NEWS
Premieres / Exclusives
Premiere: Nipaluna/Hobart’s Nice House want to get away as they take us on a fish-eye’s view of new single, Holiday
Backseat Mafia are proud to present the video for popular Hobart indie pop-rockers Nice House‘s latest single, Holiday. The band, known for their exuberant live performances have been…
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Premiere: MEGZ has your summer soundtrack sorted with On My Body
Sydney’s MEGZ has Australian summer firmly in her sights, and Backseat Mafia is delighted to premiere her irresistible new single, On My Body. Packed with infectious hooks, a driving…
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Premiere: Pollyman’s George Carroll Wilson struts, stomps and handclaps his way out of life’s endless loop on glam power-pop single ‘Walking In Circles’
Troubles have a nasty habit of turning up again, like bad pennies and old flames. Just when you think you’ve swept them out the door, there they are at the breakfast table, grinning back at…
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Premiere: Tig takes one more breathtaking turn on the ‘Ferris Wheel’ as she announces debut album ‘It’s Time We Met’
Every friendship has a ritual that keeps it alive long after the everyday closeness has gone. For Melbourne singer-songwriter Tig, it’s the queue for the Meredith Eye, the Ferris wheel…
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Premiere: ‘Take It On Notice’ – Al Carr exclusively unveils his driving new single ahead of new album ‘Colour To The Flame’.
We are honoured to bring you an exclusive listen to the new single ‘Take It On Notice’ from veteran artist Al Carr: a frequent artist on our pages. ‘Take It On Notice’…
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Track / Video
Track: Quivers unveil jangle pop delight ‘Bottle The Nervous’ ahead of Australian, UK and European dates.
The ever shimmering sounds of Quivers return with their brilliant new single ‘Bottle The Nervous’: an absolutely enthralling slice of jangle pop pie that sparkles like the stars in…
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Track: Christine and the Queens returns with disco-charged new single and 2027 album on the way
Christine and the Queens is back, and disco is firmly on the agenda. The French pop provocateur has released a new single, Rendez-vous avec toi / Rendez-vous in your arms, in both French and…
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Track: A. Swayze and the Ghosts feel the ‘Hot Sun’ in a blaze of strutting glory ahead of live dates.
The imitable A. Swayze and the Ghosts return with a surprise single drop that delivers a searing look at the horrors of climate and the seemingly indifference of the populace. According to the…
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Album Reviews
EP Review: The Great Emu War Casualties make a rapid fire return with the thrilling EP ‘Mal du siècle’
Earlier this year, The Great Emu War Casualties (TGEWC) released their debut album ‘Public Sweetheart No. 1’ to great acclaim (reviewed by me here, and described as being an album filled with…
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Album Review: TINGO – ‘Medvind Modvind’: Naturally flowing Nordic jazz-folk which shimmers with a fresh perspective.
Nordic Jazz has always created spaciousness, the musician’s engrained connection to their homeland landscape and climate always seeping through no matter what direction they are taking. From…
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Album Review: The Argon Room conjure a dark, glistening requiem in the long shadow of Bowie on debut ‘Algorithms For Happiness’
David Bowie died on 10 January 2016. Within days, a grief-stricken Simon Starling had written half of an album. The rest came more slowly, composed in what the band call the longer shadow of…
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Album Review: Slough – ‘Slough’: All the way from Kitchener, power pop and scuzzy rock get a spirited refresh.
We Are Busy Bodies partner label Having Fun hit the ground running by unleashing a blast of unfettered new indie rock last year from the likes of Absolute Losers and The Boojums. Thankfully…
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Album Review: Nothing is missing from The Church’s sparkling magnum opus ‘Lacuna’.
Will no-one think of the poor music reviewer? Steve Kilbey’s prolific output is matched only by the sheer quality of his songwriting, whether with The Church, solo or in collaboration with…
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Album Review: Naarm/Melbourne’s USER send out a dark transmission from a world coming undone on fourth album ‘EXTINCTION’
Down here in Hobart, the thylacine is never far from view. It’s on the number plates, the beer labels and the state coat of arms, a striped ghost that refuses to leave the room. So I felt a…
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Interviews
Meet: Where did that come from? Midge Ure (Ultravox, Visage and Live Aid) talks to us about his unfinished business and his treasured legacy.
