Band Together : Music Reviews

 Good Neighbours – Blue Sky Mentality Tracklist: Keep It up Skipping Stones Ripple found u/me Walk Walk Walk Kids Can't Sleep Home Small Town Starry Eyed People Need People Left Hand Man Suburbs Wonderful Life The Buzz The unsuspecting London duo of Oli Fox and Scott Verrill might have started as two solo artists sharing a recording studio, but in 2024 they found something bigger: meaning, momentum, and a shared creative spark. That spark became Good Neighbours — a brilliantly simple band name for a project built on connection. Since forming, they’ve been on a tear, releasing music at a rapid pace and now delivering their debut album, the 14‑track Blue Sky Mentality. A Bright, Immediate Start The album opens with “Keep It Up”, a pop‑leaning indie‑rock burst that instantly lifts your mood. It’s catchy, energetic, and impossible not to sing along to — the kind of opener that tells you exactly what kind of ride you’re in for. That upbeat, feel‑good energy runs through the whole reco...

DZ Deathrays - Easing Out of Control Track listing: 1. Easing Out Of Control 2. Sideways 3. Pissing In The Breeze 4. Real Love 5. Skyline 6. Like No Other 7. First Night Fever 8. Ordinary Life 9. Demolition 10. Warped DZ Deathrays, a trio from Brisbane, Queensland, are made up of Shane Parsons (vocals/guitar), Lachlan Ewbank (lead guitar/vocals) and Simon Ridley (drums). They’re often described as an Australian dance‑punk band — a genre label intriguing enough that I had to look it up the first time I heard it. They first grabbed my attention, along with plenty of others, with Like People back in 2018, and I’ve kept an eye on them ever since. So when this album dropped on 16 January 2016, I dove in immediately. After giving it real time to sink in, here’s what stood out. The album moves through a genuinely eclectic mix of styles. There are pop‑punk‑leaning anthems like “Ou...

  We had to give away our Cloud Control tickets for their 2025 Enmore return show when one of the kids got sick. So when we saw they were playing at Taronga — and we could bring the kids along — that was an instant yes. Honestly, what’s better than sharing Cloud Control with your kids, dancing together, and watching them experience the magic for the first time. Cloud Control returned to the stage with the kind of energy that reminds you why they mattered so much in the first place. The full lineup — Heidi Lenffer (keyboard), Alistair Wright (guitar), Jeremy Kelshaw (bass), and Ulrich Lenffer (percussion) — slipped back into their old chemistry like no time had passed at all. Heidi was mesmerising: tambourine in hand, moving with that floating, swaying style that feels almost weightless, and vocals that glide right alongside it. Alistair seemed a touch more nervous than the performances I remember from ten years ago, but that vulnerability made sense. After seven years apart, st...

  By pure chance, the two gigs we were hanging out for in 2025 — The Preatures in Canberra and Cloud Control in Sydney — ended up being the two we had to cancel. So when we spotted them joining forces for a double bill for Twilight @ Taronga, it felt like the universe teeing up a do‑over. Even better, it was all‑ages, which meant we could bring our three kids along and let them in on the bands we grew up with. Two acts returning from hiatus. Two soundtracks to our younger years. One perfect summer night to share it all with the next generation. The Preatures are one of those Australian rock bands whose music feels stitched into a particular era — warm summers, 2013, windows down, everything golden. Hearing Isabella Manfredi’s voice again reminded me how timeless it is: nostalgic without ageing, familiar without ever feeling stale. It actually made this review harder to write, because how do you critique something that’s lived in your memory for a decade? The set was exactly wh...

The Grogans — Melbourne’s beloved garage‑rock trio of Quin Grunden, Angus Vasic, and Jordan Lewis — rolled into UC Hub on 5 February and reminded everyone why they’re one of the most quietly brilliant bands in the Australian scene. Honestly, The Grogans might just be the best band name in the country. You look at these three laid‑back lads and you don’t immediately expect the kind of tunes they punch out. But the moment they hit the stage, that modern‑meets‑retro magic kicks in. They’re a 2026 rework of a classic 60s outfit — not in a gimmicky way, but in the way their riffs, tones, and instincts feel pulled from a different era and dropped perfectly into the now. Their guitar work is drenched in 60s/70s flavour, their vocals slide between smooth, grungy, garage, psych‑blues textures, and every now and then you get that unmistakable surf‑rock shimmer. They’re masters of the slow ballad — the kind that gets arms waving and voices rising — but they’re just as sharp when they flip in...

  Bean Magazine — the Brisbane three‑piece made up of Gabrielle Beiers (drums), Seb Baren (bass), and Henry Creamer (vocals, guitar) — walked onto the UC Hub stage to a small Canberra crowd, but you wouldn’t have known it from the sound they unleashed. From the first hit, they set the tone: high‑energy, 90s‑leaning grunge and rock with a rawness that feels both nostalgic and completely their own. What makes their sound so gripping is the dynamic between the three of them. Gabrielle and Seb form this tight, almost understated rhythm section — the “quiet duo” — but their playing is anything but quiet. Gabrielle’s drumming is punchy and precise, driving the songs with a kind of restless momentum, while Seb’s bass lines thicken everything up, giving the band that full‑bodied, room‑shaking presence that so many trios struggle to achieve. Their backing vocals add texture too, softening or sharpening the edges exactly when needed. And then there’s Henry Creamer. The voice. The volum...

  Vlads — an emerging four‑piece indie/surf‑rock outfit from Queensland consisting of Kai Vladusic (vocals, guitar), Callum Watson (drums), Edin Duke (bass, vocals), and Matthew Norrish (guitar).  — Vlads rolled into Fun Time Pony with the kind of confidence and charisma that tells you straight away you’re in for a night. They even hit the stage ten minutes early, which honestly set the tone perfectly.   From the first chord, it was obvious they weren’t just there to play songs; they were there to perform. The dual‑vocal setup gave the whole set a lively, almost conversational bounce. And then there was Kai Vladusic — the lead singer and, presumably, the Vlad behind Vlads — strutting out in a disco‑ball helmet like a man who’d already decided the night was his. At one point he even instrumented a shoey out of the helmet, completely unprompted. Chaotic, ridiculous, and absolutely entertaining. He might just be the music world’s equivalent to the AFL’s Bailey Smith. ...

Beddy Rays stormed into Fun Time Pony on 31 January and delivered the kind of set that converts first‑timers into instant fans. I’ll admit it — I wasn’t deeply across their catalogue beyond “Sobercoaster” and a few scattered singles. But when a band actually makes the effort to come to Canberra, you show up. And this time, you walk out grinning.   The Brisbane four‑piece — Lewis “Lewy” McKenna (guitar), Bradley O’Connor (bass), Jackson “Jacko” van Issum (vocals/guitar), and Benjamin Wade (drums) — aren’t just bandmates. They’ve been friends since they were six years old, and that lifelong connection shows. Their chemistry on stage feels lived‑in, instinctive, and completely unforced — the kind of bond you can’t manufacture.   Live, Beddy Rays hit with a sharper, punk‑leaning edge than their studio recordings suggest, and it suits them brilliantly. Jacko and Lewy bounced off each other with the ease of people who’ve been mucking around together for decades. Their cr...