missed.

In ‘More’, Pulp return not with a bang but with a graceful, knowing nod – like old friends who’ve learned that the quietest whispers can sometimes carry the heaviest truths.…

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