Fair Maiden
Experimental folk
Bedroom Suck affiliates Fair Maiden experiment with various forms of folk music. Their 2014 LP sees them move from the austerity of gothic folk to the wonky stomp of freak folk and into the choral enchantments of psych folk. All up, it’s pretty folking sweet.
Thursday March 3 – Format – Adelaide, SA
Sans Parents
Power pop
This Brisbane-via-Sydney foursome might be free of parental strictures, but they’re a disciplined bunch. They have a knack for taming the melodic sensibilities of power pop’s leading exponents – from Big Star to Cheap Trick, Sleater-Kinney to the New Pornographers – into stupidly addictive three minute slabs. So far they’ve only released three recordings, but those are enough to have us begging for an album.
Thursday March 3 – Black Bear Lodge – Brisbane, QLD
Julian Teakle
Post punk
I can’t tell you much about Julian Teakle’s solo work, but based off his other projects, it’s well worth our curiosity. Alongside vocalist Chloe Escott, he’s currently a member of The Native Cats, who’re an inventive electro post punk band not afraid to make audiences uncomfortable. Prior to that he played with the jagged post punk outfit The Bad Luck Charms.
Thursday March 3 – Brisbane Hotel – Hobart, TAS
Patrick James
Indie folk
Patrick James exists on well-trod territory. His earnest indie folk/alt-country follows the lead of Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell and contemporaries Boy & Bear. But James’ debut LP Outlier isn’t limited by the example of his antecedents. Rather it’s a work of diverse instrumentation, which introduces James’ unique songwriting voice.
Saturday March 5 – Transit – Canberra, NSW
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The Good Sports
Alt-pop
There’s a VHS hue hanging over The Good Sports’ tunes. They produce sprightly indie pop numbers decorated with squiggles of pastel colour, which are depictive of a fuzzy, bent imagination.
Friday March 4 – The Foundry – Brisbane, QLD
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Big Bad
Echo Indie rock
In the past I’ve faulted Big Bad Echo for struggling to escape their influences. They’re virtuous influences, to be sure – touching on the rhythmic gloom-indie of The National and the wired-guy vocal demeanour of Kurt Vile. But on their It Takes A Big Dog to Weigh a Tonne EP, the songwriting manages to shine of its own accord.
Friday March 4 – Oxford Art Factory – Sydney, NSW
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Urthboy
Hip hop
Say what you will about the linchpins of Aussie hip hop’s early-‘00s commercial breakthrough – it’s hard not to like Urthboy. Although a key member of The Herd, Urthboy’s greatest success has been as a solo artist. In this context he gives The Herd’s political conscience a hugely endearing personal bent. He has a new LP landing this weekend, which he’ll be previewing with full band on the eve of its release.
Thursday March 3 – Northcote Social Club – Melbourne, VIC
Madeline Leman and The Desert Swells
Americana
The prospect of going to see country music often sounds as promising as taking a job in door-to-door sales, but that’s not the case with Madeline Leman. The Melburnian songwriter likes her Americana with a side of soul and a dash of freewheelin’ surf rock groove. The Desert Swells are no mere backing band either; featuring vocalist Leah Senior and guitarist Fabian Hunter, they help lift Leman’s songs to the point of conviviality.
Sunday March 6 – Barkly Square – Melbourne, VIC
The Horns of Leroy
Hot jazz
Lovers of Dixieland rejoice: The Horns of Leroy have everything you crave. The party-oriented brass band formed to enliven a series of New Orleans street parties. They’ve since made their way around the nation’s festival circuit, but they’ve stayed true to the funk, soul and trad jazz that sparked their formation.
Sunday March 6 – The B.East – Melbourne, VIC
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The Love Junkies
Rock
18 months on from their Blowing on the Devil’s Strumpet LP, Perth quartet The Love Junkies are back with the single ‘Nobody’. They’ve travelled the world in the wake of the aforementioned record, but that’s done nothing to sterilise their filth-ridden pub pop.
Sunday March 6 – The Bird – Perth, WA
