Category: Live Performances

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Come From Away @ Civic Theatre, Mulubinba/Newcastle – 4 March 2023

My husband and I watched the pro-shot of Come From Away when it dropped on Apple+ in September 2021, 20 years since terrorists drove their planes into the Twin Towers and other aeroplanes en route to the United States were diverted to the small Newfoundland town of Gander. We instantly fell in love with this musical that managed to somehow find the balance between comedy and tragedy. It was so truly heartwarming that when it travelled to Mulubinba/Newcastle, we couldn’t wait to introduce my mother to it.

I must admit, I had my reservations though. The Apple+ pro-shot featured the original Broadway cast. Jenn Colella won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her role, and arguably should have taken home the Tony. Could this Aussie cast possibly measure up? How could they convincingly bring us this American story that still resonates so deeply with the people of that country? As with Hamilton, I needn’t have worried. There was not one person in this production that wasn’t at the very least the equal of the Broadway cast. From the soul-stirring opening “Welcome to The Rock,” I found myself swept away again.

In fact, I think this time I was even more invested. While I knew the outcome, I found myself wiping away tears at a poignant moment that hadn’t made me weepy the first time around. While pro-shots are fabulous at drawing your attention to small details, seeing the show from the dress circle I could take it all in.

If like me, you’ve enjoyed the pro-shot of Come From Away, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you’ve already seen the show. You need to see this musical in person. And if you’re yet to discover Come From Away, there’s a reason why so many people rave about it. Do yourself a favour and check it out. Come From Away finishes its Mulubinba/Newcastle season today but will soon open at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Tartanya/Adelaide. It’ll then head to Boorloo/Perth’s Crown Theatre in May and Ngunnawal Country/Canberra in June.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Carla Webhe Enchants With “knight To e5”

Eora/Sydney singer-songwriter Carla Wehbe has floored me with her new single “knight To e5.” It’s an emotional slow burner that builds so beautifully to a powerful crescendo. I really felt this one. This is how you get people excited about your upcoming EP.

“If you’re a Harry Potter fan you might get the title reference from the first film. In the same way Ron sacrifices his knight so Harry could win the game of wizards chess, the concept of ‘Knight To E5’ is about sacrificing your happiness or self for the happiness of someone you care about, essentially putting them before you,” Carla explained. “It’s one of the more heartbreaking songs I’ve written, which touches on deep regret and the fear of not living your life for yourself because you’re trying to protect someone else’s happiness.”

As I mentioned, Carla has a new EP on the way. Listen out for Jupiter and Mars when it drops on March 24.

Image used with permission from Warner Music Australia; credit: Kyle Caulfield

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Conrad Sewell Back to His Best With “Ferris Wheel”

It’s been five years since Conrad Sewell charted in this country. If there’s any justice, we’ll see him back in the top 10 with the release of his fantastic new single “Ferris Wheel”. It’s the definition of radio-friendly, ultra-catchy, upbeat goodness.

“’Ferris Wheel’ is a song about a second chance, never giving up on your dream, life, or love,” he explained. “Life is hard but you never know what’s around the corner. I wanted the song to have a very nostalgic 90s feel to it and really paint that picture.”

When you’re taking a listen, make sure you let the rest of his new tracks play out. They’re all brilliant, suggesting Conrad’s new album Precious, which drops on March 3, will be awesome. Conrad is currently on tour. Catch him at the following venues at the end of the month:

24 February 2023 – York on Lilydale, Wurrundjeri Country/Mount Evelyn
25 February 2023 – Village Green Hotel, Bunurong Country/Mulgrave

Image source: Eva Rinaldi @ Wikimedia Commons

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Siobhan Cotchin Embraces Her Inner Rock Chick With “How Does It Feel?”

It feels like Siobhan Cotchin really arrived this year. I couldn’t stop listening to her solo singles “Fill My Cup” and “Growing Pains” and I loved her work on Kav Temperley’s album, Machines of Love & Grace. She also wowed at BIGSOUND and earned a stack of nominations at the WAM Awards. So I’m thrilled that she’s delivering one more single this year, the gorgeous new cut “How Does It Feel?” It’s got more of a rock edge than her previous releases. I really hope she leans more into that genre, because her voice is perfect for it.

“I had the lyrics for a while and wrote the melody and chords after watching a Baby Animals documentary. I was so inspired by Suzie DeMarchi and her powerful vocals and just pure rock n roll energy, so I wanted to recreate it in my own way,” Siobhan explained.

