Live: Einstürzende Neubauten – Dark Mofo Festival , Hobart, Tasmania, 17 June 2017
The last time I saw Blixa Bargeld, the lead singer of Einstürzende Neubauten (literal translation “Falling New Buildings), he was moonlighting with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. He was a gaunt, terrifying presence on stage with a piercing, eviscerating stare and dressed in a rubber butcher’s apron and battering, not playing, guitar. Here in …
Track: Hatchie -Try
A gorgeous portion of shimmering, melancholic summer has just come out of Brisbane, Australia in the form of “Try, the debut single from local Hatchie, the project of Harriette Pilbeam. “Try” really is a delight and a joy to listen to: anthemic, pounding indie pop with just a little hint of yearning. This was only …
EP and Interview: Stingy Brim
One of Backseat Mafia’s favourite bands from New Zealand is Modern Chair– a collaboration between two veterans of the NZ music scene, Andrew Thorne and Wayne Bell. Modern Chair can best be described (and indeed have been) – as dirty, stomping squalls of pure joy laced with a healthy attitude redolent of sweaty leather jackets …
Live: Mogwai – Dark Mofo Festival, Hobart Tasmania, 10 June 2017
There was a full moon, it was bitingly cold, there was siren-singing over loudspeakers at dusk with weird lights on the horizon across Hobart, the town at the edge of the southern world. The streets were filled with roaming packs moving from one art installation to another, amassing at the indulgent medieval Winter Feast and …
Live Review: The Underground Lovers, Northcote Social Club 12.05.17 Plus Gallery
Deep in the heartland of the (apparently) hipsterville suburb of Northcote in Melbourne and the hometown of the Underground Lovers: there couldn’t be a better place to witness the launch of the band’s second phase second album, “Staring at You Staring at Me” (reviewed by Backseat Mafia here). From the very start, it felt like …
Track: The National – The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness, plus Album /Tour news
Following some mysterious posts on their social networks, The National have just announced a new album – their seventh studio album – entitled “Sleep Well Beast”, due out on 8 September 2017 through 4AD. The song list is: 1. Nobody Else Will Be There 2. Day I Die 3. Walk It Back 4. The System …
EP Review: The Dollar Bill Murrays – Always On
The Brisbane quartet, The Dollar Bill Murrays, may have a quaintly amusing moniker but on the strength of this EP, they are not here just for fun. This is a strong guitar-driven, melodically powerful EP that shows a high level of maturity and portends a great future. Singer Felix Lindgren has that yelpy, louche delivery …
Live Review: The All Seeing Hand at Schmørgåsbaag, Hobart, Sunday, 23 April 2017
In the early evening on a Sunday at the very edge of the world, a fitting place to witness an extraordinary performance from New Zealand band The All Seeing Hand. I had already recently noted the remarkable level of talent coming out of New Zealand in my recent review of Fazerdaze, and The All Seeing …
Track – Velvet Flare – Animal
Straight out of Brisbane and seemingly via the tenements of London comes Velvet Flare with “Animal”, a visceral, angry stab of glam rock that has all the hallmarks of an Antipodean Suede. Singer Paul English has a soaring voice, complete with eviscerating lyrics, that moves effortlessly into a falsetto over a chugging guitar. The accompanying …
Album Review: The Underground Lovers – Staring at you Staring at Me
In 2013, after a nine year hiatus, Melbourne’s legendary The Underground Lovers returned triumphantly with the album “Weekend” – listed as one of Backseat Mafia’s favourite releases for that year. Luckily, this time round we have not been kept waiting so long – four years later and they are back in business with the release …