Tassie punk-rock act Luca Brasi announced their upcoming tour in style recently, appearing in the triple j studios for Like a Version. As a Goo Goo Dolls fan, I get a little protective over the band’s material, but Luca Brasi’s take on “Iris” is utter perfection.
Luca Brasi were joined in the studio by Naarm/Melbourne indie-folk act Eaglemont, who’ll not so coincidentally play support on all these upcoming shows. OK Hotel are also on the stacked bill. Luca Brasi should be in fine form, as they’ve just wrapped up shows with Canada’s Alexisonfire. Tickets are on sale now.
6 May 2023 – Du Cane Brewery, Launceston
12 May 2023 – Cambridge Hotel, Mulubinba/Newcastle
13 May 2023 – Crowbar, Eora/Sydney
19 May 2023 – Max Watt’s, Naarm/Melbourne
20 May 2023 – The Zoo, Meeanjin/Brisbane
2 June 2023 – Jive Bar, Tartanya/Adelaide
3 June 2023 – Rosemount Hotel, Boorloo/Perth
Image used with permission from Deathproof PR; credit: Tom Wilkinson
Magic was always going to happen when two of the greatest female voices in Australia’s heavy music scene collaborated. “Imposter,” the latest single from RedHook (fronted by Emmy Mack) and Yours Truly (fronted by Mikaila Delgado) is an epic break-up anthem. If you’ve been wronged my sisters, you’re going to want to turn the volume up on this one.
“There’s no head-fuck quite like discovering that the person you love most, and who you think you know better than anyone else, has been lying to you and manipulating you the entire time,” Emmy confirmed of the song’s inspiration. “At first, it feels like death, you grieve for the person you loved as if they’ve died, and yet somehow they still exist. It’s almost as if some kind of evil, alien life force has taken up residence inside their body and is walking around wearing their skin. Eventually, it causes you to question your own sanity; you question whether that person who meant so much to you ever really existed at all.
“This song was already so special to me and one of my absolute favourites off the record. We approached Mikaila to be involved because we love Yours Truly so much and thought her voice would sound amazing on the track. But what I didn’t realise was that she’d actually been going through an eerily similar situation to mine in her own personal life. We trauma-bonded a lot during the process of putting ‘Imposter’ together and the extra vocal parts and lyrics that Mikaila added still give me goosebumps every time! She took this song to a whole new dimension and I’m so grateful to her for it. This is our joint break-up anthem and we hope it empowers other people who’ve been through similar nightmarish bullshit to stay strong.”
The clip is the perfect accompaniment. If you love cult sci fi flicks like Species and Jennifer’s Body, you’re going to be all about this.
There are plenty of opportunities to see RedHook in the coming months, with the band joining Smashing Pumpkins’ The World is a Vampire Tour, headlining their own shows to support the recent release of their EP, Postcard From a Living Hell, and playing a couple of extra festivals. Get onto it fans!
The Australian Idol finale is becoming a distant memory, but Jessica Mauboy’s song “Right Here, Right Now” is still on regular repeat at my place. I was introduced to the song through Jessica’s performance on the show, and honestly it was one of the night’s real highlights. So given that Saturday evening, I figured it was about time I gave it some love here on Sounds of Oz.
“The only thing we can control in life is our present, and it’s a song that’s about finding peace and joy through accepting where you are now and leaning into it,” Jessica explained.
This is one of my favourite Jessica Mauboy tracks. Her voice is always strong, but hearing it soaring over those horns and keys is extra special. I also love those optimistic lyrics that remind us to embrace the now, warts and all.
Jessica will be back on our screens soon as part of The Voice Australia judging panel.
Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia
Lipstereo has just dropped their new single “Feedback,” the latest installment from their 2022 EP, Modern Mythology. It’s a bit more radio-friendly than their frenetic first single “Stop,” so it might just help them find a wider audience.
Lipstereo are certainly surrounding themselves with the right people. You can hear the stamp of master record producer Mark Opitz AM in that wall of guitars. Mark invited this technique when working with bands like AC/DC, The Angels, and INXS, and it’s used to great effect here.
“Feedback” is a fan favourite when Lipstereo play live. Hopefully they’ll announce some dates soon so we can all join in the fun. Until then, crank up the volume!
Image used with permission from Michael Matthews Media
Meeanjin/Brisbane electronic act and producer Du0 has joined forces with local hip-hop act Reo Cragun for his latest single “Overdrive.” With its sparkly synthesisers and pulsing beats, this irresistible track should make your Thursday easier to swallow. I’m getting real Daft Punk vibes, which might not be surprising as it was mixed by Nicolas Essig, who previously worked with the iconic French duo.
“I’ve been a big fan of Reo for a long time and to get the opportunity to work with him on ‘Overdrive’ is a dream come true,” Du0 explained. “I wanted to touch on some of my previous more funky tracks, so I focused on funking up the bass guitar to tie in with some more fluffy synth sounds in the chorus. I also got my previous collaborator Fingazz (who has worked with Snoop Dogg, Bruno Mars and Machine Gun Kelly) on there to lay down some vocoder and talkbox. Lyrically, it is about the freedom of young love and going all in on someone.”
“Overdrive” comes from Du0’s EP FLOAT, which drops on April 19.
I’m not going to say that sharing Ryan Martin John’s Myers-Briggs personality type has made me gravitate towards his new song “INFJ”, but it probably hasn’t hurt. There’s also that cool country-folk sound that reminds me of some of my favourite artists like Tom Petty and Jackson Browne. All in all, it’s really good stuff.
