Sydney
Live Review + Gallery: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds set fire to the Domain, Sydney, 24 January 2026, supported by the luminescent Aldous Harding
Fittingly perhaps, bats floated lazily over the sun drenched Domain with the stark outline of Sydney’s high-rises as a back drop. The crowds gathered on the gently rolling greens for Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds‘s first gigs in Sydney for quite a while and it was magnificent. Support came from New Zealand’s luminescent and …
Premiere: The exquisite dream pop exponents Fabels exclusively unveil the new ethereal single ‘Luister’ ahead of new album and tour.
Here at the antipodean outpost of Backseat Mafia, we are truly honoured to be able to bring you an exclusive listen to the new single ‘Luister’ from the legendary dream pop duo Fabels. Fabels are Hiske Weijers from Berlin and Ben Aylward from Sydney and together they produce dreamy, hazy vignettes, heightened by an air …
Live Gallery: From The Gnomes to Private Function to Viagra Boys, Chaos Reigns at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion 18.01.2026
Sydney is getting hammered by rain, and it somehow feels appropriate. Inside the Hordern Pavilion, The Gnomes kick the doors open with scrappy, straight-ahead rock’n’roll, warming up a crowd that already feels feral from the weather outside. Private Function follow with the kind of unhinged, all-or-nothing set that’s made them infamous, turning their final Sydney show into a joyous mess of noise, sweat and confrontation. By the time Viagra Boys hit the stage, the room is primed for release. Their satire-soaked post-punk lands heavy and absurd in equal measure, cutting through the storm with precision and bile. It’s a night where chaos feels earned — inside and out.
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 …
Premiere: ‘Silence is Golden’ but you really have to hear the glorious new single from Sydney supergroup Victoria.
Back in 2023, Sydney supergroup Victoria released their magnificent debut album ‘Treats’ which perfectly captured the vicissitudes of life with warmth and compassion, wrapped up in a series of tracks that positively sparkled (see my 9.5/10 review here). Now, two years later we are exceedingly honoured to give you an exclusive taste of their new single …
Premiere: oWo exclusively unveil new rock anthem ‘Cause Way’ ahead of new EP and launch date.
Eora/Sydney post punk and noise rock trio oWo have announced their new EP ‘Emerger’, due out in February 2026, and we are honoured to bring you an exclusive early listen to the first single off the EP, ‘Cause Way’. ‘Cause Way’ launches with crystalline guitars that create a buzz-saw bedrock to the yearning vocals. There …
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’ displays a further development of her sound – something more fractured and esoteric and yet still infused with her soft velvet vocals and enigmatic style. …
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 to the illustrious Scenic Drive Records label run by the legendary Australian music producer, audio engineer and musician, Wayne Connolly. You may have heard of …
Premiere: ‘It’s All Been For Nothing’ – Take the Indian Pacific for a sparkling ride.
We are very proud to premiere the sparkling single ‘It’s All Been For Nothing’ from Sydney band Indian Pacific, a shimmering ride that is threaded throughout with a satisfying melancholia. Horns frame the sound, providing a golden burnish, and there is a pop dynamism that is redolent of The Saints, replete with jingle jangle guitars and …
Track: Lily Jupiter debuts her single sparkling ‘Stamp Alphabet’ and gives notice of a prodigious, creative talent emerging.
For an emerging artist who is only 16, Lily Jupiter displays an incredible assurance and prodigious ability in her debut single ‘Stamp Alphabet’, released today. There are detectable elements of Lorde and Olivia Rodrigo for sure with the electronic thrum, driving pace, wry lyrics and velvet vocals. Jupiter adds George Michael as an influence and …