STEP-PANTHER.
Oh man, how did I sleep on this? Awesome Sydney fellas Step-Panther have a new single out called ‘Maybe Later’.
Clocking in at just a little over 2mins, the boys seriously nail that short fast slacker rock style. It was recorded with Berkfinger (now of FEELINGS fame) over in Berlin as well as Wade Keighran (Wolf & Cub) back in Sydney. The gents are set to launch the single with an east cost tour (with added Adelaide) throughout October. Details here. GET ON IT.
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Miks
PIGEON.
Pigeon are out of Brissie and do some killer electro pop. They have this quite dark undertone to their music which cuts through really nicely on a lot of their tracks.
New single, ‘Oh Hebe’ fits the bill rather nicely with that intro that gets you. The choruses are big too. And that warpy sound that sits beneath the majority of the song adds that dark, but consistent element to it. Adds an extra level to it all.
We got a stream of the track, the clip as well as the dates they’re doing to launch the newy.
OH HEBE TOUR 2012
Friday 10th August – Sol Bar – Maroochydore
Saturday 11th August – Alhambra Lounge – Brisbane
Thursday 16th August – Transit Bar – Canberra
Friday 17th August – Great Northern Hotel – Newcastle
Saturday 18th August – Goodgod Small Club – Sydney
Thursday 23rd August – Workers Club – Melbourne
Friday 24th August – The Loft – Warrnambool
Saturday 25th August – Ed’s Castle – Adelaide
Friday 31st August – Great Northern – Byron Bay
Saturday 1st September – Red Deer Festival –Mount Samson
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Miks
NEW VAN SHE!!!
So, this week has been pretty crummy. But new Van She is seriously making it better. And perhaps it’s no coincidence that their new track is called Idea of Happiness. After getting its debut on on Triple J Mornings just after 9 this morning, it’s been in my head since. And now I’m listening to it on repeat…and will do until I need to get back to work.
It’s slightly different to the earlier work (think Kelly, Sex City, Changes etc), but it’s a progression, and who the hell’s gonna blame them from evolving their sound?! It perhaps incorporates a bit of their Van She Tech work, which is definitely a killer thing.
I think all in all though, it’s still great feel-good, uplifting pop music…and i’m a sucker for that shit every fucking time.
Van She – Idea Of Happiness by modularpeople
The track is the first new stuff from the guys in a fair few years and is indeed the title track for their second album, due out July 6 in Australia, July 9 in the UK and Eurpoe and July 10 in the US of A.
If you are a local kid though, you can check the boys out as they head on a nationwide tour in support of the new stuff – dates below.
VAN SHE ‘IDEA OF HAPPINESS’ SINGLE AUSTRALIAN TOUR
Sat 14 April – Rocket Bar, Adelaide SA BUY TIX
Sun 15 April – Down The Rabbit Hole, Perth WA BUY TIX
Thu 19 April – Cobra Kai at Oh Hello!, Brisbane QLD BUY TIX
Fri 20 April – Elsewhere, Gold Coast QLD BUY TIX
Sat 21 April – Warehouse Party, Byron Bay NSW BUY TIX
Tue 24 April – The Toff, Melbourne VIC BUY TIX
Wed 25 April – Beach Road Hotel, Sydney NSW FREE ENTRY
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Miks
OLIVER TANK TOUR!
ok, so there seems to be quite a few Sydney based soul influenced beat makers at the mo. Dro Carey, Chet Faker and this dude, Oliver Tank. Perhaps the most well known, Tank has had a bit of a prolific ride. He’s gotten some international play, had his track Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion used in Get Up’s most popular/viewed campaign and has finally released an EP, Dreams.
To help get the EP out there, Tank is doing a national(ish) tour.
Dates after the jump…and if you’re unsure about it, you can stream the EP here. And then, of course, if you like, make sure you buy the thing!
Oliver Tank – I Love You
Oliver Tank – Last Night I Heard Everything In Slow Motion
STRANGE TALK.
ok, so no doubt you’re already onto this, especially if you’re into your local stuff.
Melbourne boys Strange Talk have a newy, called Sexual Lifestyle. It is rather dashing…gets you pumped. And that chorus! YES! It’s been tweaked a little by Van She Tech (ohmy!) and mixed by John Fields who’s done stuff for absolute maamf faves Cut Copy and The Presets.
Make sure you check out the guys when they tour the new single around – dates after the jump.
ILUKA.
ok, so I never thought I’d be posting a retro sounding jazzy track. But then I came across ILUKA, or Nikki Thorburn.
ILUKA is from Sydney town, and man, she has one of those smoky, but feel good voices. This track seriously put me in a super good mood this morning. Make sure you check out her other stuff on her Unearthed profile, and, if you like, she’s doing a bit of a mini tour – dates below.
So, we have Eyes Closed down below as a stream as well as the really nice clip.
THE VASCO ERA.
We’ve been lucky enough to have a bit of a listen to The Vasco Era‘s new LP before it hits the stores next week. And man, it kinda kills. Good, hard working bluesy rock ‘n’ roll. There’s a feeling of authenticity about the sound, you get the impression that it comes from somewhere pretty genuine.