INFJ stands for introverted, intuitive, feeling, and judgemental. Being all those things works well for writers like us, but it no doubt makes performing challenging.
“As a musician I’m often wanting to use my platform for good change, but because I’m introverted, I find it hard to be a loud voice among the rabble,” he admitted. “This song acknowledges that and makes peace with it in a triumphant declaration.”
“INFJ” comes from Ryan Martin John’s debut solo album Goodness Gracious Graceless, which drops on April 28.
With so many live music venues closing down, it’s refreshing to see one welcoming bands back. The Lady Hampshire in Eora/Camperdown will make its long-awaited return as a dedicated live music venue this month.
The venue has already booked some quality acts, including Pacific Avenue and Fangz for the opening weekend. Both days will also feature free nail art and a pop-up tattoo stall.
“Bringing The Lady Hampshire back to life with live music as the focus, is exactly what Sydney has been asking for,” said Elliott Harper, the entertainment and event manager at PUBLIC Hospitality Group. “When it comes to entertainment venues, we only want to foster growth and success across our city and think The Lady will be the destination for all types of musicians and patrons. The first month alone has some of the most exciting gigs Sydney has seen this year and we can’t wait to bring it to locals and gig-goers.”
Here are all the gigs announced. Head to Oztix to buy your tickets or reserve your spot for the free shows:
14 April 2023 – Fangz, Dedpan, and Wicked Envy (FREE)
15 April 2023 – Pacific Avenue, Juno, and Darcy Lane
21 April 2023 – Radicals and Dial Denial (FREE)
22 April 2023 – Bugs and Special Guests
28 April 2023 – Highline and Turpentine Babycino (FREE)
29 April 2023 – Starve, Outsider, Signvals, and Keepsake (FREE)
5 May 2023 – Abby Bella May and Special Guests (FREE)
6 May 2023 – Close Counters and Special Guests
12 May 2023 – Bootleg Rascal and Lyall Moloney
13 May 2023 – Bootleg Rascal and Lyall Moloney
19 May 2023 – These New South Whales and Special Guests
20 May 2023 – Good Lekker and Special Guests
In 2019, I booked the trip of a lifetime cruising from Adelaide up the Western Australian coast. Then a little thing called the COVID-19 pandemic happened and we had to postpone it. A few times. Now after all this time, my husband and I are finally setting sail. Don’t worry Sounds of Oz readers, I’ve worked my arse off putting together some articles about fabulous music for your listening pleasure while I’m gone. You’ll barely miss me. However, if some major news drops and I’m not on it, you know why.
Given that I’m sailing today, it seemed the perfect time to celebrate Sunny Luwe’s feelgood new track “Fly Like a Bird.” I might be on the water rather than in the air, but its relaxed feel and optimistic vibe certainly suits my mood right now. Hopefully it reflects yours too, or it can make your day a little brighter.
Sunny, who previously recorded under the name Dani Teveluwe, wrote this track with Grammy-nominated Aussie artist Sally Seltmann. She was “overcome with gratitude” to work with Sally, and you can hear that honest emotion coming through this work.
Sunny plans to offset all carbon generated through this release through donations to Queensland non-profit organisation, Rainforest 4.
“Over the past few years I have been working diligently at my career, however I felt I was denying my power to effect meaningful change,” Sunny explained. “I wanted that to shift that in 2023, so I’m really embracing my responsibility to myself, others and the Earth by offsetting my musical projects. I also wanted this to be fun, and bringing Sunny Luwe into the world in this way felt very natural and fun, as well as a good platform to educate others around carbon offsetting.”
There’s a lot more new music where this came from, with Sunny planning to release her first album under her new moniker later this year. She’ll also play BEMAC Live at the Queensland Multicultural Centre in Meeanjin/Brisbane on June 23.
Blending a little reggae with indie rock sounds, Boorloo-Perth act Sophian has won me over with their latest single “Georgia.” I’ll be surprised if you don’t find yourself grooving along to this one. If you’re into acts like Ocean Alley and Coterie, you’re going to be all about this.
“We are going behind a very beachy vibe. We want to inspire and spread happiness with this song,” said the band’s frontman and namesake, Sophian Manik. “The song itself is about a sailor falling in love with a mermaid but finding it difficult to maintain the relationship given their differences. It’s also a metaphor for what relationships in real life sometimes can be like. Things can be tough, but you can always work on turning them into something positive. We love the ocean and the beach. So, it was only natural for us to explore a song which would incorporate the ocean and also campfire vibes of bringing people together.”
Sophian are launching the single at The Bird in Boorloo/Perth on May 5. Their last single launch sold out, so you might want to pounce on some tickets pronto.
Aotearoa/New Zealand-born, Eora/Sydney-based artist Somber Hills is destined for big things. He’s just dropped his upbeat new single “YDS,” which celebrates being young, dumb, and stupid. If this doesn’t put a spring in your step today, I don’t know what will.
“Time moves so fast and the moments we love and cherish escape us so quick,” Somber Hills said. “Our motives and goals may stay the same but time will not wait, and if in a year you haven’t done enough to get where you’re trying to go, it’s gone, you’ll never get the time back. I had a painful year, but in the pain there’s learning and I learned that to truly enjoy what I’m doing I have to embrace who I am and not focus on what someone else thinks.”
Fresh from supporting Seth Sentry here in Oz, Somber Hills will play two shows in England with Jonny Craig next month. If you’re there, you can catch these awesome gigs at Bournemouth Live – Bear’s Bar & Venue on May 14 and The Underworld Camden on May 15.
Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia; credit: Billy Zammit
