News: The Cult – Celebrate 30 Years Since the Release of Sonic Temple
Two years before the 1989 release of ‘Sonic Temple’, The Cult shocked many of their goth-tinged indie followers with the release of ‘Electric’, a hard rock-infused blast of an album that subverted many of the indie rock tropes. Introducing distorted riffs, wild guitar solos and posturing more befitting a heavy metal devil-worshiping rock band, this …
Album Review: Purple Mountains – Purple Mountains
David Berman – the singer/songwriter behind Purple Mountains – has form. Very good form. He was originally in the legendary Silver Jews formed along with Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich in the late eighties and Purple Mountains – both the band and the album – is the first sign of life since the Silver …
Album Review: Gena Rose Bruce – Can’t Make You Love Me
Since covering her single ‘Blazing Radio’ back in 2014, we here at Backseat Mafia have keenly followed the career of Melbourne’s Gena Rose Bruce and it is with great joy to declare her debut album, ‘Can’t Make You Love Me’, a promise strongly delivered. There can be no doubt that Bruce’s style has matured and …
Album Review: Hatchie – Keepsake
Hatchie’s debut album is remarkable: a mature, perfectly crafted pop masterpiece that, while drawing in a range of shimmering dream pop influences, is peerless and unique.
Live: Anna Calvi – Dark Mofo Festival, Hobart
Anna Calvi, described by Brian Eno as ‘the best thing since Patti Smith’, put on an absolutely blistering show at Dark Mofo this year. A combination of a mesmerising wild stage presence, virtuoso guitar shredding and an operatic voice that mixed scaling dizzy heights with impassioned screaming, Calvi was the complete package. Covering mostly songs …
Premiere: Manwomanchild – Bellwether
We are delighted to premiere the new track from Manwomanchild, the work of singer/songwriter David Child. ‘Bellwether’ is a charming, wry song on the human condition with a bouncy, ringing refrain and a celestial chorus. You can detect a strong genetic line from the Kinks via XTC to the Lightning Seeds: all very British despite …
Track: jade imagine – Remote Control plus album and tour news
Melbourne’s jade imagine have released a new single ‘Remote Control’ and announced news of their debut album to be called ‘Basic Love’ released through Courtney Barnette’s Milk! Records and Marathon Artists. ‘Remote Control’ swiftly follows the impressive single ‘Big Old House’ released last month and ups the ante: this is an exciting new band. The …
Album Review: syrup, go on – Last Light
The delightfully named syrup, go on have already caught our attention with their sparkling debut single ‘Don’t Go (Riding Down the Cosmic Drain)’ and they have just released their debut album ‘Last Light’. And it’s fantastic. Syrup, go on have developed without doubt one of the most creative sounds around under the loose veil of …
Live: FKA Twigs – Dark Mofo Festival
FKA Twigs ended her gig as she started: alone and unadorned: a remarkable rendition of her current single ‘Cellophane’. In the vast cavernous Mac2 hall on Hobart’s waterside in the midst of the outrageous and ambitious Dark Mofo Festival, she put on a mesmerising performance that made the big venue intimate and kept the crowd …
Live: Dirty Three- Dark Mofo Festival
Dirty Three were recently called ‘one of the world’s greatest living bands’. It’s simply true. It was 1pm on a Sunday over the Dark Mofo weekend, the first of two gigs in one day for the band. I pondered, given their duties later on, whether the band would hold back, keep their powder dry, for …