This is the guys third album, but their first done so independently. It seems a little more relaxed which is kinda cool – you get the impression that they’re a bit more free (and yes, I am aware of how wankerish that sounds).
All the tracks are strong on this release. You would have heard Child Bearing Hips, apparently a track about bigger blokes, not curvy babes, on the j’s – it’s getting the shit played out of it…and rightly so. Other tracks that really stand out for me though are ‘Rock And Roll Is The Only Thing That Makes Me Feel Good’ and ‘Every Boy Is The Same’. We got a bit of an exclusive stream of Every Boy Is The Same just for you!
The Vasco Era – Every Boy Is The Same
The guys are also set for a national run of dates, co-headlining with Sydney gents Papa Vs Pretty. You can check out more deets on their website.
YES!
Miks
getting all broken these holidays
The Holidays. I saw these guys a few months ago support Bluejuice…and they were pretty impressive. Massive use of percussion in their live shows which is always good to see! These dudes have already got a bit of buzz – they’ve been getting reasonably high rotation on the J’s, and I’m sure they’re picking up a bit from community radio too.
You may remember their killer tropical indie party jam called Moonlight Hours that was doing the rounds earlier on this year. Loved that track something massif, as well as the Jonathan Boulet remix that we featured. The guys have a new single out though. It’s called Broken Bones, and it’s a grower. Definite grower. Bit of a slow-groover with a real nice synth sound. Also included is their trademark percussion, put to good use in the chorus.
The new single is taken from their new album, Post Paradise which is (finally) hitting stores on Sep 24th. You can pre-order it now at JB and get it signed by the band and get a FRIDGE MAGNET (!!!) if you so wish. Or you can just pre-order it on iTunes. OR, you could wait for the 24th, and go into a record store and physically buy the thing with money, or a card taken from your wallet that was in your pocket.
Check out a little preview vid for the album just below as well as a download of Broken Bones. Also make sure you check out the guys on their Post Paradise tour. Grab tix to most of their gigs via our posse store, or head to their website for a full list of gigs
saving the philly jays
Not that they needed saving or anything…although, they probably need saving from my stupid tweets. Check out the link for my indirect insult of the Philly Jays boys. Awkward.
So anyway, the new track Save Our Town is great. Bit of a more produced feel to it when you compare it to the tracks off Hope Is For Hopers. It has a great bloody catchy chorus though. Think I may be singing it for a while.
The dudes are also touring in celebration of this new single. Check out the deets on their website, and you can grab tix to the Newcastle and Hobart shows via the maamf posse store.
Philadelphia Grand Jury – Save Our Town
giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggssss!
Ok. So there are a few sweet as gigs coming soon…and we’ve got a few tix going at our posse store. But, instead of you clicking on about 3 links to get to the page where you can buy tix, we thought we’d just give you direct links. Of course, if there’s something that you wish was here but isn’t, then it may just be on our posse page, but yeah, here’s a bit of a selection.
May.
Miami Horror are out on tour supporting their latest single Moon Theory. The guys are half way through their tour which looks to end in a few weeks. Check ’em out at:
The Corner Hotel in Richmond (VIC) on the 28th (TIX) and 29th of May (TIX).
They’re also playing at The Manning Bar at Sydney Uni on the 12th of June (TIX).
June.
US Hip Hop kid Common hits our shores pretty soon which should be a bit of ace. Check him out at:
The Forum in Sydney on June 11th (TIX) and at the The Prince of Wales in St Kilda (VIC) on June 12 (TIX).
July.
Indie folk pin up Matt Corby plays the Raval in Surrey Hills (NSW) on July 1 (TIX) and the Toff in Town in Melbourne on July 8th (TIX).
August.
Everyone’s favourite indie electro pop kids Passion Pit are playing a few Spendour sideshows throughout August.
They’re going to be hitting The Forum in Sydney on August 2 (TIX)
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Melbourne boys Midnight Juggernauts are on tour in August also playing some Spleadour sideshows. Definitely check out these dudes.
They’re also playing at The Forum in Sydney on the 20th of August (TIX)
So that’s the run down. Have only gone for the more major capital city shows on here, but check out our Posse store for a few extras.
pleasing operators
Operator Please are heading out on tour! To help launch their second, all grown up album, they’re heading out on tour doing all the cap cities (well…most of them.)
You can check out tickets via the maamf posse page which is kinda cool. There’s also a killer remix of their first single Gloves doing the rounds by none other than Like Woah! (People thought Like Woah! had died and had morphed into Ted & Francis full time…but, no, they haven’t). Cheers to !tashed for the remix. Give those guys some blog love 🙂
Anyway, check out the dates below and make sure if you’re heading along, to grab tix through the maamf Posse store!
All the shows are going to be supported by the much loved Tim & Jean as well as Sydney kids Chaingang.
Operator Please – ‘Gloves Off’ tour
Friday 18th June – Astor Theater, Perth (18+) Get Tix @ Posse!
Saturday 19th June – Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide (Lic a/a)
Friday 25th June – Corner Hotel, Melbourne (18+) Get Tix @ Posse!
