Reviews

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emmy-manning-wide _{Emmy Etie photo}

The tour is almost over and the verdicts are in following a re-tooling of the line-up with the controversial omission of guitarist Chris Masuak. We present divergent views of the sold-out Australian run of Radio Birdman shows.

Go here to read an appraisal of the Adelaide gig by Robert Brokenmouth and here to read Edwin Garland's read-out on the band's two Melbourne gigs. You can leave comments on both reviews. Photos are by Emmy Etie and Kyleigh Pitcher.

Details: By The Barman; 12 November 2014; Hits: 13661

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13.6k views

fistful The cover - taken by Lydia Lunch - shows the ruins of an ancient desert city. Could be Jericho. Whether Jericho is in the Mid-East or the West of the USA makes little difference. We’re dealing with perennial humanity in a perilous place with a mythological backdrop. But, you know, the Israelis and the Palestinians are still killing each other, and as I say, it’s a big thing on a big, operatic stage with no solution and no apparent beginning, never mind end…

… and there are plenty of abandoned towns in Australia… it doesn’t take much, just a bit of intolerance and a bit of ignorance, and idealism for a hopeless, not very sensible cause…

Details: By The Barman; 04 September 2014; Hits: 12124

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12.1k views

bloodyholliesjpg If one of those great, booze-soaked rock and roll weekends like Garage Shock or the Las Vegas Shakedown were still a going concern (correct me if I'm wrong and one of them still is ) the Bloody Hollies would have been one of those bands that came in unheralded, blew everyone away and sold a ton at the merch table. And anyone who picked this album up would have been plenty satisfied 'cos it's 30 minutes of fire-breathin' punk fury.

Details: By Andrew Molloy; 05 January 2014; Hits: 10831

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10.8k views

Badlanding – East Coast Low (Crankinhaus Records)

It’s been a decade since they formed and four years since East Coast Low hit their straps on the “Seas on Fire” album, and “Badlanding” shows a band that’s even more self-assured and in control.

Is it coincidence that some of the best Australian albums of the last few years have come from satellite cities of Sydney? “Badlanding” proves that East Coast Low are as good as anything to have emerged from the grit-flecked city of Newcastle in the last 30 years.

“Badlanding” rocks hard but has an unmistakable swagger. With Rob Younger at the production helm, its varied collection of songs sounds powerful and coherent and there’s an array of sonic exclamation points apparent. Rick O’Neill’s mastering widens the soundscape nicely with no loss of edge.

Details: By The Barman; 08 September 2025; Hits: 2097

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2k views

Trauma Magnet – Van Ruin (Crankinhaus Records)

This is a searing debut album from a high-energy Sydney band with roots in the Northern Beaches. The influences are obvious but you’d be a mug to pigeonhole it as the work of another Radio Birdman rip-off (and let’s face it - Sydney’s had more than a few.) There’s depth to the songwriting on “Trauma Magnet”, a dash of pop and a fluid strength to the playing that belies the band being around for only about a year.

It would be a shock if there wasn’t a passing resemblance to the New Christs in songs like the full-throttle “Bury Me”, soaring video-single “Better Now” and ever-so country-tinged driving tune “Chrissie”. Big Al Creed was a member of one of that band’s most enduring line-ups and his distinctive tone and high-tensile guitar solos are all over “Trauma Magnet”. His clear-eyed production also scores a bullseye.

Details: By The Barman; 07 September 2025; Hits: 2397

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2.3k views

Shout It On The Mountain – Neverland Ranch Davidians (Heavy Medication Records)

Any band with a name that fucks with the memories of cult leaders Michael Jackson and David Koresh in equal measures has to have something going for it. Snappy nomenclature is one thing, but this Los Angeles outfit also has substance to back it up.

Neverland Ranch Davidians trade in scuzzy punk rock intertwined with funk and greasy R ‘n’ B. “Shout It On The Mountain” is their second long-player and it’s on Polish label Heavy Medication, a refuge for acts like The Primevals, Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, The Meatbeaters and Pat Todd.

Details: By The Barman; 23 August 2025; Hits: 5013

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5k views

Keep Moving – Xani (Live At Fight Night Records)

It’s been a month since I saw Xani at The Recital Hall in Sydney, in support of John Cale. Those in attendance that I’ve spoken to were blown away by the lone figure on stage with her Irish jig footwork and extraordinary violin playing.

That night Xani produced a vast array of sounds from that tiny instrument. Of course, in a studio with multi-track recording, an artist doesn’t need the same level of complexity, timing and, in Xani’s case, looping. I suspect the songs in a studio setting came first and looping is a means of reproducing a wild tapestry of sounds when playing live.

Details: By Ed Garland; 18 August 2025; Hits: 5442

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5.4k views

Revenge – Plastic Section (Chaputa Records)

If you ask us, “refinement” and “Rock and Roll” make strange bedfellows and Melbourne’s Plastic Section is a case in point. This retro trio is so out of kilter with 99.999 percent of the straight musical world that it hurts. And in a time where music is an ever debased commodity, that is very much a good thing.

Plastic Section take their lead from rockabilly, rough-edged R&B and ‘50s rock and roll. “Revenge” is their album nomenclature, but reverb is their religion and they worship at the altar of Link Wray.

It should be no surprise. The band’s lineage is in outfits like The Exotics, Wrong Turn, The Wraylettes, Wet Ones and Girl Monstar. They probably wouldn’t have existed over the course of a couple of albums and an EP in any Australian city other than Melbourne.

Details: By The Barman; 16 August 2025; Hits: 6900

1 comment

6.9k views

LightHeavyWeight 3 - Jack Howard (self released)

If you don't know who Jack Howard is, I can only assume you are a newcomer to Australian music, and probably a newcomer to this website. For the benefit of the uninitiated, he played trumpet with Hunters & Collectors, toured the world with Midnight Oil as their multi-instrumentalist and has played with the likes of Rodriguez, The Violent Femmes, The Living End, You Am I, Tex Perkins and Kate Ceberano.

So let's move straight away to the nitty-gritty. It's the music, it's the beat, it's the soul. Those are the only things that matter.

Details: By Robert Brokenmouth; 10 August 2025; Hits: 4850

0 comments

4.8k views

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