backseat downunder
Live Review: Punk Looks Like Loud Women Fest – Eora Land/Sydney, Crowbar 07.12.25
Loud Women Fest isn’t interested in permission or polish. Fiercely DIY and unapologetically women-led, it places femme, trans, non-binary and queer-fronted bands at the centre, not as novelty but as correction. Across punk, shoegaze, pub rock and noise, the day never dipped or diluted. With no barricades, no hierarchy and a constant exchange of gear, sweat and solidarity, the festival functioned as both a celebration and a reminder: this is what punk looks like when community comes first.
Live Gallery: A Measured Return: Secondhand Serenade With Strings at Sydney’s Manning bar 20.12.2025
Returning to Sydney after 16 years, Secondhand Serenade present a restrained and carefully structured set at Manning Bar, enhanced by a symphonic string section. Rather than leaning on nostalgia, the band reframes its emo-pop catalogue with clarity, context, and a sense of continuity.
News: Peach PRC Announces Debut Album PORCELAIN, Her Most Revealing Era Yet
On PORCELAIN, Peach PRC doesn’t abandon the pop spectacle that made her famous, she deepens it. This is music written from the heat of transformation, where longing is unresolved and vulnerability becomes a kind of strength.
Premiere: Anna Smyrk unveils ethereal live performance video for her elegant and deeply personal single ‘This Is A Drill’, ahead of debut album and launch dates.
We are honoured to premiere the video for the new single ‘This Is A Drill’ from one of our favourite artists, the immensely talented Naarm/Melbourne artist Anna Smyrk, the first single off her forthcoming debut album ‘Spectacular Denial’ via Community Music. She has also announced album launch shows in Eora/Sydney, Meanjin/Brisbane and Naarm/Melbourne in the …
Live Gallery: Garbage Return to Australia with a Powerful, Poised Night at the Sydney Opera House 14.12.2025
Garbage’s sold-out return to the Sydney Opera House is a reminder of the band’s enduring power, as Shirley Manson and company deliver a set that feels both resolute and deeply human in a city grappling with tragedy.
Live Gallery: Ponchos On, Spirits High: Inside Spilt Milk Canberra 2025
Spilt Milk Canberra powered through the rain with one of its strongest line-ups yet, as Sonic Reducer, smartcasual, Mia Wray, Sophie Edwards, Don West, Rebecca Black, Nessa Barrett, Sofia Isella, sombr, Dominic Fike and Doechii delivered standout sets that proved great music can outlast any weather forecast.
Live Review & Gallery: Perfume Genius on the Floor at the Sydney Opera House – Eora Land/Sydney, 09.12.25
Mike Hadreas (A.K.A Perfume Genius) will never be a half-measure performer, and it was especially brilliant seeing him perform in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall this week. The setlist opened with ‘In a Row’, ‘It’s a Mirror’, ‘Left for Tomorrow’. Pretty quickly, the sound was overtaken by the strangest of sights. Hadreas moved like …
Live Review: Lady Gaga Ignites Sydney with a Jaw-Dropping Spectacle at The MAYHEM Ball
Lady Gaga’s first Sydney show in over a decade erupts into a colossal, stadium-shaking spectacle, as 70,000 Monsters witness The MAYHEM Ball in full surreal, electrifying force — a career-spanning triumph from pop’s most fearless performer.
News: Grace Jones, MARINA and King Stingray Lead Huge New Announcements for Brisbane’s On the Banks 2026
On the Banks has unveiled a massive second wave of artists for its 2026 series, adding Grace Jones, MARINA, King Stingray and Sarah Blasko to an already star-powered summer line-up set against Brisbane’s Cultural Forecourt at South Bank.
Premiere: Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto return with a thumping, stomping single ‘Arcade’ ahead of headline gig.
We’ve been following the upward trajectory of Eora/Sydney band Postcards from Pluto for a little over a year now and thoroughly impressed by both their singles and live performances (see our reviews here). We are therefore overjoyed to be able to premiere their new single ‘Arcade’, which indicates things are only getting better. Since their …