Neighbourhood Threat
Post punk
Brooding Adelaide four-piece Neighbourhood Threat are heading to Melbourne for the launch of their new self-titled cassette. The five-track release recalls several of Australia’s finest guitar bands, from The Go-Betweens to These Immortal Souls and Boomgates.
Thursday April 30 – The Public Bar – North Melbourne, VIC (w/ Men With Chips & The Smellgoods)
Food Court
Jangle pop
Sydney party-starters Food Court are kicking serious goals at the moment. With an infectious indie pop sound that promises eternal summertime, so they bloody well should be. Fresh off a tour with Northeast Party House, catch them opening up for The Delta Riggs this Friday
Friday May 1 – The Metro – Sydney, NSW (w/ The Delta Riggs)
Thigh Master
Power pop
If tapes were released of Big Star’s early rehearsals, chances are they’d sound something like Brisbane’s Thigh Master. The band’s new 7”, Songs to Wipe Your Mouth To, piles up hooky melodies and familiar riffs with a total disregard for commercial appeal.
Friday May 1 – Hotel Metro – Adelaide, SA (w/ The Yabbies)
Axe Giant
Drone metal
Hobart residents don’t need to wait until Dark MOFO to get their bone-chilling kicks. Local drone metal purveyors Axe Giant have borrowed more than a few pages from Sunn O))’s seriously sinister manual. This Friday, they’ll bring the speaker stacks to the filth haven that is the Brisbane Hotel.
Friday May 1 – Brisbane Hotel – Hobart, TAS (w/ Pure)
Augie March
Country/ indie/ rock/ pop
This weekend is the Urban Country Festival, but Country-phobes fear not, as Caboolture’s weekend-long festival uses that genre designation very loosely. Along with the likes of Lee Kernaghan and Beccy Cole, the lineup includes indie-pop aesthetes Cloud Control and Last Dinosaurs and Brisbane’s psychedelic kraut rockers The Belligerents. It’s also the final show of Augie March’s Havens Dumb national tour.
May 1-3 – Queensland State Equestrian Centre – Caboolture, QLD
MC L-Fresh the Lion
Hip-hop/ electronic
A whole host of hip-hop, electronic and dance artists – including Urtekk, Skank & Shake and Central Australian reggae act Desert Mulga – will take over a usually-quiet valley that sits an hour outside of Alice Springs. At the top of the to-see-list is Sydney MC L-Fresh the Lion, who’ll spit truths into the serene desert air.
May 1-3 – Ross River Resort – Alice Springs, NT
Davey Craddock & The Spectacles
Alt-country
It’s impossible not to think of Augie March when listening to Craddock’s new single ‘Better Alone’. The Western Australian crooner hasn’t stolen Glenn Richards’ shtick per se, but both songwriters take cues from Americana while conveying specifically Australia stories.
Saturday May 2 – The Odd Fellow – Perth, WA
The Peep Tempel
Rock
Without question, The Peep Tempel are currently the country’s finest no-nonsense rock band. This weekend they’ll commence their biggest headline tour to date. The Melbourne trio might hit hard, but their songs are full of poignant emotions, rendered with a healthy splash of humour.
Saturday May 2 – Newtown Social Club – Sydney, NSW
Twerps
Indie pop
The Clean, The Go-Betweens, The Triffids, Pavement, Real Estate; these are the sort of bands that come to mind when contextualising Twerps latest LP Range Anxiety. But it’s the unique presence of Twerps’ two lead songwriters, Marty Frawley and Jules McFarlane, that makes listening to the Melbourne band a ceaseless joy.
Saturday May 2 – The Tote – Melbourne, VIC (w/ The UV Race and Hierophants)
The Stiffys
Party rock
A night out with The Stiffys is a night you’re unlikely to forget. The Melbourne duo has a peerless knack for ensuring everyone in the room partakes in mindless hedonism for the duration of their performance. Plus, The Stiffys’ songs are stupidly catchy.
Sunday May 3 – The Northern – Byron Bay, NSW (w/ The Beards)
Bedtime For Princess
Noise/Experimental
We’ve been without the music of Circle Pit for some time now. The seminal Sydney grunge/rock outfit parted ways a few years ago now, and in it’s absence former members Angie Bermuda and Jack Mannix have remained busy and each brought new acts to the fore including Straight Arrows, Drown Under, Ruined Fortune and even been reunited In Gloss. Bedtime For Princess is the latest project of Jack Mannix’s, an experimental improvisational noise performance.
Sunday May 3 – The Curtin – Melbourne, VIC (w/ Tiprats, Wet Meal)