Ahead of his rescheduled Australian tour on the Catalogue: The Hits tour, the Ultravox frontman talks with me about Joe Dolce, Scottish tenacity, and why he refuses to sulk through Vienna. The…
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Meet: Stacy Jones on art respecting art and not overthinking
Stacy Jones on playing live, art respecting art and not overthinking
#americanhifi #stacyjones #rockmusic #interview #livemusic
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Meet: Kirk Brandon predicted the future. But no-one was listening
Spear of Destiny's Kirk Brandon is on tour right now. We got together to talk about Chelsea, reclaiming the music and seeing into the future…
#kirkbrandon #spearofdestiny #interview…
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Interview: It’s Not a Documentary — It’s an Act: Baxter Dury on Nepotism, Performance and the Strange Theatre of Modern Life
When I last saw Baxter Dury, it was during Dark Mofo in Hobart — a setting whose nocturnal weirdness felt oddly perfect for his particular brand of dry, late-night storytelling. Over the past…
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Feature: Fokofpolisiekar Reflect on Swanesang at 20 as Australian & NZ Tour Extends Legacy
South African punk band Fokofpolisiekar reflect on Swanesang 20 years on, as Hunter Kennedy discusses identity, rebellion and taking the band's music to audiences in Australia and New Zealand.
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Meet: A.S. Fanning Talks About His New Album ‘Take Me Back To Nowhere’
On his fourth studio album Take Me Back To Nowhere, A.S. Fanning sounds both unmoored and quietly resolute. Drawing inspiration from science-fiction, experimental sound worlds, and a newly…
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Features / Playlists
News: Hard-Fi to Headline Harlequins’ Big Summer Kick-Off at Allianz Stadium
British indie heavyweights Hard-Fi are set to return to their South West London stomping grounds this May. The Staines-formed outfit has been confirmed as the headline act…
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Interview: It’s Not a Documentary — It’s an Act: Baxter Dury on Nepotism, Performance and the Strange Theatre of Modern Life
When I last saw Baxter Dury, it was during Dark Mofo in Hobart — a setting whose nocturnal weirdness felt oddly perfect for his particular brand of dry, late-night storytelling. Over the past…
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Feature: Backseat Mafia’s photographic tribute to Bluesfest Byron Bay
For four years, Backseat Mafia has covered Bluesfest Byron Bay, an iconic event on the Australian music calendar. On March 13th, just three weeks before what would have been the 37th Bluesfest…
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Live review
Live Review: Kamelot, Exit Eden and Temperance. Manchester Ritz 03/11/2026
What an absolutely phenomenal night of live music at Manchester Ritz, with Kamelot, Exit Eden and Temperance! The Ritz provided a fantastic setting for the evening, with its distinctive…
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Live Gallery: Fleshwater and Ingrown delivered a heavy night at Melbourne’s 170 Russell 8.11.2026
Melbourne’s 170 Russell was the place to be for fans of heavy music as Massachusetts outfit Fleshwater rolled into town, supported by Idaho hardcore bruisers Ingrown. Two…
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Live Gallery: Courtney Barnett brings Creature of Habit home to Sydney Opera House 6.11.2026
Eight years ago, I was sitting in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall watching Courtney Barnett do what Courtney Barnett does best: turn the mundane details of everyday life into extraordinary…
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Live Gallery: Less Than Jake turn the Enmore Theatre into a ska-punk party with The Aquabats! and The Suicide Machines 5.11.2026
Ska-punk is alive, kicking and causing absolute mayhem at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre tonight. Less Than Jake have brought their Circus Down Under to town, with The Suicide Machines and The…
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Say Psych: Live Review: Back From The Grave!
New Century has recently opened a new room known as The Locker, a 400 capacity club space that has tonight been transformed for a tribute to the legendary NYC club CBGB. With a packed line up…
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Live Review: The Meffs & The Levellers, York Barbican 29/10/2026
There are some bands that can walk onto a stage and instantly make a venue feel like home. Bands that bring an energy, warmth and sense of togetherness that go far beyond the music itself. The…
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Film
News: First Look At Oasis’ Reunion Film Don’t Look Back In Anger
One year after Oasis stunned the music world by returning to the stage for their first live performance together in 16 years, the band’s extraordinary comeback is set to be immortalised…
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Film Review: ‘The Best Summer’ is a bittersweet time capsule of alternative music’s golden age
There is something almost unbelievable about The Best Summer. What began as footage shot casually by filmmaker Tamra Davis while accompanying the Summersault festival around Australia in 1995…
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News: Kylie Minogue opens her archives for new three-part documentary KYLIE
Some pop stars have eras. Kylie Minogue has decades. From her first rush of fame as Charlene on Neighbours to becoming one of the most reliable hitmakers in modern pop,…
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News: The life and times of William Arthur and his iconic Sydney band Glide is explored in ‘Disappear Here’, a film by Ben deHoedt.
Glide were a seminal Sydney band that burned brightly and all together too briefly in the nineties, beset by tragedy when their singer and songwriter William Arthur died at the end of that…
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Film Review: January
Winter can be a magical time of year and there’s nothing more atmospheric than a sprinkling of snow. In many places, that light covering becomes something different entirely. In Eastern…
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Sundance Review: Iron Butterflies
As we approach the first anniversary of the full Russian invasion of Ukraine, it’s easy to forget that this war didn’t start in 2022. Indeed, the (recent) troubles with Russia can be traced…
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