I wish I could remember more of the first half of the year… Not sure if I should blame the Melbourne Bitter longnecks. Likely culprit. This is pretty close to a Top 10..
Big love to all involved in the SoundPressing projects and tours throughout the year. In particular Mark Spinks (Gravel Samwidge) and Skeleton Boy (Art Gray Noizz Quintet) who spurred an incredible split 7” that was mail ordered and posted to all corners of the globe.
Charlie Owen. Photo by Kidman.
Fantastic to have I-94 Bar help with the Charlie Owen "Searching For Charlie Owen" tour on the East Coast as well. Thanks Barman. Those shows were fantastic and well received. Ed Garland nailed it with his review. Charlie will be in Tasmania late Feb, too.
Could 2025 be the year that the 12” EP makes a comeback? Fingers crossed for more! A couple of EP’s made my list which sort of fell under the radar. Maybe?
Kim Salmon’s Smoked Salmon – "The Antenna of Beastly Science"
Six tracks that Kim has self-covered with his band Smoked Salmon. Rediscovering: The Scientists, Surrealists, Beasts of Bourbon and Antenna.
Tricky to find locally but released through Japanese label Black Hole. Worth a dig or available internationally here.
Dave McCormack & The Polaroids – "Get Old"
Some seriously catchy tracks here. A far enough leap from Custard but close enough to home. A revisited "Billionaire Adventurer Balloonist" is enough to warrant attendance to any of his live shows. Try your local record store for a copy!
Monterey Honey – "Monterey Honey"
Ashley Naylor teams up with UK virtuoso David Preston. (Both of these guys are virtuosos aren’t they!?!) It's an impressive listen and you could be forgiven for thinking Even might be running under a moniker. 4-tracks 45RPM - $40 bucks. Grab a copy here.
The Beasts – "Be Suburban" Live EP
Got lucky here. Right place, right time, right pitch. This EP was intended to help bring the live audience back to shows. Their live shows were epic and I reckon they nailed the setlist choice. Available at shows only. A handful of copies withheld to help see some make it to their fanbase overseas. 300 units. Vinyl colours inspired by strains of pot. Talking about The Beasts...How about their LP that dropped in December…
The Beasts – "Ultimo"
Fucking hell. Unfortunately/fortunately We all know what’s going on with James. What a legend taking the inevitable in his stride. The band must be stoked to have this one under their belt. Dark themes delivered fantastically. Would love to hear these tracks live.
The Saints 73-78 // Princess Theatre, Brisbane
Caught two of the Brisbane shows – Nuts. Ticked every box as a fan. The horn section included as production was a real treat. "Nights in Venice": what a closer! Also, The box set that In The Red put out to complement the tour is a seriously top shelf offering representing serious value for money. The package is 5* with the vinyl pressed at Pallas, Germany. Nailed it.
Wilco – Princess Theatre, Brisbane
Attended both shows they served up by a band that fails to disappoint. However, It’s easy to feel disappointed upon first listening to a new Wilco LP, they deserve repeated plays. Unsuspecting earworms are planted and when seeing these songs come to life in a live setting, its hard not to be drawn back to their catalogue. Watching and hearing "Via Chicago" as an encore opener on night one…it was beyond bent.
Brisbane Lions 2024 Finals Campaign
What a finals series. Unpredictable turnarounds / recovery. I don’t think anyone was predicting such a one sided Grand Final day but what a team performance. Cal Ah-Chee is a bit of a superstar here at SoundPressing HQ. Norm Smith was in my mind that day.
LP’s
Chimers – "Through Today"
Transfers to stage back and back again. Hard working band!
The Stems – "Heads Up" (Vinyl Re-issue)
Thanks Cheersquad.’The live show was off the hook, too. Red hot…still!
