10 ARTISTS TO CATCH LIVE THIS WEEK(END)
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Mixdown Magazine

10 ARTISTS TO CATCH LIVE THIS WEEK(END)

EDIT VZkgyGeVWK5_DPqtsnqp0mup-ipedY27WYVPHC1BVww,FuKKlSOpBcQf-XkPQOYfT_xJdhaD7ot4Cjxz3l2-21A.jpg

LOW LUX 

Indie pop

 

Low Lux make pretty smooth downtempo dream pop. They’re no slouches when it comes to weaving in arresting melodies, but they don’t slam anything down your throat. The group’s new single ‘Ruin’ is an elegant and subtly propulsive piece of atmospheric guitar pop, which shimmers around in your internal melody-bank long after its three-and-a-half minutes are up.

 

 

Thursday August 27 – ANU Bar – Canberra, ACT

 

FACEBOOK | UNEARTHED | YOUTUBE

 

JAALA

Pazz & junk

 

There’s a definite technical know-how that underpins Jaala’s tunes. But the Melbourne outfit – fronted by Mangelwurzel’s Cosima Jaala – are far more playful than they are academic. Amid jazz chords and punky fearlessness, Jaala convey a sense of fun and patent affection for pop song dynamics.  

 

 

Thursday August 27 – The Bird – Perth, WA

 

SOUNDCLOUD | FACEBOOK

 

THE SHIFTERS

Freak pop

 

The Shifters make indie guitar pop that leans to the left of centre. Though it’s not as if they contrive for weirdness or labour to inject avant garde quirk. This simply seems like their natural format of expression, which is evidenced by the fact that no matter how skewwhiff things get, it all remains neatly accessible.

 

 

Friday August 28 – The Tote – Melbourne, VIC

 

FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP

 

KIMONONO

Experimental dream pop

 

‘Experimental’ is a misleading tag, isn’t it? Surely every creation is in some sense experimental – even if it’s rigidly calculated pop music, it’s still an experiment to see if anyone responds to it. With regards to Adelaide’s Kimonono, I use the word in reference to the way their dreamy pop follows a reasonably straight course, yet is filled with enough misty fumes to keep you guessing where the next turn will lead.

 

 

Saturday August 29 – Hotel Metro – Adelaide, SA

 

BANDCAMP | TIMELINE | UNEARTHED | SOUNDCLOUD

 

THE TAMBOURINE GIRLS

Psych pop

 

What ever happened to Sydney psych-pop exemplars Deep Sea Arcade? Responsible for an album of greatest hits-worthy tunes, they ain’t made much noise for a couple of years. The Tambourine Girls’ lineup offers some clues; featuring three former and current DSA members, these guys deal in a similar brand of jangly psych pop. Though, they’re more willing to let things follow a windy path, and evoke melodic semblance such ‘90s acts as Teenage Fanclub.

 

 

Saturday August 29 – Republic Bar – Hobart, TAS

 

FACEBOOK | SOUNDCLOUD | TWITTER

 

SPOONBILL

Gleefully absurd dance music

 

Spoonbill isn’t a new addition to this country’s electronic music ranks, but he’s been making engrossing avant-dance music since long before such sounds permeated the nation’s club scene. While he’s known for eccentrically fusing found sounds, field recordings and deep bass grooves, the new LP Tinkerbox is an impressively understated outing.

 

 

Saturday August 29 – Woolly Mammoth – Brisbane, QLD

 

SPOONBILL | FACEBOOK

 

LOWTIDE

Dream-gaze

 

Lowtide are easily placed into shoegaze/dream pop category. There’s a patent link between the Melbourne band’s debut LP – last year’s Lowtide – and the hazy sounds dispersed out of the UK in the early-‘90s. But despite this sonic semblance, they’re not just paying homage. Lowtide’s unique identity is in striking effect on their latest single Julia. The song is actually a cover, but they re-present with undeniable relevance.

 

 

Sunday August 30 – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, VIC

 

FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP | SOUNDCLOUD

 

THE GOVERNMENT YARD

Protest punk

 

It’s no secret punk rock has some of the most conservative followers out of any musical style. Conservative, at least, in terms of what they believe constitutes ‘punk’. Perth’s The Government Yard embody punk’s original spirit in that they don’t waste any space. Their songs take issue with compulsive land clearing and the general sterility of urban society. And they’re chiefly motivated to write and perform by a sense of necessity, rather than stylistic uniformity.

 

 

Sunday August 30 – Mojos – Perth, WA

 

FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | UNEARTHED

 

THE BOMBAY ROYALE

Bollywood surf funk

 

Inspired by composers such as R. D. Burman and Kalyanji-Anandji, Melbourne musician Andy Williamson was compelled to start a band that paid homage to the Bollywood soundtracks of the ‘60s and ‘70s. That was roughly five years ago and The Bombay Royale have since become Melbourne’s – OK, Australia’s – premier Bollywood-inspired theatrical superforce. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s serious and the tunes are lovingly crafted.

 

 

Sunday August 30 – Estonian House – Melbourne, VIC

 

YOUTUBE | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK

 

TERZA MADRE

Italo-pop

 

Terza Madre is a whole pack of savvy Sydney musos having a go at Italian pop tunes of the late ‘60s and ‘70s. Perhaps that sounds a touch obscure – and ‘60s/’70s Italian pop wasn’t a realm of innocuous ditties – but this is pretty hard not to fall in love with. The music’s tense emotional undercurrent is compounded in a live setting.

 

 

Sunday August 30 – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, NSW

 

SOUNDCLOUD | FACEBOOK

 

Recommended