LEAH FLANAGAN
Pop Soul
It’s been a couple of years since we heard new tunes from Leah Flanagan, but the sweeping pop grandeur of her single ‘Everything’ still rings loudly – a full scale production with symphonic accompaniment that evokes the expanse of Rodriguez’s second LP. Interested to see what’s next from the Sydney songwriter.
Thursday April 21 – The Gasoline Pony – Sydney, NSW
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YLEM
Beats
Ylem messes around with glitch noises, vocal samples, beat trajectories and a range of other production elements to make four-four electronic music sound seriously strange. It’s somewhat unsettling, but only so far as it derails expectations and pushes you into unknown territory.
Thursday April 21 – The Bird – Perth, WA
FACEBOOK | BANDCAMP
NOIRE
Dream Pop
There’s a fawning, one-that-got-away quality to Noire’s melancholic dream pop. The Sydney band pack a host of latent emotions into their mid-tempo tunes, evoking thoughts of long drives to the centre of nowhere, presented with filmic elegance.
Friday April 22 – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, NSW
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KIM SALMON
Rock
Kim Salmon’s latest LP, My Script, is said to be his first official solo album. He’s spearheaded a shit ton of records over the last 35 years, so whether that’s just a wily marketing descriptor is up for debate. Regardless, My Script finds Salmon surrounded by full band arrangements and in the mood to rock. He heads back to home turf, Perth, this weekend, and he never fails to deliver.
Friday April 22 – Mojos – Perth, WA
FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | BANDCAMP
THE CACTUS CHANNEL
Funk/Soul
Forget the Dap-Kings, The Cactus Channel know the way to the heart of funk and soul. The Melbourne collective make curvaceous groove music, with not a hair out of place, not a bead of sweat in sight.
Saturday April 23 – Station Bar – Katoomba, NSW
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LUCY CLICHÉ
Techno
Lucy Cliché makes dark, blocky techno that’s also curiously luminous. It’s like breaking into a mansion and observing the opulence through the flashlight on your phone, heart racing for fear of getting caught. It’s super melodic, and very danceable too.
Saturday April 23 – Northcote Social Club – Melbourne, VIC
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DIAFRIX
Hip Hop
Diafrix mightn’t need an introduction, but they’ve never blown up as much as feels appropriate. The Footscray duo’s soul and dancehall-infused hip hop stirs feelings of ebullience, while offering lyrical avowals of the all-conquering power of unity.
Sunday April 24 – Northcote Social Club – Melbourne, VIC
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MALO ZIMA
Alt-Rock
Brisbane fivesome Malo Zima must really, really like Radiohead. But unlike so many Radiohead rip offs, they manage to distil this love into something genuinely appealing.
Sunday April 24 – Woolly Mammoth – Brisbane, QLD
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PHIL STROUD
Dance
Perth electronic musician Phil Stroud has dropped some hugely groovy house and Balearic beat productions in recent years. This weekend he’s expanding beyond the decks to be joined by a five-piece band. The rhythmic intensity is fated to be overwhelming.
Sunday April 24 – Howler – Melbourne, VIC
SOUNDCLOUD
MAX SAVAGE AND THE FALSE IDOLS
Rock
Max Savage is hopping about the place in the support of his new LP, True Believers. For this one, he tried to shirk the Americana slant of his past work and embrace local dons like The Church, Go-Betweens and Paul Kelly. It’s less a continuation of classic Australian songwriting than it is a straight-up nostalgia fest, but there’s merit to be found nonetheless.
