Arun Kendall, Author at Backseat Mafia

Live Review + Gallery: Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, with Cash Savage in support, light up the Odeon Theatre, Hobart, 13 November 2025

A little slow on the uptake, the single ‘Seventeen’ was an entry drug for me, and then seeing Sharon Van Etten live at the Dark Mofo Festival a few years…

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Track: There is a luscious beauty in ‘grace’, Joey Sachi’s new track, released ahead of EP ‘RISE’.

We have been tracking with great fascination the musical path of Tokyo-based Sydney-born artist Joey Sachi ever since we premiered her single ‘Fractured’ back in 2023. Her new single ‘grace’…

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Premiere: Lutruwita/Tasmania’s Lasca Dry has a ‘Messy Mind’ and we are the beneficiaries of the thrilling results.

Lutruwita/Tasmania’s pop sensation Lasca Dry is back with a new track ‘Messy Mind’ and we are honoured to premiere her new video for this luscious piece of hyper pop. We…

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Premiere: The superb The Nagging Doubts exclusively unveil their luscious new single ‘All To You’ with launch date announced for debut album.

Signed to Wayne Connolly’s prestigious Scenic Drive Records, we at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia have long been fans of The Nagging Doubts, admiring their post punk/new wave sound…

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Album Review: The epic beauty of The Apartments’ ‘That’s What The Music Is For’ is an elegant beacon of shimmering hope.

The Apartments‘ magnificent album ‘In And Out Of The Light’ was one of the brief rays of light of the grim 2020 – one of my favourite albums of that…

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Album Review: Tasmania’s Verticoli deliver bolts of cathartic thunder in their new album ‘Silverlinings’ with launch dates ahead.

The new album ‘Silverlinings’ from Tasmania’s Verticoli puts on show their musical versatility and range of expression. A mix of tangible anger with a punkish delivery, hard rock swagger and some more…

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Track: The Church are back in session and unveil shimmering new single ‘Sacred Echoes (Part Two)’ ahead of Australian singles tour.

Normal service in an increasingly bizarre world has been at least temporarily been resumed with the exciting release of a new single by one of Australia’s finest exports, The Church.…

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News: The legendary Split Enz reunite for antipodean tour next year.

The legendary Split Enz – featuring Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn, and Noel Crombie – will reunite for their first tour in nearly 20 years on the Forever Enz…

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News: Sydney’s exciting new band Kate Moth sign to Wayne Connolly’s Scenic Drive label and we review their new single ‘Overnight Sensation’

We are ever so honoured to review the new single ‘Overnight Sensation’ from Sydney band Kate Moth, whose inherent worth can be gleaned form the fact that they have signed…

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Premiere: Lutruwita/Tasmanian band 208L Containers exclusively unveil vibrant and psychedelic new video for the thunderous track ‘Secret Servers’, ahead of album release.

I first came across 208L Containers when they supported Pond at the Altar Bar in Hobart back in 2024 and lauded them for their performance – noting that they had:…

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