“‘How Does It Feel’ is about being with someone that doesn’t give you exactly what you deserve. Instead of returning the love you give them, they just take it and take you for granted. The message I want listeners to take away from this song is to never change for someone else and know your worth.”

Siobhan is currently on tour to support the single’s release. Catch her at one of the remaining shows:

16 December 2022 – Mojos Bar, Walyalup/Fremantle
30 December 2022 – Settlers Tavern, Wooditchup/Margaret River (FREE)
1 January 2022 – Clancy’s, Quedjinup/Dunsborough

Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Jarrad Levy

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

The ARIA Awards 2022 Wrap

So the dust has settled on the ARIA Awards for another year and it seems like everyone has an opinion. I can’t help but feel like most of those opinions come from people who haven’t taken the time to listen to a new Australian album in years who simply want to reminisce about the “good old days”. That’s not to say that the awards were perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I hardly think they’re the shambles that many made them out to be. Most of the performances were solid and a fantastic showcase for the diversity of Australian music today. I also thought Natalie Imbruglia, G-Flip, and Ruel, who stepped in at the 11th hour when Lewis Capaldi pulled out, were personable hosts.

Having said that: Christian Wilkins and Froomes – you had one job. I don’t know whether a few glasses of vino made them a little too relaxed, but there’s really no excuse for getting album names wrong. Multiple times. While they got the tributes for Uncle Archie Roach and Judith Durham so right, Olivia Newton-John deserved better. It felt like a number from the Schools Spectacular, not a professional celebration of the life of one of Australia’s most loved artists. I was disappointed to see Gang of Youths go home empty-handed, but thrilled for Baker Boy and The Wiggles’ wins.

Anyway, if you missed the awards or you simply want to check the correct names of those albums, here are all the winners.

Album of the Year: Baker Boy – Gela
Best Solo Artist: Baker Boy
Best Group: Amyl and the Sniffers
Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist: King Stingray
Best Independent Release: Archie Roach – One Song
Best Pop Release: The Kid LAROI – “Thousand Miles”
Best Hip Hop Release: Baker Boy – Gela
Best Soul/R&B Release: Budjerah – Conversations
Best Dance/Electronic Release: Luude feat. Colin Hay – “Down Under”
Best Rock Album: Amyl and the Sniffers – Comfort To Me
Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album: The Chats – Get Fucked
Best Adult Contemporary Album: Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure
Best Country Album: Casey Barnes – Light It Up
Best Blues & Roots Album: William Crighton – Water And Dust
Best Children’s Album: The Wiggles – Rewiggled
Best Classical Album: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis – The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral Works By Carl Vine
Best Jazz Album: Mildlife – Live From South Channel Island
Best Original Soundtrack/Musical Theatre Cast Album: Australian Chamber Orchestra and Richard Tognetti – River (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Best World Album: Joseph Tawadros with William Barton – History Has A Heartbeat
Best Video: William Bleakley – “Every Side Of You” (Vance Joy)
Best Australian Live Act: The Wiggles
Song of the Year: Tones and I – “Cloudy Day”
Most Popular International Act: Harry Styles
Music Teacher Award: Matt Orchard (Apollo Bay P-12 College)
Best Cover Art: Adnate – Gela (Baker Boy)
Best Mixed Album: Pip Norman, Andrei Eremin & Dave Hammer – Gela (Baker Boy)
Best Produced Album: RÜFÜS DU SOL – Surrender (RÜFÜS DU SOL)

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

LOSER Drops First Taste of New EP, “Heaven Can Wait”

Before you hit play on LOSER’s new single “Heaven Can Wait,” hit that volume. Crank it. Trust me. This is one of those killer rock cuts that deserves to be played loud.

“This song was written back in 2019 and was intended to make it on our first album Mindless Joy. It felt like too much of a leap forward for the sound at the time but now it’s making its debut finally!” enthused the band’s frontman Tim Maxwell. “The song’s lyrics portray my feelings towards the fear of death and anxiety, back then I was an anxious wreck and always thought of the worst-case scenario in my head.”

“Heaven Can Wait” is the first track lifted from LOSER’s EP Stadium Dreams on a Bedroom Budget. Rather than dropping it all at once, LOSER is releasing each song individually right through until May 19 next year.

“The whole idea with this EP was to switch up how we’ve released music in the past,” the band explained. “We’ve always been a traditional album band, but this new EP felt like a fresh direction for us musically, so we thought it could be fun to try something a little different in the way we presented it. It’s not a collection of singles, it’s more like a Netflix TV series, where the entire body of work is designed to flow as a whole, but is presented piece by piece.”

