Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusicNews

Before Holly Humberstone even reached the chorus of ‘The Walls Are Way Too Thin’, something remarkable was happening in the crowd. Strangers along the barrier were catching each other’s eyes across the darkness of Factory Theatre, exchanging those knowing glances that say “you too?”. They were singing every word back to her and to each …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusicNews

Factory Theatre was properly humming on Saturday night, with half the room seated and the rest of us staking out whatever floor space we could claim and not dare move from. What we got in return was two hours of world-class performance from Eric Gales, the man who, when it comes to instrumentation, lives on …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusicNews

Yesterday was night two of Opeth‘s sold-out run at the Sydney Opera House. The crowd was attentive, devoted and full of fans who’ve been riding this band’s evolution album by album, era by era. It felt like a truly special opportunity to absorb the weight of that history in a venue literally designed to make …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusicNews

Night Lovell and Haarper playing the same show already felt like someone stacked the deck in any fan’s favour. Then I saw MUDRAT was opening, and honestly, that was the part I was most curious about. I have been trying to catch them live for ages. MUDRAT didn’t waste time. No big entrance, no drawn-out …

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Backseat DownunderMusic

The foyer was already packed, and by the time you squeezed through to the doors of Enmore Theatre, any hope of reaching the barrier had evaporated. This was night one of two sold-out shows at the theatre and fans had claimed their territory hours earlier, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with that unshakeable determination that only comes from …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusicNews

You could tell before the doors even opened that it was going to be a tight squeeze. Both Lansdowne shows had sold out, the first so quickly that a second was added, only for that one to disappear too. Aotearoa’s No Cigar have been quietly gathering word-of-mouth momentum that’s now anything but quiet. Inside, it …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusic

The Sydney Opera House welcomed one of jazz’s most distinctive voices this week as Gregory Porter took to the stage, delivering a performance that showcased exactly why he is one of the genre’s most beloved contemporary artists. Porter’s signature baritone filled the Concert Hall with that rich, velvety tone that has made him a multiple …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusic

Before Connan Mockasin took the stage, the crowd was greeted with a bizarre opening: a homemade parody of a disturbing after-school special, starring the musician himself. It was the first of many pranks to come. A blonde-haired figure appeared on stage and settled behind the drum kit, making themselves comfortable. Another layer of misdirection in …

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Backseat DownunderGalleryLive ReviewMusic

By day four, we’ve stopped checking schedules. You just followed the noise and hoped you ended up somewhere good (it’s all fantastic). I caught locals Sweetie at the Heaps Normal pop-up as the sun was going down, walking from Redfern Station into Chippendale. You could hear them before you saw them, echoing down the city …

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Music

By afternoon Day 3 at SXSW Sydney the schedule didn’t matter anymore, it was just venue to venue, whoever was playing next, whatever was happening and where is that sound coming from? I spent the whole night running. Chippo basement, then The Commons, back to Lansdowne, Lord Gladstone, up and down stairs and through alleys. …

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