Even I could not fathom how engrossed and underprepared I was before watching CitizenFour and how well Laura Poitras captures Snowden, in what felt like a very intimate and close to home encounter.
The Love Junkies SXSW Fundraiser @ The Astor Lounge
Slowly but surely the crowd picked up the pace, swaying and loosening up to the brash tones of the Love Junkies newer tunes’, giving the band its cue to dive into songs from their new LP with unhinged ferocity.
Client Liaison @ Jimmy's Den, Northbridge
You'd think a band like Client Liaison, renowned for their ostentatious, seemingly unchoreocraphed music videos, would have attracted a cult following of unpolished dancers more intent on having fun that looking cool while trying to have fun. Dance on, Client Liaison. Dance harder, Perth.
Teenager I Am: The Sunnyboys at the Festival Gardens 06/03/2015
Oxley may have been a schizophrenic, and that may not be relatable to everyone, but in the crowd at the Festival Gardens the permanence with which 'Alone With You' has stayed in the lives of his fans came into full view. The excitement was so great that the Sunnyboys come out again and close the whole thing with 'The Seeker', a set of old boys reliving their glory days and revelling in their legacy. We caught 'Sunnyboys' - one of the closing acts of this years amazing Perth Festival.
"Girlhood" is a stylistic but gritty slice-of-life exploration of what it means to be a teenage girl
In a way, it can be argued that Girlhood is the spiritual successor to recent Oscar Best Picture loser Boyhood (come to think of it, both films would make the perfect double-feature for a movie night).
Cut the Sky, Sing the Land at the Regal Theatre
It is not often that you get to experience spoken word, song, contemporary and interpretive dance, visuals and theatre in the same production, but Cut the Sky delivered the goods.
“Grandma's in the House: So Don't Fuck With Me”: Neneh Cherry & RocketNumberNine at the Festival Gardens, 1/3/2015
There's much to be said for a musician who, about twenty years on from her most sustained period in the mainstream, is making music that transcends her past and avoids its tropes. We caught Neneh Cherry do her thang at Festival Gardens as part of PIAF 2015.
Sharon Van Etten & Tiny Ruins at Festival Gardens
Out on the open Festival Gardens stage, Sharon van Etten and her flawless band moved between intimate sounds and immense, synth-driven crescendos. Early in the evening the band broke into the fun and airy ‘Taking Chances’, followed by the acknowledgement of van Etten’s birthday, prompting a reflection on her disorganised Pisces nature.
Bombino at Chevron Festival Gardens
There is something truly special about seeing the first gig of a national tour. Particularly when the band is as unique as desert blues band Bombino. We caught them at the gorgeous Chevron Festival Gardens this week as part of the Perth International Arts Festival.
Available at the Counter Album Launch at the Rosemount 14/02/15
On a surprisingly cool summers night, I was excited to be spending my 14th of Feb with a group of mates at the park for a picnic. With Valentine's Day already shaping up to be a memorable one, we headed to the Rosie to see some familiar faces launch their very first studio recorded album "Hello Reality."
Steve Malkmus at Chevron Festival Gardens
It's always 1996 somewhere. By this stage, Stephen Malkmus - both solo and with the Jicks, as he is presently - is very much a known quantity. Every couple of years now he pushes out a new record of proggy, insouciant guitar songs that in trade insight and inanities ("what the senator wants! is a blowjob!") with equally shaggy fervour.
Unofficial UWA Guide - 2015 Edition
This is largely targeted at freshers, and comes people with 5+ years at UWA and mastering it's idiosyncrasies. Covering things you don't realise how much you'll care about - Parking, food and avoiding lecture attendance.
Look After Your Sexual Health & Avoid Proliferating STIs!
No doubt, you will stand aghast that it is estimated that 356,000 of Chlamydia . That so many people can suffer from an infection that is easily diagnosed and more easily treated says a lot about how our country treats sexual health.
The Rabbits
This weekend, Perth will host the world premiere of The Rabbits, a piece of operatic theatre based on the award winning illustrated book by John Marsden and Shaun Tan, as part of this year’s Perth International Arts Festival. Coproduced by the Barking Gecko Theatre Company and the Opera Australia, director John Sheedy will bring to life the chilling truths presented in “The Rabbits” about Australia’s colonial beginnings, featuring music composed by Queensland songstress Kate Miller Heidke.
The Perth Writers Festival is One of the Most Understated Events on the Cultural Calender
Writers Festival's are challenging. I left most of the sessions wondering whether writers were deliberately avoiding self-reflection, or if they were cherry-picking poignant moments in their lives to consider.
Getting 2 On with Tinashe - Review Festival Gardens 19/02/2015
What do you do with a song with a two minute guitar solo when you have no backing band? Tinashe's answer to her 'Bet' problem: Give one of your dancers a tap-dance showcase. You read that right: 'tappa, tappa, tappa'.
NEEDTOBREATHE - Live at HBF Stadium
In true southern tradition, Bear walks on with southern-styled hat on head and guitar over shoulder. The boys open with two huge tracks, one from an older album, and "State I'm In" from the recent album (Rivers in the Wasteland) and they had the audience hooked in under 10 minutes.
The Budos Band - Chevron Festival Gardens
I'll be the first to admit that I attend far less live music than I should. It's fun, it's social and most of all, it's a memory, an experience far superior to sitting on my couch soaking up some tunes. When I was given the chance to see 'The Budos Band' live it didn't take me long to rearrange the plans I already had that night to slot them in.
Perth Festival Opening Night Spoon: Review 12/02/2015
On their fifth visit to Perth, with a growing discography and a consistency unmatched by almost all of their contemporaries, it's easy to see why Daniels feels that after all these years Spoon are “doing something right”.
The Winners and Losers from St Jerome's Laneway Festival Fremantle 2015
Because people really don't read reviews properly anymore and like to just skim things, I've decided to format my 2015 Laneway review as a list of winners and losers. As usual, this is subjective, but here are my winners and losers from this years Fremantle leg of the Laneway Festival.