Backseat Downunder
Live Review plus Gallery: A pop-up masterclass in craft, warmth and multigenerational magic – Crowded House, MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, 26 November 2025
The legendary Crowded House have been undertaking a return bout of what are being called ‘pop-shows’ across Australia, covering areas they missed last year and targeting more intimate venues. Neil Finn says: We are very excited about playing in some of our favourite theatres, in 2 halves to allow some musical adventures to take place, a wide …
Live Review & Gallery: Holly Humberstone Live at Factory Theatre – Gadigal Land/Sydney, 23.11.25
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 …
Live Review & Gallery: An Evening With Eric Gales at Factory Theatre – Gadigal Land/Sydney, 22.11.25
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 …
Live Gallery: Holly Humberstone and Sam Fender Bring UK Firepower to a Rainy Sydney Night 21.11.2025
On a cool, rainy night at Moore Park, Holly Humberstone’s quiet intensity and Sam Fender’s Springsteen-scale power turn a the Sydney crowd into a chorus, proving why both artists continue to define the modern UK sound.
Track: Grace Cummings Shares New Single “Times Like These” Featuring Jim James
Grace Cummings releases “Times Like These,” a reflective new single featuring guest vocals from My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, born from a friendship formed on tour earlier this year.
News: Mariachi El Bronx & The Bronx Announce Back-to-Back Australian Shows
Mariachi El Bronx return after ten years, joining The Bronx for a back-to-back Australian Super Show tour in March 2026, with dates in Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane.
News: Taylor Acorn Returns to Australia with 2026 Tour and New Album Poster Child
Taylor Acorn brings her new album Poster Child to Australian stages in March 2026, joined by Arrows in Action for a focused run of east-coast shows that underline her rise as a defining voice in modern pop punk.
EP Review: Kat Greta collects her glorious singles into a shimmering EP aptly entitled ‘Rhythm & Reverie’.
Kat Greta has been blinding us here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia with her brand of luminescent pop that seems to emit rays of sunshine and joy with every note. Greta’s background in percussion permeates every note, adding a frisson to the sound and a beat that is irrepressible. After releasing a series …
Live Review + Photo Galleries: Ben Ottewell and Ian Ball (Gomez) at Altar Bar, Hobart 19.11.2025 alongside buddy, Buddy +setlist
On what seems like their umpteenth tour of Australia, legendary Gomez guitarists/vocalists Ian Ball and Ben Ottewell made a welcome return to Hobart as part of their ‘Gomez By Request/you decide the setlist!’ tour on this Wednesday evening. A novel way of playing your greatest hits and fan favourites, audiences have, and will be asked …
Album Review: All India Radio etch beautiful contrails of sound across the skies in new album ‘The Unified Field’.
After a long absence, the ethereal All India Radio triumphantly return with the exquisite ‘The Unified Field’ – astonishingly their 21st album. Their absence has much to do with member Marin Kennedy’s prolific creativity – witness in just the past couple of years the release of three albums with The Church’s Steve Kilbey (‘Jupiter 13’, …