Saturday 26th June – Metro Theatre, Sydney (Lic a/a) Get Tix @ Posse!
Friday 2nd July – HiFi, Brisbane (18+) Get Tix @ Posse!
Saturday 3rd July – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast (18+) Get Tix @ Posse!
philly jays head to…
…not Philadelphia. But they are leaving (for London to be precise). And who knows for how long? 😦 If you haven’t seen the Philly Jays in action, make sure you check them out for their final Aussie tour. Should be a good good one. It’s all to promote their latest single “I Don’t Want To Party (Party)”…but I suppose that’s only half of it. The guys are considered as one of Australia’s best live acts, and for a band that have only been around for a short while (first single, Going To The Casino was released mid last year), that’s a pretty good status to hold so early on in the game. So go and check the dudes out for the last final time! Check out the dates below.
Anyway, the new single is already a bit of a live favourite, especially those little “ra ra ra ra ra ra” bits at the end, and the big shouty lyrics. The release of the single is going to feature some extra cool exclusives with a remix of album track Wet Winter Holiday done by Mike FWD, a solo track from Berkfinger called Jimmy At The Whorehouse (little side note: Berkfinger’s releasing a full length solo concept album later on this year, and this is the first cut!), and a new track called Both Kinds Of Music produced by the band’s new drummer Calvin, who apparently is this 56 year old American dude who used to be a session drummer for bands like Earth Wind and Fire!
Anyway, I definitely recommend checking out the fellas before they depart. Or, if you’re in the US or UK, you’ll get to see them from late April/early June. Check out the Aussie dates below, or over at their MySpace for the UK and US dates. They’re bound to sell out. The guys should go gangbusters over in the UK me thinks. World domination for the Philly Jays!!!
Philadelphia Grand Jury – I Don’t Want To Party (Party)
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Philadelphia Grand Jury – Wet Winter Holiday (Mike FWD Remix)
We Don’t Want To Party (Party) Australian Tour – April 2010
With special guests: The John Steele Singers
02/04 Sussex Inlet RSL, Sussex Inlet* – www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
03/04 Club Sapphire, Merimbula* – www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
04/04 Tathra Hotel, Tathra* – www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
09/04 Karova Lounge, Ballarat – www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
10/04 East Brunswick Club, Melb – www.eastbrunswickclub.com or 03 9388 9794
11/04 East Brunswick Club, Melb – www.eastbrunswickclub.com or 03 9388 9794
15/04 Oxford Art Factory, Syd – www.moshtix.com.au, Moshtix Outlets, or 1300 GETTIX
16/04 Oxford Art Factory, Syd – www.moshtix.com.au, Moshtix Outlets, or 1300 GETTIX
17/04 The Zoo, Bris – www.oztix.com.au or 1300 762 545
22/04 Jive Bar, Radelaide – www.moshtix.com.au, Moshtix Outlets, or 1300 GETTIX
23/04 Jive Bar, Radelaide – www.moshtix.com.au, Moshtix Outlets, or 1300 GETTIX
24/04 Rosemount Hotel, Perth* – www.moshtix.com.au, Moshtix Outlets, or 1300 GET TIX or www.heatseeker.com.au
* The John Steele Singers not appearing
Club NME Australia
For those locals out there, you may know what NME is. Some call it the British music bible. Other’s call it utter crap. I get it occasionally and only try to believe half the hype that’s included. They’re not just a magazine though. I think they have a radio station and I’m sure they do TV stuff too…so it’s kind of like what Triple J is to Australia. But one thing Triple J doesn’t do is run gigs.
Club NME has been running in the UK for 6 years, with one of the recent ones featuring Memory Tapes. It’s also been running in the US for a bit also. But now it’s Australia’s turn. Yep. Australia gets Club NME and some awesome locals are gonna help kick it off. Philadelphia Grand Jury (or the Philly Jays as their perhaps more commonly known) are one of those bands that sound as though their in massive command of the Aussie independent music industry. Their debut album Hope Is For Hopers is still getting a few rotations on ze ipod too. I very stupidly chose Bridezilla over Philly Jays at Laneway and i’m regretting it (nothing against Bridezilla though mind you). But with Club NME, i’m able to redeem my ways.
Later on this month Club NME is hitting Brisvegas, Melbournetown and Sin City. Sound like it’ll be a bit of fun, especially with support from some great DJ’s including Yacht Club DJs, Purple Sneaker’s DJs, and Andy Rourke from The Smiths (!).
Check out the Yacht Club DJ’s remix of The Good News by the Philly Jays just below as well as the dates of Club NME Australia.
Brisbane: Thursday 25th Feb @ Empire Hotel (w. Velociraptor) – tix from OzTix
Melbourne: Friday 26th Feb @ The HiFi Bar (w. Love Connection) – tix from The HiFi Bar Website
Sydney: Saturday 27th Feb @ Manning Bar (w. Tennis) – tix from Moshtix and Manning Bar Website
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Philadelphia Grand Jury – The Good News (Yacht Club Djs Remix)
K. That’ll do the ramble for now
MAAMF: an australian music blog 