Give LOSER follow on Spotify to make sure you don’t miss one! In addition to the songs, LOSER will also drop limited edition merc, exclusive live performance vids, and a special Golden Backstage Pass. Just like Willy Wonka’s golden tickets, this pass will be randomly inserted into one lucky merch buyer’s parcel. The lucky winner will get free tickets to any show LOSER headlines for life. Unless you’ve got the golden ticket, you’ll need to click the links to get tickets for the following shows:

12 November 2022 – Unibar, Tarntanya/Adelaide
17 November 2022 – Crowbar, Eora/Sydney

Image used with permission from beehive; credit: Ian Laidlaw

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Isabella Manfredi Drops Another Stellar Single Ahead of 2022 Album Release

After hearing her latest single “One Hit Wonder,” I could not be more excited about Isabella Manfredi’s debut solo album. Its poppy melody masks the bittersweet lyrics which say goodbye to a love that’s run its course.

“When I walked into the session for ‘One Hit Wonder’ in March 2020, two weeks before the pandemic really hit, The Preatures had already been in limbo for eighteen months and I had been off the stage and in stalemate,” she recounted. “The day before the session I had been in the studio with G Flip, Jess B and Thandi Phoenix for Like a Version, and I came home from rehearsals energised and inspired. I sat down at my piano and wrote the prechorus and chorus, and over the next few days I finished ‘One Hit Wonder’ with Chris Collins and Lucy Taylor. I remember it feeling tongue-in-cheek at the time, like maybe it could be a Preatures song. But I was really saying I was done with the band before I was ready to admit it to myself. I think sometimes it can be hard to swallow that the strongest thing you can do is cut your losses and walk away. It’s also right to acknowledge when something truly was wondrous and leave it at that.”

Isabella Manfredi’s solo album will drop next year. Until then, crank this one up!

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia; credit: Maclay Heriot

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Find Music and Mental Health Tips With “Scrub Sessions”

As restrictions ease further today in New South Wales, it can be easy to forget much of Australia is still doing it tough. With the Central Coast lumped back into Greater Sydney, I’m still separated from my family in Newcastle. I’ve spoken to friends in Melbourne who find looking at the images from Sydney a little hard to take. Their restrictions will ease on Friday, but with daily cases at close to 2,000, many still don’t feel confident venturing out. People focus on mental health while we’re all locked down, but I think it’s something that will concern us for some time as we try to navigate the new normal. So I was thrilled to discover Scrub Sessions, a cool podcast series focusing on music and wellness from the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

There are three episodes so far, including the latest featuring doctor and singer-songwriter Gordi. Here’s an awesome musical performance from that episode.

Hosted by the head and founder of the hospital’s Scrub Choir Dr Emma O’Brien OAM, all the episodes feature interviews and music, including some great wellness tips.

“Scrub Sessions aim to lift the spirits of our staff, patients and community,” Dr O’Brien explained. “It’s been a long difficult road for us all, and it is at these times, more than ever, that we need to stay connected and celebrate small moments of joy, working together to face the multiple health, physical, mental and emotional challenges brought on by the pandemic – Scrub Sessions aim to keep the hope alive.”

If you need a pick-me-up, I thoroughly recommend checking the Scrub Sessions out on YouTube or your favourite digital streaming platform.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

iyah may Impresses With New Acoustic Version of “XO Girl”

I love the way an acoustic rendition can make me appreciate a song that initially passed me by. iyah may’s “XO Girl” didn’t grab me when it was originally released, but I’ve fallen in love with her new acoustic take.

This version sees iyah strip away the swagger. With only a gentle keyboard accompaniment, I can appreciate her vocals, lyrics, and the song’s pretty melody. It brings a real gravity to this song that I missed before.

iyah will debut her live show this October at The Grass is Greener Festival at Cairns Showground.

Image used with permission from Island Records Australia

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Grand Pine Announce Long-Awaited Album

It’s been a long time coming, but after teasing us with single releases for the last three years, Grand Pine’s debut album is almost here. Hold Me Down drops on September 24. If you aren’t across Grand Pine’s music yet, this video shows you why you should get excited about more music from this Melbourne band.

This video captures Grand Pine performing one of their previous singles, “Back in Town” at Bighouse Arts. It showcases their talent for creating beautiful music that seamlessly blends pop, folk, and rock influences in the vein of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes. Expect more of this magic on the forthcoming album.

Click through to pre-order a digital download, CD, or vinyl copy of Grand Pine’s Hold Me Down now.

Image used with permission from Brain Drain PR