Closure In Moscow@ACDC Lane, Melbourne (AUS)

This show was the first all ages show that Closure In Moscow have played since being back in Melbourne, and it was no surprise that it sold out. Organised by The Push, a non-profit entertainment organisation that focuses on events for young people, the gig took place in Melbourne’s ACDC Lane. And despite some light rain, that didn’t stop everyone from having a good time.

I missed the first band, Girl vs Ghost, due to my train being delayed and that bummed me out a bit. They’re a female fronted rock band from Ballarat that have a lot of potential, so keep an eye on them. If you like VersaEmerge, you’ll probably really enjoy them.

First band I saw for the day was Secrets In Scale who also happened to open for Closure In Moscow at their show back in January at Plastic. These guys were great last time, and this time they were even better. They opened with an interesting monkey song, with a special appearance from Chris DeCinque of Closure In Moscow, that basically involved making monkey noises over instrumental music, and the crowd weren’t really sure if it was meant to be funny or a weird experimental thing. At the end of the song however, the Secrets In Scale singer thanked us for letting KEEP READING →→

Sounds Loud 2010 Review

Another year, another youthie. Except this year the annual free outdoor concert underwent a major revamp and became the Sounds Loud festival and boasted its biggest line up yet. These events are great for discovering new bands and for bands to open up to an audience that they might not otherwise be exposed to. And the best part that is all for free. I must admit that it is a very long day and that even after 6 years of attending, I’d never stayed for the whole day. But Queens Park is perfectly located so that if you did get a little bored you could wonder off and get coffee or go for a walk down to the shops. Having a stage of bands, a dance stage and an rnb stage meant that there was a little bit of everything for everyone.

Neon Love is a band that I’ve heard a lot about but have never been to a gig that they’ve played at or even really listened to them. Some people I’ve talked to love them, others not so much, so I was glad to finally be seeing them for myself. They burst on stage with a lot of energy and what seemed to be a lot going on. But really, I think they just had their singer playing an electronic drum kit. It was just the way they moved around on stage frantically that gave the impression that a lot was happening. Neon Love have a very fun, makes-you-want-to -dance-around indie rock sound and the crowd seemed to dig it. Honestly, their music isn’t really my thing, but I thought they were pretty good and would probably listen to them on the one-off occasion if in the right mood. I can definitely see how they’ve received so much exposure. What I was most impressed by though was the shuffling of instruments between the three members who weren’t the drummer or the bassist. It’s a clever way to show to your audience just how talented you are. The vocals were shared between these three guys, and each were very solid in the part that they played. KEEP READING →→

Brand New @ The Palace, Melbourne (AUS)

Firstly, I’d like to say that I should not be allowed to review my favourite band. I grew up listening to Brand New, so all of their songs are attached to specific memories and moments in my life. I’ve been told that I can gush about this as much as I want, but I’ll try to be as objective as possible. So with that aside, this show was AH-MA-ZING! Everything about the night was perfect; the venue, the crowd, the support band, the headliner. I think Brand New sold out (or came close to selling out) every show on this tour, something that neither of their last two headlining tours managed.
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Sounds Loud Festival 2010.

The newly revamped Sounds Loud Festival is back this year! It replaces the annual Youth Week festival that usually happens on the last day of Youth Week, and this year the lineup has got to be the most exciting lineup in years!

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Pushover 2010

Push Over is an annual festival that displays an array of amazing local talent every year, and this year was no exception. There are your few bigger bands to draw in the crowd of course, but the majority of bands on the bill are lower profile who always acquire a huge benefit from the audience that Push Over draws.

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Aaron Gillespie@Lilydale Showgrounds

Getting to this show, and not getting lost and being stranded in the middle of nowhere, was our first concern. I always hear of people in America travelling 5hrs to get to shows, but here, travelling for over an hour is a big effort (unless you’re going interstate). So we got the train to the other side of town and thankfully, found our way quite easily. Once the stress of having to find the venue was erased, we grabbed some food before the show at the local Subway.

While sitting in Subway, who other than the one and only Aaron Gillespie should stroll on past. There’s a moment of “OH MY GOD! IT’S AARON GILLESPIE” before we wave, and he “peaces” us back, a look of confusion on his face. The people walking with him, assumingly the event organisers, chuckle to themselves at our reaction, but we don’t care because it’s the second time in two days that we’ve had close encounters with Aaron.

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Way down in Australia...

Hey there guys. So this is my attempt at an Aussie version of Brits & Pieces. I thought rather than clog up the page with an entry every time I had news to report, I’d try and do a weekly report. I’m based in Melbourne, so naturally my reports will be more Melbourne orientated, but I’ll try and give you news from the rest of Australia too.

So, what went down this week? Most of us were recovering from the Soundwave festival fever that swept through the nation for the last fortnight or so. Soundwave is the closest thing to Warped Tour in Australia, and over the last 3 years has overtaken most of the other festivals to become one of the top summer festivals. Well done to the Soundwave production team for another great year! KEEP READING →→

The Dream The Chase video clip!

Brisbane (Australia) band The Dream The Chase announced via twitter that they will be releasing their video clip for “Who Is Alone” this Thursday (4th March) at 5pm.

We reviewed their debut EP, Found Again, last October and loved it, so make sure you check out their video on Thursday. Found Again can be found on iTunes and Amazon, as well as a handful of online stores. See their myspace for details.

The Dream The Chase are also featured in this month’s copy of Alternative Press (#260 ) in the AP&R section. Definitely keep your eyes on these guys!

EDIT: Video now up@www.myspace.com/thedreamthechase
i’m digging it, [...]

Pushover 2010.

If you’re in Melbourne this weekend, head on down to Abbotsford Convent for the annual Pushover festival! With a slew of amazing local bands, you’ll be guaranteed to see someone you like!

After a huge lineup last year, including international band McFly as well as local heavyweights Parkway Drive, the lineup this year once again is looking promising. There’s hardcore, there’s rock, there’s pop punk and there’s even a hip hop stage. Tickets are limited, and the event sold out last year, so get on it and get your tickets.

I sure as hell will be there, so come say hi if you see me and I might even take your photo [...]

Jonas Sees In Color // Jonas Sees In Color

Jonas Sees In Color have successfully written a feel-good pop rock album. Their self-titled debut is a genuinely enjoyable album. The difference between Jonas Sees In Color and many other pop-rock bands is that this CD has enough moments where their originality shines through that you know that they are capable of refining their sound and what they do next can have more of those moments.

The opening track, “I Own These Streets,” is a good opener. It’s energetic and feel good and it has a beautiful piano line that reminds me of Something Corporate. The formula of a running melodic line that is transferred smoothly between piano and lead guitar is a formula that Jonas Sees In Color do well, and it can be seen in the opening track, as well as other standout tracks such as “Loose Threads”. KEEP READING →→