Australian Music Is Rising Again

New Australian musician and singer, Rhyme. On the rise.

UPDATE, March, 2020: After a string of songs, DJing, remixes and experimental videos in the past few five years, catching attention but not big audiences, and getting near the point of 'Why Do I Keep Doing This?' Rhyme is now breaking through, with this video, hitting 1 million views in its first week of release.

Awesome.




PREVIOUS: Taking time recently to listen around to dozens of new Australian bands, singers, has been incredibly rewarding and exciting. The diversity of genres and levels of experimentation Australian musicians are taking on is breath-taking. Gut feeling says we're about to see a new wave of Aussie acts breaking internationally, but not just in US, UK, but across South East Asia.

Will be highlighting some of these excellent new Australian musicians and singers in the months ahead. Sometimes just a tease, with a follow-up later.

Here's one new singer definitely worth hearing now. Rhyme. Still only a few independent singles into her career, she is advancing rapidly as she continues to record, write and experiment. She's on Facebook here.

Australian Prime Minister In Punk Rock Video - Federal Election 2013 - Day Rock Out

The Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, Opposition leader Tony Abbott, a whole host of other politicians, along with the most familiar news heads on TV all appear in the video, singing along to a new Australian punk rock song. Check it out:



So how did Super Best Friends pull off such a roll-call of cameos? One member of the band is an ABC cameraman, and simply asked them to do it, as he made his way around the corridors of Parliament House.

This isn't PM Rudd's first venture into the musical arts.

Below, he shows NWA how to rock the swears:




Filth.

Rock Photos - The Angels With Dave Gleeson

A selection of photos of The Angels recording at Alberts Studio, and in rehearsals, during 2012.

All photos By Darryl Mason

(from left) The Angels' bassist Chris Bailey, and guitarists Rick and John Brewster

The Angels' Dave Gleeson and Rick Brewster

The Angels' Dave Gleeson

Rick Brewster gets...

....a great idea

Signing stuff

The Angels' bassist Chris Bailey

Baby Animals Finish Recording New Album

Here's sme of my photos from the last day of recordings for the new 2013 album from The Baby Animals. Photos are of guitarist Dave Leslie and singer Suze DeMarchi.

Screaming Jets Grounded

The Screaming Jets could have announced a 'Last Shows Ever!' tour, like so many other Australian bands have done, and sold out shows in every state, made a decent amount of money.

But the band knows a 'Last Shows Ever!' tour would be bullshit. Like Powderfinger, the Jets will perform together again, but they weren't interested in lying to their fans. Of course there will be more live shows from the Screaming Jets. They'll play together again, they know it, and their fans should know it. But when? That we don't know.

Here's a clip from the last show (for the time being) by The Screaming Jets, at Summernats 2012. Keep the sound low, it's distorted as hell, but the stage perspective is interesting. At 10,000 plus, it's one of the biggest audiences the Jets have ever played to :



A few pics from the gig:











More To Come...

"It's Only Fear Under Another Name"

Great song, 22 years old now, that seems to be picking up radio play again for some reason :



Lyrics :

You are born into this world
Looking down the barrel of a gun
And those who hold the gun
Want you to work fast and die young
And if you don't work
If you don't obey
They'll make you live in fear till your dying day
Those who govern hold the gun to your head
With religions, corporations, proud of blood
They've shed

Whether it's God or the bomb
It's just the same
It's only fear under another name

And the corporate snakes coming in to feed
On that pathetic fact known as human greed
Skin and bone being raked over those hot coals
This dump never seems to give time for human soul
And all those things that we have learnt
No time for questions, you'll just get burnt
You'll just get burnt

And those words crush you flat
Like your skull's under a brick
And the fear's so damnned strong
That it makes you sick
And you can see right through those eyes
That make you fear, that make you lie
And you're taught to hold high
Yet you wonder why
Dumb values forced upon you by the
Living lie

Screaming Angels

Dave Gleeson with Chris Bailey and John and Rick Brewster from The Angels, at Alberts Studios, May, 2011 :



Former Screaming Jets singer Dave Gleeson is now confirmed to join The Angels for live shows in Sydney and Adelaide, in late June and early July, and a charity concert in Japan. More details soon.

WA band Gyroscope's Baby, I'm Gettin' Better only reached Number 40 on the Triple JJJ Hottest 100, but for me it's the Australian pop song of 2010, short and sweet, an infectious chorus, great lyrics, the whole thing absolutely crackling with energy.

You Drive Me Insane, In The Nicest Possible Way

Nick Barker's back on the road in October. Always an excellent show, from one of Australia's greatest live performers.

This is his song about his grandmother, who suffered from senile dementia. She came to believe that she lived in two homes, and wanted to know when her family would take her to "the other house". A song from the heart. Sad, but beautiful.